Hostage to history – questioning the duration of systemic antimicrobial therapy for the treatment of canine superficial bacterial folliculitis

Abstract

Current guidelines for the use of systemic antimicrobials for the treatment of superficial bacterial folliculitis in dogs include the recommendation that the disease be treated for a minimum of 3 weeks and for at least 1 week beyond clinical resolution. With increasing antimicrobial resistance being noted for bacteria involved in this condition, as well as the increased use of evidence-based medicine, this dogma needs to be reevaluated.

Decision making on antimicrobial use: Cat and dog owners’ knowledge and preferences for veterinary communication

“…This makes it even more important to establish trust and convey the expertise and value provided during the veterinarian–client–patient interaction. In addition, since one‐third of respondents described keeping leftover antibiotics, it is vital that veterinarians give directions for the use of medications and consider newer antimicrobial use guidelines that support a shorter course of medications, which would lead to fewer ‘extra’ doses of antibiotics that clients could use in the future 4,34–36 . Finally, aligning with previous work, half of the respondents agreed that they expected antibiotics to be prescribed at the time of a sick visit 20,22 .…”

“…In addition, since one-third of respondents described keeping leftover antibiotics, it is vital that veterinarians give directions for the use of medications and consider newer antimicrobial use guidelines that support a shorter course of medications, which would lead to fewer 'extra' doses of antibiotics that clients could use in the future. 4,[34][35][36] Finally, aligning with previous work, half of the respondents agreed that they expected antibiotics to be prescribed at the time of a sick visit. 20,22 This indicates that veterinarians need to be clear in their communication with owners when and why antimicrobials are not indicated and that owner trust in veterinarians will be key in the acceptance of this new information.…”

Efficacy of Antimicrobial Treatment in Dogs with Atopic Dermatitis: An Observational Study

“…Furthermore, for the dogs with AD that benefit from this type of treatment, the efficacy of systemic antimicrobials, topical antiseptics/antifungals, alternative topical treatments (such as natural oils) [ 23 , 45 ], systemic and topical anti-inflammatory drugs, and their combinations must be compared, keeping in mind that systemic antibacterials result in only a temporal normalization of dysbiosis [ 11 ] and promote bacterial resistance [ 47 ], and that topical antiseptics/antifungals may deteriorate the already compromised epidermal barrier [ 23 ]. Finally, the duration of systemic antimicrobial treatment may have to be reconsidered [ 48 ].…”

Exploring fluorescent light energy as management option for canine superficial bacterial folliculitis

“…SBF may be successfully managed with topical antimicrobial treatment as the only treatment for superficial clinical lesions even if systemic antibiotic is also a widely used approach and optional for treatment of superficial pyoderma (5). Currently, different topical approach to manage SBF have been tested (6)(7)(8)(9) due to the arisen multidrug resistance and the progressive restriction of veterinary antimicrobial drug use (10)(11)(12). Among non-pharmacological procedures explored in canine dermatology, promising results have been obtained using different forms of photobiomodulation, in which photons (mainly produced by light-emitting diodes lamps) are administered at different wavelengths to influence biological activity and enhance cutaneous restoration from diseases (13,14).…”