Question: My Pomeranian has a bacterial infection of the hair follicals.What would your treatment be? – Yvonne
Answer: A bacterial infection of the hair follicle is called pyoderma. The most common type of bacteria to infect the hair follicle is Staphylococcus intermedius.
Your veterinarian can diagnose this condition by lancing a pustule and spreading some of the contents onto a microscope slide. The slide is stained and examined under the microscope for white blood cells and bacteria. The lesions can also be cultured. A culture is done by swabbing the pustule and sending it to a microbiology laboratory. The lab will spread it on a Petri dish to see what kind of bacteria grow. The advantage of doing this is that they can test it against different antibiotics to see which drugs will kill the bacteria.
Once a culture is done, the appropriate antibiotic can be selected to treat the infection. Generally the medication will need to be used for two weeks past the last sign of any lesions. Antibiotics are used to treat the infection. The antibiotic is usually given by mouth.
A newer antibiotic called Convenia is given by injection and can last for two weeks. This is helpful for dogs that are not good pill takers. I also like to use medicated shampoos to help boost the bacterial-killing properties. A shampoo that contains benzoil peroxide can help flush out the hair follicle where the bacteria are living.
Make sure that your dog is getting good nutrition and that you are using a good once-a-month flea control. Pyoderma is often seen in dogs that have other illnesses like allergies, parasites, diabetes, hypothyroidism, or Cushing?s disease. It is important to work closely with your veterinarian to treat or control the underlying disease.
Dr. Baker
Baker Veterinary Clinic
1801 S. Congress Ave.
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
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