Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with recurrent skin infections - what could be causing it?
By Seckerdieck, Florian & Mueller, Ralf S·Published in The Veterinary record·2018·Small Animal Medicine Clinic, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Recurrent pyoderma and its underlying primary diseases: a retrospective evaluation of 157 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 157 dogs with recurrent skin infections (bacterial pyoderma) was studied to find out what underlying health issues might be causing these problems. It turned out that many of these dogs had allergies, with environmental allergies being the most common. Other conditions found included hypothyroidism and hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease). For young dogs, testing for allergies and skin scraping can help identify the cause, while older dogs may need hormonal testing and flea checks. By addressing these underlying issues, many dogs can find relief from their skin problems.
People also search for: dog skin infection treatment · recurrent pyoderma in dogs · dog allergies symptoms · dog hypothyroidism treatment · flea infestation in dogs
Abstract
Bacterial pyoderma is common in small animal practice. Usually there is an associated underlying disease, but little is known about the prevalence of underlying diseases in dogs with recurrent pyoderma. The aim of this study was to analyse the frequency of the different underlying diseases in dogs with recurrent pyoderma. In total, 157 animals with recurrent pyoderma were identified in hospital records from 2008 to 2013 and the data analysed for primary diseases. The time between recurrences, the type of clinical signs and the age at pyoderma onset were also evaluated. At least one primary disease was found in 107 dogs. Allergies were the primary cause in 63 dogs, environmental allergy was the most frequent (n=45) and was often associated with other allergies, followed by hypothyroidism (n=12) and hyperadrenocorticism (n=6). Sixteen dogs with recurrent pyoderma suffered from demodicosis. In young dogs with recurrent pyoderma an allergy work-up combined with deep skin scrapings should lead to a diagnosis of the underlying disease in most of the cases. In dogs in which pyoderma began in middle or old age, hormonal testing and ruling out a possible flea infestation should be the first steps.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29419485/