green-germA 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

Surprise, 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

The 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

A 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