Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Topical treatments for bacterial and yeast skin infections in pets
By Mueller, Ralf S et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2012·Small Animal Medicine Clinic, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A review of topical therapy for skin infections with bacteria and yeast.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog with a skin infection caused by bacteria or yeast may benefit from topical treatments instead of systemic medications, which can have side effects and may not always be effective. Research shows that chlorhexidine is a strong option for treating bacterial skin infections in dogs, while a combination of chlorhexidine and miconazole works well for yeast infections. Other treatments like silver sulfadiazine and medical honey have limited evidence supporting their use. If your dog has a skin infection, ask your vet about these topical options that could help without the risks associated with oral medications.
People also search for: dog skin infection treatment · chlorhexidine for dog skin problems · miconazole for dog yeast infection
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cutaneous infections with bacteria and yeasts are common in small animal practice. Treatment with systemic antibiotics or antifungal agents may not be ideal, because of the increasing development of multiresistant organisms, the cost and the possible adverse effects. Topical antimicrobials may be used as adjunctive therapy to systemic treatment or as sole therapy instead of systemic treatment. OBJECTIVE: This literature review evaluated studies on topical antimicrobial treatment of skin infections. METHODS: In vitro and in vivo studies evaluating topical antimicrobial agents were identified using a number of electronic and manual searches of textbooks and articles. Studies were evaluated, and the evidence for or against the use of the topical agents was extracted. RESULTS: There is good evidence for the efficacy of chlorhexidine and, to a lesser degree, benzoyl peroxide in canine bacterial skin infections. There is limited evidence for the efficacy of silver sulfadiazine and medical honey against bacterial skin infections in the dog, and for the efficacy of hydrogen peroxide and stannous fluoride in the horse. Good evidence supports the use of a combination of chlorhexidine and miconazole in dogs with cutaneous Malassezia infections. There is insufficient evidence to recommend any other topical therapy for use in cutaneous infections. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Although many antimicrobial topicals are marketed in veterinary dermatology, the efficacy has been reported for only a minority of agents. Randomized controlled trials evaluating various topical treatments are therefore urgently needed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22731400/