Canine Pyoderma

Tdik went to the vet today from Wat Pha Gee.

His swollen feet and legs, which were giving him problems walking, were actually bleeding as were his gums. He has a very short coat but with the sores all over his body it looks as though he is losing his hair.

Petrified as I picked him up to put him on the back of the truck, he literally froze in my arms.

At the veterinarian practice, a short ride away, the vet took blood and skin samples and proved that he did not have Mange or Heartworm. She did however, diagnose his condition as a chronic case of Pyoderma. She showed me the evidence on his body.

When I researched this on the net, the following all matched with her diagnosis.

Visit this site www.medi-vet.com for the full story about the condition:

Canine Pyoderma(Bacterial Folliculitis)

Bacterial folliculitis is the most common type of bacterial skin infection in the dog. The Staphylococcus intermedius bacteria, which is a normal resident bacteria of canine skin, can cause infection of the skin in some dogs. Current theories indicate that most dogs who develop the infection, particularly recurrent infections, have an underlying abnormality of their metabolic or immune systems. This form of pyoderma is a frequent complication of allergies, skin parasites (mites, fleas) and endocrine diseases, like hypothyroidism. An idiopathic primary bacterial folliculitis is also seen in short-haired dogs.

Located within the hair follicle, this bacterial infection causes:

• Inflammation in and around the hair follicle

• Itching in some cases

• Hair loss in many cases

The clinical signs of bacterial folliculitis can be quite variable and may include:

• Pustules

• Papules (pink or red swelling on skin), heat and crusts

• Erythema (redness)

• Alopecia (hair loss)

• Hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin)

• Some dogs develop large circular area of hair loss with crusting or scaling around the border

• Superficial erosion

• Draining tracts

• Pain or discomfort

• Surface pyodermas

So the veterinarian and staff, flushed out some of the abscesses and dressed the wounds and I took him back to the Care for Dogs shelter for a week or R & R along with regular food and the administering of the prescribed anti inflammatory - Prednisone and Antibiotic - Cephalexin, as well as getting his wounds re-dressed daily.

I will write an update next week, after he returns to the vet, hopefully ready for his return to the temple.

Incidentally, on the way to the shelter, I popped into the temple to tell the monk there what was happening. He was so please Tdik was receiving treatment and they exchanged caresses before I went off to the shelter.

You can read more about Tdik here ...