Staph infections are a common and often chronic opportunistic infection that commonly affects dogs, especially pets with a suppressed immune system or chronic skin problems like allergies or parasites.
Oral antibiotics like Clavamox are typically prescribed to heal the infection. But in many cases, the veterinarian will also prescribe topical treatments and remedies to help prevent the infection from spreading, while also promoting healing.
Topical Treatments for a Dog's Staph Infection -- Medicated Shampoos, Ointments, Wound Cleaning
The first step to treating a dog's staph infections is to shave the area. This enables pet owners to view and treat the entire affected area. Smaller lesions are easily concealed by a dog's fur. In some cases, the pus and discharge can accumulate in the fur, essentially enclosing the infection. This can lead to massive skin sores.
Daily wound maintenance is an important part of the healing process for a dog's staph infections. The wounds and surrounding area must be washed daily with an antibacterial soap. This will clear away bacteria, pus and discharge.
The veterinarian may also prescribe regular use of a medicated shampoo containing benzoyl peroxide -- the same active ingredient in many acne remedies. Typically, these medicated shampoos are used once every several days.
The use of antibiotic ointments is also fairly routine. In addition, your veterinarian may recommend bandaging the wounds to prevent the staph infection from spreading to other parts of the dog's body and even to other pets. It's important to note that pet owners should avoid bandaging a dog's wound unless explicitly directed to do so by a veterinarian. In some circumstances, bandaging a wound can actually delay healing and promote infection as bacteria can thrive under the bandages due to the reduced air flow.
Other Tips to Care for a Dog's Staph Infections
Promoting healthy skin and overall health is important during the healing process. The following tips can help promote healing in a dog with chronic skin infections due to staph bacteria:
- Provide the dog with a multi-vitamin to ensure that his body is receiving all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
- Give Vitamin E supplements to promote skin health.
- Provide a skin and coat supplement in the dog's meals. These supplements, which typically come in liquid form, usually contain Vitamins E, B6, A and D3, Linoleic Acid, along with crude fat and protein.
- Feed a high quality dog food. If food allergies are suspected to be a contributing factor to the dog's staph infections, owners may be directed to feed an exclusion diet and/or alternative dog food formulas (e.g., green peas and duck or venison and potato dog food formulas, both available from Royal Canin.)
- Wash the dog's bedding on a daily basis. Instead of washing the entire bed, it's usually easier to cover the bed with a towel or blanket, which can be washed on a daily basis. This can prevent the infection from spreading.
- Bring the dog to the vet to diagnose and treat underlying skin problems. For instance, canine food allergies or skin parasites can cause tiny wounds in the skin, providing the opportunity for staph infection formation.
- Massage the dog on a daily basis. When done properly, massage can improve blood flow in the skin and underlying tissues, thereby speeding healing, while also promoting relaxation and bonding.
Notably, it's important to avoid direct contact with wounds and open sores during a dog's massage.
A daily pet massage session can also serve as an opportunity to check for new lesions. It's often easier to feel for new problem areas, as new infections are not apt to be visible on dogs with thick or long fur (and by the time a sore is visible, it's typically quite large.) Feel for open sores, blister-like pustules, and areas of hard, stiff fur, caked with dried pus or discharge.
If new lesions are located, the fur will need to be removed from the area surrounding the wound. Then, the new areas of skin infection will need to be washed with antibacterial soap and disinfected.
Treating staph infections can be a lengthy process, but a combination of oral antibiotics, topical treatments and a good daily care regime can promote healing and overall health in your dog. To learn more, read Dog Skin Problems -- Antibiotic Treatment for Staph Infections.
Many dogs experience staph infections as a side effect of prednisone. To learn more, read Prednisone Side Effects in Dogs on Steroid Therapy.
Mia Carter - Mia Carter - Journalist, Producer/Editor & Web Writer. Carter's work has appeared on CBS and CNN.com.
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