<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><bold>Introduction:</bold><italic>Staphylococcus pseudintermedius</italic> and <italic>Malassezia pachydermatis</italic> often cause skin diseases in dogs.<bold>Material and Methods:</bold> An online survey was e-mailed to veterinary practices nationwide covering demographics, diagnosis methods, and oral and topical treatment options. Of the 740 surveys sent, 100 complete replies were obtained.<bold>Results:</bold> The majority of clinicians were unaware of the existence of the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases guidelines or did not follow them (53%). Oral antibiotics were used universally for superficial bacterial folliculitis treatment, particularly amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (100%), cephalexin (94%), enrofloxacin (67%), or marbofloxacin (60%). For fold dermatitis (FD) and otitis externa (OE), oral antibiotics were also given as treatment in 88% and 82% of cases, respectively. Oral antifungals were often prescribed for generalised <italic>Malassezia</italic> dermatitis (85%), FD (70%), and OE (59%). <italic>S. pseudintermedius</italic> and <italic>M. pachydermatis</italic> were frequently treated topically, particularly with antibacterials or antifungals only, or a combination of antibacterials, antifungals, and glucocorticoids. Alternative options such as honey-based products were not frequently used.<bold>Conclusion:</bold> Our survey suggests that oral antibiotics are overused by Portuguese clinicians despite the spread of antibiotic resistant <italic>S. pseudintermedius.</italic> Oral antibiotics and antifungals are commonly prescribed for skin conditions manageable with topical treatments.</abstract>

Introduction:Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Malassezia pachydermatis often cause skin diseases in dogs.Material and Methods: An online survey was e-mailed to veterinary practices nationwide covering demographics, diagnosis methods, and oral and topical treatment options. Of the 740 surveys sent, 100 complete replies were obtained.Results: The majority of clinicians were unaware of the existence of the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases guidelines or did not follow them (53%). Oral antibiotics were used universally for superficial bacterial folliculitis treatment, particularly amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (100%), cephalexin (94%), enrofloxacin (67%), or marbofloxacin (60%). For fold dermatitis (FD) and otitis externa (OE), oral antibiotics were also given as treatment in 88% and 82% of cases, respectively. Oral antifungals were often prescribed for generalised Malassezia dermatitis (85%), FD (70%), and OE (59%). S. pseudintermedius and M. pachydermatis were frequently treated topically, particularly with antibacterials or antifungals only, or a combination of antibacterials, antifungals, and glucocorticoids. Alternative options such as honey-based products were not frequently used.Conclusion: Our survey suggests that oral antibiotics are overused by Portuguese clinicians despite the spread of antibiotic resistant S. pseudintermedius. Oral antibiotics and antifungals are commonly prescribed for skin conditions manageable with topical treatments.

Treatment of selected canine dermatological conditions in Portugal – a research survey

University Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias

Department of Veterinary Sciences, Escola de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias

University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD)

Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV-REQUIMTE)

Journal of Veterinary Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Introduction:Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Malassezia pachydermatis often cause skin diseases in dogs.Material and Methods: An online survey was e-mailed...

Treatment of selected canine dermatological conditions in Portugal – a research survey

Published Online: Dec 31, 2018

Page range: 563 - 570

Received: May 24, 2018

Accepted: Oct 16, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2018-0058

Keywords
dogs, antibacterials, antifungals, survey

© 2018 Ana Oliveira et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Treatment of selected canine dermatological conditions in Portugal – a research survey

Published Online: Dec 31, 2018

Page range: 563 - 570

Received: May 24, 2018

Accepted: Oct 16, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2018-0058

Keywordsdogs, antibacterials, antifungals, survey

© 2018 Ana Oliveira et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
dogs, antibacterials, antifungals, survey