Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Topical ethyl alcohol for treating superficial bacterial skin
By Masutani, K et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2026·Animal Dermatology Clinic, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Topical ethyl alcohol as a novel treatment for superficial bacterial pyoderma in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with bacterial skin infections, known as superficial pyoderma, were treated with either 70% ethyl alcohol or a common antiseptic called chlorhexidine for 28 days. Both treatments significantly improved the dogs' skin condition, reducing the severity of their lesions and the levels of harmful bacteria on their skin. There was no major difference in effectiveness between the two treatments, suggesting that ethyl alcohol could be a good alternative for treating these skin infections in dogs.
People also search for: dog skin infection treatment · ethyl alcohol for dog pyoderma · chlorhexidine vs ethyl alcohol for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To assess topical ethyl alcohol as a novel treatment for canine superficial pyoderma and compare its effects with chlorhexidine digluconate on the relative abundance of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi within the skin microbiome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective, randomised, blinded study, 15 client-owned dogs with bilaterally symmetric bacterial skin lesions received twice-daily topical chlorhexidine digluconate 3% (Douxo™ S3 Pyo mousse, CEVA; Libourne, France) or 70% ethyl alcohol (Purell™ Gel, GOJO Industries; Wooster, OH, USA) for 28 days. Lesions were clinically and cytologically scored at days 0, 14 and 28 using a modified split-body system to generate a global score. Next-generation DNA sequencing characterised the S. pseudintermedius and S. schleiferi loads at day 0 and 28. RESULTS: Both treatments significant improved global scores from baseline (chlorhexidine 18.22 ± 3.54; ethyl alcohol 17.95 ± 3.78) at 14-days (chlorhexidine 12.80 ± 2.74, p ≤ 0.001; ethyl alcohol 12.40 ± 3.06, p ≤ 0.001) and 28-days (chlorhexidine 9.24 ± 3.57, p ≤ 0.001 and ethyl alcohol 8.40 ± 4.06, p ≤ 0.001). Global scores were not significantly different between treatment groups at any time point. Both treatments also reduced the relative abundance of S. pseudintermedius (chlorhexidine -28.73% ± 42.86%; ethyl alcohol -25.66% ± 38.74%) and S. schleiferi (chlorhexidine -65.93% ± 13.03%; ethyl alcohol -79.82% ± 8.37%). No statistically significant differences were observed in the relative abundance of either species between the topical treatments (p=0.95 S. pseudintermedius; p=0.38 S. schleiferi). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study suggests topical 70% ethyl alcohol may be an effective treatment for canine superficial pyoderma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41407317/