PYODERMA: IMPORTANCE OF GROOMING/BATHING

Karen A. Moriello, DVM, Diplomate ACVD

Superficial bacterial pyoderma is one of the most common skin diseases of dogs. In 1976, Staphylococcus intermedius was identified as the primary pathogen. It is considered to be an opportunistic pathogen and is found within hair shafts and on hairs, skin, mucosal areas, and mucocutaneous areas of dogs. The anal area is believed to be an important carriage area. Contamination of the skin is believed to occur during grooming and pruritic behaviors. A "strain" is a clonal population in which all members are genetically identical and have the same phenotypical characteristics. It is unknown whether Staphylococcal isolates cultured from pustules have the same genotypical pattern as isolates from carriage sites. In this study, 3 pustules and 3 carriage sites were cultured from each dog with superficial bacterial pyoderma. Staphylococcal speciation and pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were done to answer this question. Of the 246 isolates, 203 were S. intermedius, 5 were S. aureus, 15 were Staphylococcus species, and 22 were coagulase-negative staphylococcal isolates. None of the dogs had an isolate with a PFGE pattern the same as that of another dog. Pustule isolates from individual dogs were genotypically the same, and strains from pustules were genotypically the same as strains from carriage sites on the same dog. Study funded by The Ohio State University Canine Research Fund and Bayer Animal Health

COMMENTARY: The finding that each dog had its own genetically unique strains of Staphylococcus suggests that dogs are not being colonized passively from other dogs. This study did not examine bacterial isolates among dogs in the same family, and dogs in proximity to each other may have genetically similar strains. How that would affect treatment protocols is unknown. What this study did show was that strains of bacteria from pustules were the same as those found in carriage sites. This finding does not prove that the carriage sites are the source of the infection, but it does further highlight the importance of concurrent therapy when dogs are being treated for bacterial pyoderma. Grooming to remove debris and retained hair from the coat along with extra attention to bathing of carriage sites needs special emphasis with clients. Anal pruritus leads to increased anal licking and mechanical carriage and spread of bacteria. Controlling pruritic skin disease and recurrent pyoderma is clearly important.

Genotypic relatedness of staphylococcal strains isolated from pustules and carriage sites in dogs with superficial bacterial pyoderma. Pinchbeck LR, Cole LK, Hillier A, et al. Am J Vet Res 67:1337-1343, 2006.

"THE LAST GROOMER SHAVED MY DOG!"

“The Last Groomer Shaved My Dog!!” -“Humanity before Vanity”

Posted by Tina Standing on May 22, 2012

“The last groomer shaved my dog”.

A sentence I am sure every groomer has heard many, many times in their career.

It’s disappointing as a groomer when someone comes in and wants a fluffy haircut and you feel the dog’s coat and it is matted beyond any hope of achieving such a look. The only option is a “smoothie”.

You want to give the client what they want but the dogs comfort always comes first. “Humanity before vanity” is a slogan many groomers quote.

I can remember a few times I have had to shave a dogs coat and explained to the client why and showed them the knots and they agree but then you never see that client again.

I offer the option of a free brushing session to my clients to help them keep the fluffy look; if that is a look they want. Brushing isn’t rocket science, of course but there is a trick to it. A lot of times clients do a terrific job of keeping the top coat knot free but the undercoat is a solid knot and then the dog gets a bath and once the knots get wet, they tighten up even more, which can cause the dog discomfort, create sores etc… I often tell my clients, brushes are great but combs won’t lie. A good stainless steel comb is a valuable asset to a dog’s coat, if you want a longer style.

“My dog acted funny after it was shaved”. Dogs do feel different after a shorter haircut, especially if they had a lot of hair previously. Think of how you’d feel if you had a pile of matted hair on your head and it was suddenly gone. It would probably feel itchy once the air finally got to it.

It’s never in the groomer’s best interest to not give a client what they want, within reason. I’ve built up a wonderful clientele who trust me and they know if the dogs ears were shaved, it’s because I had to do it for the dogs comfort.

If the clip is shorter than the usual, it was because the condition of the coat warranted it. Most breeds of dogs with the exception of short haired dogs do need regular grooming. Even the short haired breeds require regular nail trimming and brushing to remove dead coat. I recommend long haired dogs get professional grooming at least every 4-8 weeks. Depending on the style you chose and how much maintenance you do athome.

Even those so called shed-less breeds require professional grooming.  Shed-less breeds, in my opinion don’t exist unless you have a hairless dog. Dogs labeled as shed-less still lose hair, it just sticks in the coat which does mean they will require regular grooming. I have curly hair so I don’t shed as much but if I don’t brush my hair, I will get knots. If I washed my hair without brushing out these knots, I’d have to get a shorterhair cut also!

So my advice is find a groomer you trust and ask their advice on how to achieve the look you want for your pet. If your dog has to be shaved, it’s not the end of the world as it will grow back faster than you realize.

Dogs Align Themselves to Earth’s Magnetic Field When Pooping

By Breanna Draxler | January 2, 2014 2:39 pm

Dogs seem to do their business wherever they feel like it, sometimes in very unfortunate places like neighbors’ yards and kids’ sandboxes. But scientists now say it isn’t random: dogs actually align themselves with the Earth’s magnetic field before dropping a doody.

An ability to sense the orientation of the Earth’s magnetic field has been detected in migratory animals such as birds, whales and bees. They are thought to use it for navigation. But this study is the first to find such “magnetosensitivity” in dogs. The researchers spent two years gathering the necessary data (i.e., watching 5,582 pee breaks and 1,893 defecation stops) in Germany and the Czech Republic. After ruling out the influence of wind, time of day, and sun angle, the researchers found that the only factor that played a role in determining how and where the dogs popped a squat was the Earth’s magnetic field.

Canine Compass

When the field was stable, dogs preferred to squat along the North-South axis and actively avoided the East-West axis. That’s without the influence of leashes, fire hydrants or fences.

The researchers don’t know if the 70 dogs in the study actually “felt” the magnetic pull, according to the paper published inFrontiers in Zoology. But the scientists base their conclusion on the fact that during periods of instability in the Earth’s magnetic field, when the sun’s magnetic field and solar winds vary its orientation, the dogs no longer showed a preference for the North-South axis.

Next time you take Fido for a walk, bring a compass and see if the results hold true.