Hey bookwormgirl, how is your dog doing with the puppy strangles? I just got myself a little golden retriever puppy and he had come down with a case of it a few days before I picked him up from the breeders (which was on 5/4/12). After a few days on meds he seemed to be on the mend, but then within the past week it seems to have gotten worse. A lot probably had to do with him rubbing his face on the grass whenever he was outside and I unfortunately let him, not knowing it would lead to it getting worse. He's been on steroids and antibiotcs the whole time (his steroid dosage got increased over the weekend) and has been in a cone for over a week too. The scabbing around his mouth, muzzle, and nose is pretty bad and it doesn't seem to be getting any better day-by-day. Has anyone noticed improvement by applying neosporin or anything like that? I'm worried about him trying to lick it off if I put it around his mouth. This his him on Monday (5/14/12).