Therapy of the “bad Bugs” of the Skin

Skin infections with bacteria (pyoderma) or yeast (Malassezia dermatitis) often are found in dogs secondary to other diseases such as seborrhea, endocrine diseases and allergic diseases. Many of these cases have abnormalities in skin barrier function or desquamation and even when the primary disease is controlled if this defect is not corrected the dog may still be prone to recurrent infections though episodes may be less severe or less frequent. In chronic or recurrent infections other factors may develop which are referred to as perpetuating factors. The most common bacteria to cause skin infections in dogs is Staphylococcus pseudintermedius which used to be called Staph intermedius. However in some cases other bacteria such as Enterococcus, Corynebacteria, E. coli, and Pseudomonas may be pathogenic. The diagnosis of a skin infection is simple if the lesions are recognized and sampled for cytology.