Atopic dermatitis with secondary bacterial pododermatitis

Name: Ollie Henry | Atopic dermatitis with secondary bacterial pododermatitis

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Clinical Lesion

Cytology

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History: Ollie is a rescue greyhound. He presented for investigation of severe pedal pruritus of all four paws. Ollie loves to dig in the dirt and goes for walks twice a day to the local park.

Test /Procedure: A thorough history was collected detailing the nature of the home environment, his diet and previous medications. Sticky tape impression cytology, Wood’s lamp evaluation and deep skin scrapings were performed.

Note the large pollens that were identified on cytology. Clusters of coccoid bacteria were also present in large numbers, indicating a secondary infection. Lesions did not fluoresc.

Diagnosis: Atopic dermatitis; secondary bacterial pododermatitis

Treatment and Prevention: A course of systemic antibiotics and chlorhexidine based shampoo twice a week was prescribed. Lokivetmab was administered for pruritus relief.

Follow Up: Maintenance therapy for atopic dermatitis will include combination treatment. Regular paw baths using a medicated shampoo and/or chlorhexidine based antimicrobial wipes will help prevent a recurrence of his pododermatitis. Lokivetmab is a very effective monoclonal antibody used to control pruritus in allergic dogs. Ollie is highly pollen allergic and will benefit from desensitisation over the long term. Immunotherapy is the safest way to manage Ollie’s allergies and prevent relapse of clinical signs and infection. This case study highlights that not all cases of atopic dermatitis present in the same way and the distribution pattern and clinical appearance may differ between individual dogs.