WH

Y A

NT

IBIO

TIC

S

AR

EN

’T A

LW

AY

S

TH

E A

NS

WE

RU

nd

ers

tand

ing t

reatm

ent

for

ear

and

skin

dis

ease

UN

DE

RLY

ING

CA

US

ES

OF

EA

R A

ND

SK

IN C

ON

DIT

ION

S

Recu

rrent

ear

and

skin

infe

ctio

ns a

re o

ften a

sig

n o

f

oth

er

und

erlyin

g c

ond

itio

ns s

uch a

s a

llerg

ies, p

ara

sites

or

ho

rmo

nal d

iso

rders

. If t

hese issues a

re p

rop

erly

co

ntr

olle

d, yo

ur

pet

is less lik

ely

to

develo

p s

kin

or

ear

pro

ble

ms a

gain

.

Yo

ur

vet

mig

ht

sug

gest

loo

kin

g f

or

the f

acto

rs t

hat

may

be c

ausin

g t

hese p

rob

lem

s.

If a

llerg

y is s

usp

ecte

d a

s a

n u

nd

erlyin

g c

ause (as it

is

quite c

om

mo

n), a

die

t tr

ial m

ay b

e r

eco

mm

end

ed

, to

exclu

de a

n a

dvers

e f

oo

d r

eactio

n. F

urt

her

tests

may

then a

lso

be r

eq

uired

to

exclu

de e

nviro

nm

enta

l fa

cto

rs

su

ch a

s p

olle

n o

r d

ust

mites t

hat

can c

ause a

llerg

ies.

So

metim

es, a h

yp

oalle

rgenic

die

t, w

ith h

igh levels

of

essential fa

tty a

cid

s a

nd

incre

ased

vitam

ins a

nd

min

era

ls, m

ay b

e s

ug

geste

d t

o s

up

po

rt t

he s

kin

and

as

an

aid

to

manag

ing

the c

ond

itio

n.

PO

ST-I

NF

EC

TIO

N

CH

EC

KS

Ear

and

skin

infe

ctio

ns s

ho

uld

be f

ollo

wed

up

with

po

st-

infe

ctio

n c

heck-u

ps t

o m

ake s

ure

the c

ond

itio

n

has r

esp

ond

ed

to

thera

py.

Even if th

e e

ars

and

skin

seem

no

rmal, c

yto

log

y m

ay b

e

rep

eate

d t

o m

ake s

ure

that

the infe

ctio

n h

as g

one a

nd

to c

ho

ose t

he r

ight

reg

ime fo

r lo

ng

-term

manag

em

ent

of th

e c

ond

itio

n in y

our

pet’s ind

ivid

ual case.

Sin

ce m

ost

recurr

ent

ear

and

skin

infe

ctio

ns h

ave a

n

und

erlyin

g c

ause, it’s

im

po

rtant

to m

inim

ise t

he c

han

ce

of

it r

etu

rnin

g b

y r

eg

ula

r ear

cle

anin

g in t

he c

ase o

f ear

infe

ctio

ns,

and

reg

ula

r sham

po

oin

g in t

he c

ase o

f

so

me s

kin

co

nd

itio

ns.

Where

ap

pro

priate

, g

ivin

g y

ou

r

pet

a s

pecia

l d

iet

may a

lso

be im

po

rtant.

This

will

red

uce lo

ng

-term

antib

iotic u

se,

whic

h in t

urn

red

uces t

he r

isk o

f re

sis

tance,

bene"ting

pets

and

peo

ple

all

over

the w

orld

.

Alw

ays f

ollo

w y

ou

r ve

t’s a

dvic

e.

Fo

r fu

rther

info

rmatio

n c

onta

ct:

Dechra

Vete

rinary

Pro

ducts

Lim

ited

, S

ansaw

Busin

ess P

ark

, H

ad

nall,

Shre

wsb

ury

, S

hro

pshire, S

Y4 4

AS

. Te

l: +

44 (0)1

939 2

11200 F

ax: +

44 (0)1

939 2

11201

Dechra

Vete

rinary

Pro

ducts

Lim

ited

is a

tra

din

g

busin

ess o

f D

echra

Pharm

aceuticals

PLC

. w

ww

.dechra

.co

.uk

Use m

ed

icin

es r

esp

on

sib

ly:

ww

w.n

oah

.co

.uk/r

esp

on

sib

le.

©D

echra

Vete

rinary

Pro

ducts

Lim

ited

Sep

tem

ber

2015

UN

DE

RS

TA

ND

ING

MY

PE

T’S

TR

EA

TM

EN

T

- E

AR

& S

KIN

DIS

EA

SE

Sin

ce t

he "

rst

antib

iotics w

ere

dis

co

vere

d 7

0 y

ears

ag

o, th

ese p

ow

erf

ul p

harm

aceuticals

have b

een u

sed

to "

ght

bacte

rial in

fectio

ns in h

um

ans a

nd

anim

als

all

over

the w

orld

.

Ove

r ti

me

, c

ert

ain

ba

cte

ria

ha

ve

de

ve

lop

ed

resis

tan

ce

to

an

tib

ioti

cs a

nd

, a

lth

ou

gh

th

is is a

na

tura

l p

he

no

me

no

n,

it h

as r

esu

lte

d in

so

me

tre

atm

en

ts b

ec

om

ing

le

ss e

ffe

cti

ve

. In

fa

ct

so

me

infe

cti

on

s c

an

’t a

lwa

ys b

e e

asily d

ea

lt w

ith

. Y

ou

ma

y h

ave

he

ard

of

MR

SA

(m

eth

icillin

-re

sis

tan

t

Sta

ph

ylo

co

ccu

s a

ure

us)

tha

t h

as b

ee

n c

au

sin

g

an

in

fec

tio

n p

rob

lem

in

so

me

ho

sp

ita

ls.

MR

SA

can b

e f

ound

on a

nim

als

as w

ell

as h

um

ans a

nd

no

w d

og

s h

ave t

heir o

wn r

esis

tant

bacte

rium

– M

RS

P

(meth

icill

in-r

esis

tant

Sta

phylo

coccus p

seudin

term

ediu

s)

– w

hic

h c

an o

ccur

on t

he s

kin

.

AV

OID

ING

RE

SIS

TA

NC

E

It’s

im

po

rtant

to a

vo

id m

akin

g t

he r

esis

tance p

rob

lem

an

y w

ors

e, so

an incre

asin

g n

um

ber

of

vets

have a

po

licy o

f usin

g a

ntib

iotics o

nly

when n

ecessary

.

In t

he c

ase o

f ear

and

skin

pro

ble

ms, th

is m

eans t

hat

yo

ur

pet’s s

kin

cells

may b

e s

tud

ied

und

er

a m

icro

sco

pe

(a p

rocess k

no

wn a

s c

yto

log

y), b

efo

re c

ho

osin

g a

n

ap

pro

priate

tre

atm

ent.

Yo

ur

vet

may a

lso

carr

y o

ut

a

culture

and

sensitiv

ity t

est

to id

entify

the b

acte

ria a

nd

see w

hic

h a

ntib

iotic w

ould

tre

at

them

best.

These investig

atio

ns m

ay r

esult in v

ets

pre

scrib

ing

a

top

ical antib

iotic (o

ne u

sed

on t

he s

urf

ace o

f th

e s

kin

and

no

t in

jecte

d). W

hen a

n a

ntib

iotic is u

sed

to

pic

ally

,

it r

each

es h

igh c

oncentr

atio

ns a

t th

e s

ite o

f in

fectio

n

and

resis

tance d

evelo

pm

ent

is less lik

ely

. A

ltern

atively

,

an a

ntib

iotic m

ay n

ot

be p

rescrib

ed

at

all

and

yo

ur

vet

may r

eco

mm

end

usin

g a

n e

ar

cle

aner

or

med

icate

d v

ete

rinary

sham

po

o.

MA

NA

GIN

G

EA

R P

RO

BL

EM

S

Aft

er

clin

ical exam

inatio

n a

nd

cyto

log

y, y

our

vet

will

decid

e o

n t

he m

ost

ap

pro

priate

tre

atm

ent,

whic

h m

ay

invo

lve m

ed

icatio

n,

ear

cle

anin

g a

nd

chang

ing

yo

ur

pet’s d

iet

or

a c

om

bin

atio

n o

f all

of

these.

Ear

cle

anin

g is im

po

rtant

because,

in a

dis

eased

ear,

the n

atu

ral self-c

leanin

g p

rocess is d

istu

rbed

.

So

metim

es,

ear

cle

anin

g b

y its

elf w

ill b

e e

no

ug

h t

o

co

ntr

ol yo

ur

pet’s p

rob

lem

s a

nd

reg

ula

r ear

cle

anin

g

can p

revent

recurr

ence o

f in

fectio

ns in s

om

e c

ases.

Oft

en,

an e

ar

cle

aner

is p

rescrib

ed

alo

ng

with e

ar

dro

ps c

onta

inin

g a

ntib

iotics,

because t

he m

ed

icatio

n

wo

rks b

ett

er

in c

lean e

ars

.

Ear

cle

anin

g s

ho

uld

co

ntinue f

or

so

me t

ime a

fter

the

infe

ctio

n h

as c

leare

d u

p.

The d

ose o

f d

rop

s a

nd

leng

th

of

tim

e f

or

whic

h t

hese a

re c

ontinued

are

als

o v

ery

imp

ort

ant

and

yo

u s

ho

uld

fo

llow

yo

ur

vet’s a

dvic

e.

MA

NA

GIN

G

SK

IN I

NF

EC

TIO

NS

Skin

pro

ble

ms a

re v

ery

co

mm

on

in

cats

an

d d

og

s a

nd

typ

ically

cau

se lic

kin

g,

scra

tch

ing

or

thin

nin

g o

f th

e

co

at.

Fin

din

g t

he c

au

se a

nd

ch

oo

sin

g t

he r

igh

t

treatm

en

t is

very

im

po

rtan

t to

help

yo

ur

pet

eff

ectively

.

Health

y s

kin

has a

self-d

efe

nce b

arr

ier

an

d ju

st

a f

ew

bacte

ria a

nd

yeast

on

it.

Alle

rgie

s,

para

sites,

ho

rmo

ne

dis

ord

ers

, etc

. d

istu

rb t

his

barr

ier

an

d m

ay c

au

se

itch

ing

an

d irr

itatio

n.

Overg

row

th o

f b

acte

ria a

nd

yeast

will

th

en

cau

se s

kin

in

fectio

n,

mo

re itc

h,

hair lo

ss a

nd

red

, so

re s

kin

.

Aft

er

clin

ical exam

inatio

n a

nd

cyto

log

y, y

ou

r vet

will

decid

e o

n t

he m

ost

ap

pro

priate

tre

atm

en

t, w

hic

h m

ay

invo

lve m

ed

icate

d v

ete

rin

ary

sh

am

po

o,

gels

or

cre

am

s,

skin

care

pro

ducts

such a

s a

ntisep

tic

sham

po

os a

nd

co

nd

itio

ners

or

ch

an

gin

g y

ou

r p

et’

s

die

t, o

r a

co

mb

ina

tio

n o

f a

ll o

f th

ese

.

Sh

am

po

oin

g h

elp

s t

o r

em

ove b

acte

ria,

deb

ris a

nd

cru

sts

fro

m t

he s

kin

’s s

urf

ace a

nd

can

so

oth

e s

kin

to

help

bre

ak t

he itc

h-s

cra

tch

cycle

, aid

ing

dam

ag

ed

skin

rep

air a

nd

resto

ring

co

at

co

nd

itio

n.

If a

med

icate

d v

ete

rin

ary

sh

am

po

o is p

rescrib

ed

th

e

way t

he s

ham

po

o is a

pp

lied

, th

e n

um

ber

of

ap

plic

atio

ns a

nd

len

gth

of

tim

e f

or

wh

ich

th

ese a

re

co

ntin

ued

are

very

im

po

rtan

t an

d s

o y

ou

sh

ou

ld f

ollo

w

yo

ur

vet’s a

dvic

e.