My pet has pyoderma. Could fleas be the reason for its skin infection?

Deep pyoderma is a bacterial infection which involves the deeper parts/layers of the skin. Usually Gram positive type of bacterial are involved (streptococcus and staphylococcus), but other type of infections are possible.

This looks like moist pyoderma which is a focal bacterial skin infection. They can be very mucoid and smell as well as inflamed. Sometimes removing the hair and applying topical antibiotic medication works but other times oral medications are needed for this to clear up.

Skin lesions can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, or a combination of the above. Logan may indeed have pyoderma, but further testing is needed to help determine if this is the case. Make note of if there is a seasonal recurrence of the lesions, as environmental allergies often cause recurring irritation. I recommend making an appointment to have Logan seen by your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the red areas you’ve noticed and to make sure they are treated appropriately. The vet may want to look at a sample from the area under the microscope to determine if there is an infection and to figure out what medication is appropriate for treatment.

Pyoderma is a skin infection. Often times if it recurs I will treat for a longer period of time and I will also start looking for other problems that could be making a skin infection more likely such as skin mites or food allergies. I would encourage you to have a follow up appointment with your veterinarian soon. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Thanks for the pictures. It appears as though Sparky may have a bacterial skin infection, or puppy pyoderma. A lot of times puppy pyoderma resolves on it's own. If it gets worse than this I would recommend taking Sparky to the Vet to be evaluated and prescribed oral antibiotics. You can try a medicated shampoo: bath every 2-3 days and allow the lather to sit on the affected skin for 10 mins before rinsing. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27306 I hope this helps and I wish Sparky the best!

Scrappy appears to have a very wide spread pyoderma (skin infection). This is most likely composed of bacteria and yeast. It is usually due to an underlying allergy and possibly a low thyroid level. Your vet can run lab work to check the thyroid level and correct that if needed. They do make medicine to help control allergies but she will need long term antibiotics with medicated baths to clear the infection. It typically is not contagious to other animals or people

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These skin lesions are likely pyoderma or superficial bacterial infection. Your veterinarian can prescribe an antibiotic and a medicated shampoo to treat them. The main thing is checking to see if there is any indication that she still have some evidence of fleas that could be causing these secondary bacterial infections in which case your veterinarian could consider something like Capstar to get rid of as many fleas as possible at once. Good thing is that these lesions are likely to resolve uneventfully. Good luck!