Staph infections in dogs can be difficult to eradicate without appropriate, consistent treatment

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

I was scratching my dog, Harper, beneath the chin a few weeks ago and felt a couple of unusual bumps. I couldn’t really get a good look at them because they were hidden beneath her wavy, mid-length coat. A few days later, they had multiplied.

Our veterinarian diagnosed a staph infection based on the appearance of the bumps and the prevalence of that type of bacteria on canine skin. Usually it doesn’t cause any problems, but licking, scratching, trauma or metabolic changes can cause staph populations to grow out of control. He prescribed a course of antibiotics and daily baths with medicated shampoo for a week.

Staph -- short for staphylococcus -- infections are common in dogs, says William H. Miller, a veterinary dermatologist at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York. In rare instances, staph infections can be triggered by an immunodeficiency in which the skin’s protective barrier is weakened, but more typically they follow damage to the skin by some underlying disease.

“Allergies are the primary culprit,” he says. “Everyone has bacteria and yeast on their skin surface, and they typically do no harm as long as the individual’s skin and immune system are normal. With allergy, the skin is easily damaged by licking and scratching, and that sets up the perfect climate for infection with the animal’s own bacteria.”

The most common signs are hair loss and itching. If you have a shorthaired dog, you may notice small, red, raised bumps, known as papules, or pimples, also called pustules. These are hidden in dogs with thick, dense coats -- unless they appear on less-furry areas, such as the belly. As the infection progresses, you may see more hair loss -- caused by the dog scratching the itchy area -- and scaling, or flaky skin. Harper’s infection was localized to her neck, but dogs with widespread infections can suffer intense itchiness.

A variety of skin disorders cause pustules in dogs, but infection is the No. 1 cause, Dr. Miller says. Staph infections can be tentatively diagnosed simply by looking at the lesions, but cytology -- examining the pus in the pustule microscopically -- is required to confirm it. If the bacteria present are round -- cocci -- it is most likely a staph infection, but a bacterial culture is necessary to be certain the bacteria are staph.

“Although that is a valid reason to do a culture, the real benefit of a culture is to identify which antibiotics can be effective in treating the infection,” Dr. Miller says. “If the bacteria are susceptible to the antibiotic being used, the drug has to be used at the correct dosage to kill the bacteria, and it must be used long enough to kill all the bacteria.”

Treatment can take weeks to months, depending on the extent of the infection and whether it is superficial or descends far down the hair follicle. Topical treatments such as ointments, mousses, sprays and shampoos can help to shorten the course of treatment. Dogs should be treated until the lesions disappear, plus a few extra days to ensure that the deep part of the infection is wiped out. Stopping treatment too soon can cause infection to recur, this time with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Infections can’t be transmitted, but bacteria or yeast can be transferred from one animal to another through proximity. Owners themselves may transfer the microbes if they pet an animal with abnormal skin and then pet another animal without first washing their hands. If you know that one pet has a skin infection, hand hygiene is important to prevent spreading it to other animals in the home.

Take treatment seriously.

“For any number of reasons, we are seeing more and more cases of resistant bacteria, and some are so resistant that we have few or no antibiotics that can be used,” Dr. Miller says. “In some cases, the animal has to be euthanized because we have no effective means of treating the infection.”

Q&A

Eye disease

common in cats

Q: My cat has been diagnosed with anterior uveitis. What can you tell me about this eye problem?

A: You probably first noticed that your cat’s eye was painful because he was squinting or tearing up, his eyeball was inflamed and his third eyelid -- that thin membrane at the inner corner of the eye -- was swollen. Sometimes the eye appears unusually enlarged. We usually see it in middle-aged or older male cats, but any cat can be affected.

Those signs can indicate inflammation of the uvea, the pigmented middle layer of the eyeball made up of the iris, the ciliary body and the choroid. Cats with uveitis may be extremely sensitive to light or show other signs of pain, such as pawing at the eye.

Possible causes include underlying infectious diseases such as feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukemia virus and feline infectious peritonitis; trauma; cataract formation; and cancer. Sometimes the cause is unknown.

Signs of uveitis can mimic those of other eye diseases or injuries, and puncture wounds of the eye can go unnoticed when they occur, so uveitis can be a challenge to diagnose. A thorough history; physical exam to detect underlying viral, bacterial or fungal diseases; and eye exam are all important. Tell the veterinarian about any cat fights, pointy plants or other ways a cat’s eye may have been unknowingly injured. Imaging such as radiography or ultrasonography may be necessary as well.

Uveitis can result in gradual blindness or irreversible complications such as glaucoma and cataracts if it’s not caught early or goes untreated. Depending on the cause, your veterinarian may prescribe topical and systemic corticosteroids, NSAIDS and other drugs to control inflammation and pain and treat underlying causes if known. If the underlying cause is treatable, cats with anterior uveitis can have a good outcome. -- Dr. Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Ticks weather winter,

bite pets year-round

-- Don’t assume winter weather means your dog or cat is safe from disease-carrying ticks. Contrary to popular belief, ticks do fine in winter, coming out on sunny days for a blood meal and burrowing beneath leaf litter or snow to shelter from extreme cold. Both human and veterinary forecasts predict that 2019 will be a big year for ticks. Ask your veterinarian about the prevalence of tick-borne diseases in your area and whether your pet needs year-round prevention from the blood-sucking arachnids. If you see a tick on your pet, use tweezers or a tick removal device to grasp the tick as near to the skin as possible, and tug firmly. It’s better to remove it yourself than to wait and have the veterinarian do it because ticks can transmit disease in only a few hours.

-- California legal beagles have added new laws regarding pets and pet ownership that went into effect this month. Judges can now determine who gets custody of family pets during a divorce, taking into consideration factors such as who spends the most time caring for the pet. And pet stores can no longer sell dogs, cats or rabbits obtained from breeders but must instead offer animals from shelters or rescue groups. Stores must also post the names of the organizations that provided the animals.

-- Love watching the glitter drift down in snow globes? Be careful to display them where pets can’t knock them over and break them. The liquid inside some imported snow globes may contain ethylene glycol, or antifreeze, according to the Pet Poison Helpline. As little as a teaspoon of the highly toxic liquid can cause acute kidney failure and death. Signs of poisoning include acting drunk or uncoordinated, excessive thirst and lethargy. Immediate treatment is essential to save the pet’s life. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

A feeding tube can save a sick pet’s life and make it easier and less stressful -- for both of you -- to give special diets and medications

By Kim Campbell Thornton

Andrews McMeel Syndication

Franny had a benign mass that ruptured, almost causing her to bleed out. Emergency surgery saved her life, but her recovery was rough. It was a struggle to get her to eat enough.

Veterinarian Julie Fischer placed a feeding tube in the 12- or 13-year-old beagle-mix, allowing owner Eliza Rubenstein to keep her dog medicated and at an appropriate weight.

“It removed the stress from her mealtimes and made food something we could enjoy together as a positive experience during her senior years,” Rubenstein says.

Placing a feeding tube may seem invasive, but most pets accept it well -- possibly better than their humans do. One of the major hurdles is convincing owners that the short anesthetic procedure to implant one will be beneficial for their sick, feeble companion, says Gary Marshall, DVM, of Island Cats Veterinary Hospital in Mercer Island, Washington.

A feeding tube can provide good quality of life and nutritional support during an illness that prevents pets from eating adequately: conditions that cause mouth pain, for instance, such as tumors, ulcers and trauma; postsurgical recovery, as with Franny; or chronic pancreatitis or kidney disease. In the latter case, cats may eat well enough but need the tube for medication and additional fluids. It’s often impossible for owners to give these effectively without increased stress to the patient and possible injury to the human, Dr. Marshall says.

“If we then look at these tubes as medication and hydration delivery ports, they can save that life and the relationship.”

Cara Quinn cared for her mother’s dog, who had pancreatitis, kidney failure and irritable bowel disease. The dog refused to eat, so a feeding tube in place for six weeks allowed her to recover without stress.

“She totally accepted it and was very calm about the entire process,” says Quinn, who also had to give the dog 12 medications daily through the tube. “It has been a year, and she is stable and doing great.”

Susan Rosenau’s dog Bacon had a functional ileus, meaning his digestive system was paralyzed. He couldn’t take food, water or medication by mouth, vomiting it back up right away, so he lost a lot of weight, Rosenau says. A feeding tube saved his life.

Dr. Fischer, who placed Franny's tube, says pets tend to tolerate esophageal tubes well. They can be placed quickly and easily and used immediately for as long as necessary, and they are easily removable. She has implanted some 300 esophageal feeding tubes in dogs and cats over the last 20 years.

“I’ve had maybe a dozen where either the pet or the owner -- or both -- did not do well with the tube, which I think is a pretty good success rate,” she says.

Pet food can be blended into a slurry that is then placed in the tube. For pets with kidney disease, liquid therapeutic renal diets are available, which pass easily through even narrow feeding tubes.

There are several types of feeding tubes, each suited to different conditions or circumstances. Depending on the type of tube and the pet’s needs, placement can require only local anesthetic or brief general anesthesia. Commercially available washable wraps to hold the tube in place make long-term maintenance easier. And certain types of tubes allow pets to eat naturally as well if they choose.

The most common complication is tube-site infection, easily treatable and minimized by good tube hygiene. Tubes can become clogged, so it’s important to flush them thoroughly before putting in food and water.

Franny later developed a predisposition to pancreatitis, and a feeding tube again allowed Rubenstein to give her the bulk of her calories through special liquid or blended diets and supplement with foods the dog enjoyed.

“I know that we had a couple of happy years together that we wouldn’t have had otherwise, and I would cheerfully do it all again for another beloved dog friend,” she says.

Q&A

Can outdoor cats

live happily indoors?

Q: We hope to move in a couple of years. Are there any steps to prepare our four outdoor farm cats to become permanent indoor house cats? They do come inside the house in the wintertime.

A: If your cats are already used to spending some time indoors, it’s possible that they could adjust to living indoors full time. Planning and indoor enrichment beforehand will help, especially if you have a couple of years to prepare. These tips from Fear Free can help.

Since it’s winter now and your cats are spending more time indoors anyway, start making your home a more interesting and exciting place for them. Cats like to survey their living area from on high, so place a cat tree or two in areas that give them a view, either of the outdoors or of areas where you and your family enjoy spending time.

Turn mealtime into hunting time. Using commercial or homemade puzzle toys (see foodpuzzlesforcats.com for ideas), hide meals around the house to give your cats the opportunity to use their keen sense of smell and feline hunting techniques to find their food.

Institute regular playtime. Using fishing-pole toys, large peacock feathers and other interactive toys, spend a few minutes a couple of times daily to give your cats some fun activity combined with attention from you.

Use feline pheromone sprays or diffusers, catnip and silver vine to give your cats a sense of calm and comfort inside the home.

Continue these activities throughout the year, not just in winter, to encourage your cats to spend more time indoors. When you move, make sure you have the new home set up with their familiar-smelling cat trees, beds and toys before bringing them in. Finally, if possible, build a “catio” so they can still enjoy the sights, scents and sounds of the outdoors in a safe way. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Overweight pets have

more health problems

-- People with fat cats and dumpy dogs should make a New Year’s resolution to help their pets lose weight, according to statistics from pet health insurance provider Nationwide, which says more than 20 percent of the pet health claims it fielded in were for obesity-related conditions. Arthritis was the No. 1 obesity-related condition in dogs. Others were bladder and urinary tract disease, liver disease, hypothyroidism, torn knee ligaments, spinal disc disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart failure and high blood pressure. In cats, bladder and urinary tract disease topped the list of obesity-related conditions, followed by chronic kidney disease, diabetes, asthma, liver disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, heart failure, gall bladder disease and spinal immobility.

-- Even in Southern California, unusually cold temperatures are prompting warnings to pet owners to protect their pets. No matter where you live, protect pets from the chill factor by decking them out in sweaters or coats if they are small or have thin coats. Booties can protect sensitive paws from salt or other chemicals used to melt ice, as well as from snow or ice balls that form between toes.

-- A sighthound called the Azawakh is a new addition to the dog show world. Originating as companions to nomadic Tuaregs, the sleek and beautiful dogs move with a floating gait described as breathtaking. Azawakh bond strongly to a single person or family and do best when placed as puppies in lifelong homes. Older dogs who are rehomed can find it difficult to switch their affections. Azawakhs are protective of their property and people, barking at approaching strangers. Their aloof nature can make them unsuited to families with young children. They do well in any type of home as long as they have access to an area where they can safely run off-leash. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.

Vomiting and diarrhea can be signs of multiple disorders, making gastrointestinal disease in dogs and cats difficult to diagnose and treat. Here’s what you should know

Andrews McMeel Syndication

If you’ve taken your dog or cat to the veterinarian recently -- especially during the holidays -- chances are it was for stomach upset. That’s one of the most common problems veterinarians see in pets -- and not just during holidays, when pets are given (or steal) extra goodies to eat, but year-round.

Vomiting and diarrhea are obvious signs of intestinal upset, but you may also notice appetite loss, weight loss, blood in the vomitus or stool, or even more subtle clues, such as changes in attitude or decreased energy levels. But because these signs can indicate any number of disease states, getting to the root of the problem can require high-level detective skills on the part of your veterinarian. Possible causes include viral or bacterial infections, dietary indiscretions (aka garbage gut), ingestion of toxic substances, intestinal obstructions, allergic reactions, parasites and Addison’s disease.

“One of the most common things we see in both dogs and cats is something termed chronic enteropathy, which refers to conditions of the intestinal tract that result in gastrointestinal signs of at least three weeks duration,” says internal medicine specialist Sara Wennogle, DVM, at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. “However, we only arrive at the diagnosis of chronic enteropathy after the exclusion of a lot of other common causes of these clinical signs."

One of the diseases that must be excluded before a diagnosis of chronic enteropathy is Addison’s disease. Certain indicators from the pet’s history, breed or lab work will suggest the need to screen for other diseases as well.

Veterinarians typically begin by excluding the most obvious suspects. They’ll ask whether your pet’s diet has changed recently or if he has gotten into the trash or been somewhere that he could access something toxic, and they may order a fecal exam to screen for intestinal parasites such as hookworms, roundworms, Giardia and cryptosporidium.

Once the basic baddies are ruled out, your veterinarian may pull out the big guns: complete blood count, serum biochemistry panel, urinalysis to check for evidence of kidney disease or imaging such as abdominal ultrasound or X-rays to see if there’s a foreign object causing a blockage or an intestinal mass.

Certain indicators from lab work or the animal’s breed may suggest screening for Addison’s disease. For instance, Dr. Wennogle says, a 5-year-old poodle should probably have Addison’s excluded. No single test can indicate that a pet has, say, inflammatory bowel disease.

The diagnostic testing of chronic gastrointestinal signs in pets can be lengthy and costly. Fortunately, not every pet with chronic gastrointestinal signs requires a $2,000 workup. In many cases, a simple change in diet can solve the problem. A large proportion of both dogs and cats have a positive response to dietary change. It’s a mainstay of therapy in managing chronic GI disease.

“There’s good evidence that dietary constituents will contribute to gut inflammation,” Dr. Wennogle says. “Therefore, manipulation of the diet has a lot of value in treating underlying diseases.” Some diets available from veterinarians contain prebiotics or probiotics that can be helpful or alterations in the fatty acid ratio that can help modulate inflammation.

Another tip: Take your pet to the veterinarian sooner rather than later for signs of gastrointestinal disease.

“We have a better chance for cure the earlier the client can bring in the dog or cat,” says M. Katherine Tolbert, DVM, an internal medicine specialist at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. “It takes a long time to get control of a chronic disease. If the disease has been going on for months, we often can't achieve remission within one week.”

Take pets to the veterinarian immediately for sudden signs of severe illness such as weakness, continual retching and inability to keep down water, says Michael Stone, DVM, an internal medicine specialist at Tufts University’s Foster Hospital for Small Animals in North Grafton, Massachusetts. Don’t let vomiting go on for more than six hours, and take pets in right away if they appear weak.

Q&A

Cat’s new fear

is a mystery

Q: We adopted our 8-year-old female cat when she was a kitten, and she is an indoor-only cat. She has always been somewhat timid and easily frightened by loud noises. Last week, we couldn't find her; we finally discovered her hiding behind the couch. At first, I thought she might be sick, but she acts normal as far as eating and using the litter box. She seems to have been terrified by something. She spends almost all her time in the basement and won't go into our bedroom. This is abnormal. She used to cuddle with me and would run to the door when we came home. We have no other pets. Can you give me some ideas on how to help her return to her old self?

A: Although your cat is eating normally and using the litter box appropriately, she could still have an underlying health problem. Her abnormal behavior may be her way of telling you that she doesn’t feel right. Any time an animal has a sudden change in behavior, whether it’s eating more or less than normal, breaking housetraining or acting fearful for no apparent reason, it’s a good idea to have your veterinarian check for health problems.

Have there been any changes in your home environment? Visiting guests? Remodeling? A child off to college? A trip? Cats generally like things to stay the same. Many cats adapt to change with little problem, but cats who are already timid may have a more difficult time with it.

Another possibility: Is an outdoor cat coming around your house? Even if that cat can’t get inside, seeing, hearing or smelling him could cause your cat stress or anxiety.

Your veterinarian can refer you to a Fear Free-certified veterinary behaviorist for additional help or may have other suggestions to help your cat. -- Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker

Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.

THE BUZZ

Single odors not so

easy to sniff out

-- A complex “soup” of odorants is easier than a single scent for animals to detect, according to a recent study conducted at Great Britain’s University of Sussex. Professor Thomas Nowotny and Ph.D. student Ho Ka Chan found that complex mixed odorants are detected more quickly and reliably by olfactory receptors and can be identified over a wider concentration range than pure odorants. The study, published in the journal PLoS Computational Biology, adds to what is known about sense of smell. “Everything we take in from our environment is mixed smells, so it makes evolutionary sense that our olfactory systems would be better at those type of smells,” Professor Nowotny says. “Similarly, animals secrete odorant mixtures as communication signals, pheromones, so it is vital that they can quickly and accurately identify these chemical signals so they can decode the message they are being sent.”

-- There’s a lot for pet lovers to celebrate in January. It’s National Train Your Dog Month, Walk Your Pet Month and Adopt a Rescued Bird Month. Also on the calendar are National Dress Up Your Pet Day on Jan. 14, National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day (in other words, try to understand what your cat is communicating) on Jan. 22, Change a Pet’s Life Day on Jan. 24 and the 90th anniversary of the founding of Seeing Eye Guide Dogs on Jan. 29.

-- Did you get a sweet new cellphone, e-reader or other gadget for the holidays? Place it out of pet reach to keep it safe. Pets love to chew on cables: Dogs will swallow just about anything that fits in their mouth, and cats are notorious for swiping pricey electronics onto the floor just to see them die. Protect wiring with cable wraps, and buy a tough cover for items that might hit the floor. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

ABOUT PET CONNECTION

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.