By Scott Weese on Posted in Cats,DogsA new Clinical Consensus Guideline, coordinated through the World Association for Veterinary Dermatology, has been released: Recommendations for approaches to methicillin-resistant staphylococcal infections of small animals: diagnosis, therapeutic considerations and preventative measures. Clinical Consensus Guidelines of the World Association for Veterinary Dermatology This large and comprehensive document is open access and can also be downloaded via… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsClinical guidelines are fairly new (and limited) in veterinary medicine, although they’re widespread in human medicine. Following up on recent guidelines for diagnosis of treatment of urinary tract infections in dogs and cats, a working group from the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases (ISCAID) has completed guidelines for the treatment of a common… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsSurprise, surprise – Meg has a hot spot. "Hot spots" (aka focal bacterial pyoderma) are common skin infections in some dogs. Meg has underlying skin issues and lately has spent a lot of time wallowing around in ponds (because that’s what she likes to do). With her skin issues, potentially weaker immune system because of… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsThe title of this post describes a very basic concept, but one that is sometimes forgotten or hard to follow. The key point is that the goal of treating a sick pet is to make the pet well. Getting well and getting "normal" laboratory data aren’t necessarily the same thing. A question that comes up… Continue Reading
By Scott Weese on Posted in DogsA large percentage of advice calls that I get about methicillin-resistant staph infections in dogs are regarding skin infections. Skin infections (pyoderma) are a common problem, a leading cause of antibiotic use in dogs, and an often frustrating problem for vets and pet owners alike. One problem is that, unlike many other types of infections, skin… Continue Reading
