Does your puppy lick his coat most of the time, or are you upset with the flaky and ugly skin coat of your dog? Is your dog having a skin problem or lesions on your puppy’s skin scares you?
In most cases, the reason behind these questions would be ‘Dog Skin Infection.’ Dog skin infection is a reason for overpowering dread in the minds of pet owners. Medically, dog Skin Infection is a condition in which infectious agents like bacteria or fungi cause lesions, blisters, and pus-filled wounds. There are a lot of dog skin diseases caused by a variety of factors, including genetic, parasitic, allergic, and metabolic disorders.
These include sarcoptic manage or scabies in dogs, folliculitis in dogs, seborrhea, yeast infection in dogs, pyoderma, ringworm infection, etc. When a dog shows symptoms like itchy skin, dandruff, flaky, dry skin, then it becomes difficult to diagnose and find out the real cause behind the condition. In this guide, we will learn bacterial skin infection in dogs and the treatment of dog skin infections.
Bacterial Skin Infection in Dogs
As the skin is the largest organ of the body, it harbours many bacteria that benefit the body to synthesize different metabolites. But due to some abnormal conditions like skin allergy or autoimmune skin disorder, these bacteria can start damaging the skin. That’s the way they cause dog skin infection.
Pyoderma in Dogs
According to a British veterinary journal, pyoderma is among the common causes of skin diseases in dogs.
As in medical terms, ‘Pyo’ represents bacteria, and ‘derma’ is associated with skin, pyoderma is the other name for bacterial skin infection in dogs. Being a cause of most skin infections in puppies, you can call it Impetigo.
Pyoderma in dogs is characterized by red pustules on naked areas of skin, just like pimples in humans. Other signs may include dry skin, flaky patches, hair loss, and itchy skin in dogs. In most cases, bacterial skin infections are secondary to any primary skin disease like skin allergy or autoimmune disorder.
How to Treat Dog Skin Infection?
Treatment can be for primary skin disease, or it can be a combination of therapies to control the secondary bacterial infection as well. Drain abscesses and cleaning wounds with antibiotic treatment can also be considered. Various skin shampoos and diet to promote the health of the skin can also be an add on therapy.
Dog skin infection treatment depends upon the correct diagnosis of the disease. Choosing the best treatment diagnosis is mandatory. Your veterinarian will check signs and symptoms and can take a patch of skin and examine it under a microscope to define the infection. We always recommend visiting a veterinarian or consulting a veterinarian online before making any decision about your dog’s health.
What Will Be the Medicine for Dog Skin Infection?
Medicine depends upon the type of dog skin infection. If it is skin allergy, then your veterinarian may prescribe you the medication, which reduces the itching. In the case of autoimmune disorder, immunotherapy can be a choice of your veterinarian.
In case, if the infection is bacterial, then antibiotic therapy will be the best choice. Treatment with antibiotics for at least 3 to 4 weeks can cure the disease. If bacteria have gone deep in the skin, treatment will take more time. Medication with antibiotics to stop bacteria and the use of dog shampoo for skincare will be excellent for your dog’s recovery.
3 Ways to Prevent Dog Skin Infection
You can easily prevent skin infections in dogs by adopting simple skincare techniques.
- During the summer season, your dog’s skin can become dry due to heat. To avoid dry skin, you can use moisturizers and prevent your dog from going out in direct sunlight.
- You can prevent parasitic dog skin infections by controlling parasites. Keeping your dog in a neat and clean environment and controlling fleas will be helpful.
- You should bath your dog regularly with best dog shampoos to avoid dog skin problems.