Thoughts on Clindamycin for tiny dog

[Joanne]

• Your pet's name: Kiki
• Approximate age: 12
• Sex: F
• Neutering status: Neutered
• Breed: Chihuahua
• Approximate weight: 5.5 lbs.
• What's their BEAM (behavior, energy, appetite, mood): Good
• Diet: Freeze-dried raw (Small Batch Dog)
• Vaccination history / exposure to toxins, other medication: None since adopting in 2018
• Primary problem, when it began and if there was anything else happening around that time: Bacterial skin infection that hasn’t cleared
• Is the condition better or worse from exercise, heat, cold, time of day, certain foods, emotional upset, being touched, excitement, etc? N/A
• Has any diagnostic work been done? Diagnosis if available (you can attach your diagnostic tests to the post if you have them.): N/A
• Current and previous treatment: Clavamox, 2x treatment, 30 days each; topical mousse she had bad reaction to
• Other health concerns: N/A

Hello HA! My tiny dog Kiki has a bacterial skin infection that won’t seem to clear. She went through two rounds of clavamox and also a topical mousse that totally burnt her skin. Unfortunately we didn’t get a culture of the bacteria at the onset of her issue. Now the vet has prescribed Clindamycin Hydrochloride oral drops. I’m not familiar with this antibiotic. It seems to have a few warnings associated with it, including a side effect of bloody diarrhea. I would like more info on this med before I give it to my 5.5lb dog. Is there anything I should be concerned about with this drug? Is it potentially more dangerous in terms of side effects compared to Clavamox?

I have been giving her a Chinese herbal blend called Immuno Balm by Gold Standard herbs to try to boost her immune system. And she gets Gussy’s Gut for some probiotics.

Attached are a couple of pictures of her skin from today.

Thank you!
Joanne

@Dr. Christina @Dr. Jeff