Staph Infections in Dogs

Staph infections come in many types and cause damage to many parts of the body. Most common is an infection of the skin where a cut, wound or scratch has allowed bacteria from the environment to enter the body. Signs of a Staph infection often include pus at the wound site, redness and sensitivity of the surrounding skin, and crusting of the wound and surrounding skin. If left untreated, serious Staph infections may progress to septicemia (blood poisoning) and death.

Other sites of Staph infections include the lining of the heart, the brain and spinal cord, the kidneys and urinary system, and reproductive organs. These diseases usually present with fever and weakness as the primary symptom. Schedule a visit with the veterinarian if your dog is running a fever, seems unusually weak or lethargic, or has received a cut or scrape.

• Pus in and around wound site
• Redness and inflammation
• Fever
• Weakness and lethargy
• Atypical behavior
• Severe pain at wound site
• Abnormal crusting/scaling of wound site

Types

• Skin: pyoderma, dermatitis
• Organs: metritis, discospondylitis, encephalitis, osteomyelitis, cystitis
• Fascia: necrotizing fasciitis

• Infected cut, scrape or wound
• Contaminated material entering nose, mouth or eyes
• Ingestion of contaminated material
• Improperly sterilized medical equipment

If an owner notices their pet experiencing a fever and exhibiting weakness and confusion, they should immediately contact a veterinarian. Once a wound is infected, it is not always possible for it to heal on its own.

A veterinarian will suspect a Staph infection if your pet has an infected wound or abscess producing pus, with redness of the surrounding area and pain disproportionate to the size of the injury. Swabs of the wound can be sent to the lab for culturing to definitively identify the cause, but most often this is not necessary, as the treatment for nearly every skin infection is antibiotic ointment sometimes given in conjunction with oral antibiotics.

The Staph genus can also be responsible for infections of almost every major organ. Urinary tract infections are commonly caused by Staph, and present with pain on urination, bloody urine (hematuria) and cloudy, discolored or foul-smelling urine. A veterinarian may request a urine sample for culture, microscopic examination, or perform additional testing as needed. In rare cases, Staph can infect the disks between vertebra in the spinal column, and/or the bone itself. This causes significant pain along with fever, swelling and weight loss. If the inflammation is great enough to compress the spinal cord, tremors and lack of coordination may also appear. The veterinarian may order X-rays, a spinal tap, or blood cultures to definitively diagnose the illness.

The rarest, and most serious form of internal infection is necrotizing fasciitis. Occasionally caused by Staph pseudintermedius, this is a disease of the fascial tissue holding muscles and organs in their place, and quickly becomes systemic. Necrotizing fasciitis progresses rapidly and may require surgical debridement or amputation of affected limbs, and is often fatal. However, this disease is incredibly rare and unlikely to affect most dogs with Staph infections.

The primary treatment for Staph infections is antibiotics. In the case of skin infection, an antibiotic cream will most likely be prescribed, and possibly oral antibiotics to prevent the infection from spreading internally. Topical cream should be applied until the wound has healed, and a course of oral antibiotics should be taken in its entirety to avoid the possibility of re-infection.

In the case of an internal infection, a variety of treatments in conjunction with antibiotics are possible, and will depend on the specific case. Insertion of stents to drain excess fluid, surgical intervention, and removal of necrotic tissue may be warranted at the discretion of a veterinarian.

As long as the owner administers the medication as directed and the pet is kept in adequately warm, sanitary conditions, Staph infections of the skin usually heal completely in a matter of days or weeks. Rarely, an infection may be resistant to the given antibiotic, and so a course of multiple antibiotics will be prescribed.

The outlook for internal infections tends to be less positive- antibiotics alone cannot curb the damage infection can cause to organ structures and surrounding tissue. With the appropriate therapy as prescribed by a veterinarian, there is a significant chance of recovery in most cases.

Staph infections can most commonly be a skin infection or an internal infection. For most staph infections classified as skin infections, the veterinarian will prescribe an antibiotic cream (Mupirocin $15 on average) to help combat the infection. The veterinarian may prescribe oral antibiotics ($10-$30) as well. If the staph infection is caused by an internal infection then there could be more extensive treatments done. In addition to oral antibiotics ($10-$30), the veterinarian may combat the internal infection with stents ($100-$130) to drain any fluid buildup. Surgery ($1,000-$2,500) may also be an option in order to remove any necrotic tissue.