Skin issues are one of the most common reasons pets end up at the vet. For many itchy dogs and cats, the underlying problem is pyoderma, a bacterial infection of the skin.
According to Dr. Clarissa Souza, a board-certified veterinary dermatologist at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital, understanding what causes pyoderma is the key to treating it effectively – and preventing it from returning.
“Pyoderma is always secondary to an underlying disease,” Dr. Souza explains. “In dogs and cats, the most common primary disease is allergies.”
Signs of Pyoderma
Unlike people, who often show their allergies through sneezing or watery eyes, allergic animals primarily have their skin affected and secondary bacterial infections aggravate the problem. And for owners, the signs are usually hard to miss.
“Most animals with skin infections are itchy,” Dr. Souza points out. “Sometimes they are already itchy because of allergies, and they get markedly itchier because of the pyoderma.” Owners may also notice visible changes. “If owners see some scaling, small pink lesions resembling mosquito bites, or yellowish crusts, they should bring their animal to the veterinarian.”
While many owners worry that certain breeds are more prone to pyoderma, Dr. Souza stresses that the bigger issue is allergy prevalence. “I personally don’t think there is one breed of dog that is more predisposed than others,” she notes. “All allergic dogs can have pyoderma.”
Diagnosing Pyoderma
One of the most important messages Dr. Souza hopes to convey to pet owners is that pyoderma must be properly diagnosed.
“Cytology is essential to confirm pyoderma,” she says. “Without cytology, we can suspect, but we will not have a definitive diagnosis.” For cytology, veterinarians collect samples from the skin and examine them under a microscope.
Sometimes veterinarians will culture the bacteria found on the pet’s skin to identify which antibiotics the bacteria respond to. “Culture is recommended when we suspect resistant infections,” Dr. Souza explains. Classic candidates for culture tests include pets that have had multiple antibiotic courses, infections that don’t resolve with treatment, or new pyoderma lesions that appear despite antibiotics administration.
Treating Pyoderma
Dr. Souza supervised a clinical trial at the University of Illinois evaluating how long dogs need antibiotics for superficial pyoderma, the most common form of the disease.
“The main goal of this study was to determine the ideal duration of antibiotic prescriptions,” she says. “At the end, we saw that two weeks of systemic antibiotic treatment should be enough for the great majority of superficial pyoderma cases. We may even be able to use it for a shorter period if topical antibacterial treatment is prescribed together.”
Additionally, and of importance, Dr. Souza notes “That’s the idea nowadays: to try to use as little as possible of antibiotics so that we are not allowing bacteria to develop resistance.”
She also warns owners against using leftover antibiotics or stopping treatment early. “Failing to complete the full course of antibiotics or using antibiotics prescribed for something else could contribute to bacterial resistance,” she says.
Finally, rechecks are essential so veterinarians can re-assess the skin infection and determine whether it has resolved.
Treating Early, Addressing the Cause
The longer pyoderma goes untreated, the more uncomfortable pets become – and the more likely the infection is to spread, recur, or require aggressive treatment later. Early diagnosis and proper management of the underlying allergy, endocrine issue, or other skin disorders are essential to prevent these infection cycles from repeating.
For owners frustrated by their pet’s repeated pyoderma, Dr. Souza stresses the need to address the underlying problem, which is often allergies.
Most current research focuses on allergy control to get at the root of the problem. “We’ve been seeing companies developing more options for allergy treatment,” Dr. Souza says. “That’s been the focus. Not specifically pyoderma, but controlling the underlying disease.”
With advances in allergy care, dermatologists hope future patients will experience fewer bacterial infections overall.
By Julia Bellefontaine
