Ocorrência e causas de piodermite em cães no Hospital Veterinário Universitário da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (2004-2008)

Abstract

Pyoderma represents one of the most common skin diseases in the daily dermatological clinic of dogs. In most of the cases it is a secondary manifestation, that is, it occurres as a complication of other disorders, cutaneous or systemic. In spite of this, the condition is frequently misdiagnosed and managed inappropriately. The approach of pyoderma requires the correct establishment of the diagnoses through the recognition of the different patherns of skin lesions, the support of diagnostic tests and the identification of underlying causes. The main goal of this study was to determine the occurrence of the different types of pyoderma and the primary diseases related to the condition in dogs examined in the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Santa Maria, between July 2004 and July 2008. For that, the forms of dermatological consultation of 200 dogs with established diagnoses of pyoderma were analyzed. In 75% of them, a cause for the pyoderma was identified, whereas in 25% it was not possible. The distribution of the diagnoses regarding the deepness of the infection were: superficial pyoderma (65.9%), deep pyoderma (26.5%) and surface pyoderma (7.9%). The main primary conditions that predisposed to canine pyoderma were: atopic dermatitis, demodicosis, ‘allergic skin disease’, flea allergy dermatitis, callus, food allergy, hypothyroidism and hyperadrenocorticism. Based on the observed outcomes, it is possible to conclude that the majority of the bacterial skin infections are caused by underlying conditions and those allergic diseases were the most common causes of canine pyoderma.