Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How UK vets treat bacterial skin infections in dogs
By Summers, Jennifer F et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2014·Department of Population and Public Health (PPH), United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Prescribing practices of primary-care veterinary practitioners in dogs diagnosed with bacterial pyoderma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 683 dogs, about 1.3% of those seen at participating veterinary practices, were diagnosed with bacterial skin infections known as pyoderma. Most of these dogs were treated with antibiotics, with common medications including amoxicillin-clavulanate and cefalexin. However, in many cases, the prescribed doses were lower than recommended, and treatments lasted less than two weeks for about 40% of the dogs. This suggests that while antibiotics are often used for pyoderma, the prescribing practices may not always align with the best guidelines.
People also search for: dog skin infection treatment · pyoderma in dogs antibiotics · why is my dog itching and losing hair
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Concern has been raised regarding the potential contributions of veterinary antimicrobial use to increasing levels of resistance in bacteria critically important to human health. Canine pyoderma is a frequent, often recurrent diagnosis in pet dogs, usually attributable to secondary bacterial infection of the skin. Lesions can range in severity based on the location, total area and depth of tissue affected and antimicrobial therapy is recommended for resolution. This study aimed to describe patient signalment, disease characteristics and treatment prescribed in a large number of UK, primary-care canine pyoderma cases and to estimate pyoderma prevalence in the UK vet-visiting canine population. RESULTS: Of 54,600 dogs presented to 73 participating practices in 2010, 683 (1.3%) had a pyoderma diagnosis recorded in available electronic patient record (EPR) data. Antimicrobials were dispensed in 97% of cases and most dogs were prescribed systemic therapy (92%). Agents most frequently prescribed were amoxicillin-clavulanate, cefalexin, clindamycin and cefovecin. Systemic antimicrobials were prescribed for fewer than 14 days in around 40% of study cases reviewed in detail. Prescribed daily doses were below minimum recommended daily dose (MRDD) in 26% of 43 dogs with sufficient information for calculation of minimum dose. CONCLUSIONS: Antimicrobial prescribing behaviour for treatment of canine pyoderma was variable but frequently appeared inconsistent with current recommendations. Use of clinical data from primary practice EPRs can provide valuable insight into common clinical conditions and associated prescribing.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25293803/