Nutrition and dermatology in dogs

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Nutrition and Dermatology

Proteins are essential organic constituents of living organisms. The important information you need is the type of protein contained in the foods so that the pet can be fed appropriately.

Pyoderma is a common skin disease caused by bacteria and it is important to look for the cause for that.

Proteins are essential organic constituents of living organisms and is a nutrient in highest concentration in muscle tissues of animals. the percentage of protein required in the diet is highest for young growing pets and declines gradually to maturity when only enough protein is required to maintain body tissues. Productive functions such as pregnancy and lactation increase the protein requirement because of increased metabolic rate.

Protein is essentially a combination of amino acids - building blocks that form thousands of different proteins (which perform specific functions). Every different amino acid configuration corresponds to a different protein including enzymes, hormones, genes, red blood cells, hair, skin, bone and muscle.

The nine essential amino acids an adult dog must obtain from food are : arginine, isoleucine, lysine, phenylalanine, threonine, valine, histidine, methionine and tryptophan. Generally, lysine is first limiting amino acid in canine diets. The deficiency can be alleviated by adding an ingredient such as soyabean meal which contains high lysine. Methionine, threonine and isoleucine can be limiting depending on the protein source. Protein(or amino acids) deficiency signs

The protein requirement in dogs and cats varies due to inability of the cat to effectively regulate the catabolism of its ingested absorbed amino acids. As a consequence of its strict carnivorous diet, the cat has not evolved any metabolic mechanism to adjust the activity of its liver catabolizing enzymes to varying levels of dietary protein or amino acid intake. The cat must consume higher levels of dietary protein in order to maintain its growth and general health.

Dietary proteins are broken down into amino acids by digestion. They are absorbed and distributed by the blood stream to the body cells which rebuild these amino acids into body protein. Body proteins are constantly broken down and new ones are produced. This refers to protein turnover. Due to low intake of protein, protein turnover is reduced which leads to decreased ability to respond and protect themselves from infections.

Older dogs become less efficient in metabolizing protein than younger dogs. So this means that older dogs require more protein than younger dogs. There is a belief that older dogs needs less protein and this belief resulted from association of protein with kidney failure. In advance stages of kidney failure, it is recommended to restrict protein intake to reduce some of the problems associated with kidney failure.

The important information you need before you are feeding the pet is type of protein contained in the food. The amount of usable protein is usually expresed in terms of biological value. Foods containing many cereal proteins (wheat, corn, barley) have little biological value while muscle meats, eggs and organ meats such as liver have a high biological value.

The most common reasons dog owners supplement protein is to improve skin and coat, general body composition, to help with pregnancy or lactation and to help puppies grow.

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Pyoderma is a common skin disease caused by bacteria. The most common bacterium involved is S.intermedius-commonsal organism in clinically healthy dog.

Pyoderma is likely to prove recurrent in a number of situations. Cutaneous resistance and anatomical barriers are less well developed in dogs and the renders them more susceptible to Pyoderma.

This may occur secondarily to any inflammatory skin disease, or one that leads to self-trauma from pruritus. Flea allergy is a rather special case. The secondary infection in such cases is often minor, and does not necessitate antibiotic therapy. However, a minority of animals will break with a staphylococcal infection whenever they acquire an infestation. In demodicosis, a recurrence of the infection is often the first sign of recurrence of the mite population.

Immunocompromised animal : This is generally limited to deficiencies in non-specific defenses or in cell-mediated immunity, as antibody response is always evident.

Food Allergy : Typically, affected animals are less pruritic when on antibiotics with their pyoderma controlled, but relapse occurs either immediately on cessation of therapy or withing 2-3 weeks. In other cases, the pruritus is fully controlled by antibiotic therapy, and the animal appears to be suffering from a food allergy which is sub clinical as far as the pruritus is concerned.

Hypothyroidism : This is well recognized as a cause of recurrent staphylococcal infection, but it is not clear whether it results from the accompanying seborrhea, or because impaired defenses that may accompany the condition.

Suitable antibiotics are directed at the Stah.intermedius. Where there is secondary infection with gram-negatives, these will disappear once the Staph. is controlled unless the animal is severely immunodeficient, or there is an overwhelming infection.

Erythromycin and lincomycin are good, first choice bacteriostatic antibiotics. Clindamycin does not appear to offer any major advantages over the others. (The vomiting with erythromycin can be obviated by feeding an anti-emetic 30 minutes prior to each dose for the first two days). The dose for erythromycin is 10-15mg/kg and for lincomycin 20mg/kg BID.

Trimethoprim-sulphadiazine (or sulphamethoxazole) and bacquiloprim-sulphadimethoxine are very useful antibiotics for pyodermas. The dose for the first is 30 mg/kg given twice daily, although some clinicians are confortable with SID dosage. Drug reactions are not uncommon with trimethoprim sulphur, and result from the sulphadiazine, which also has the propensity to induce a transient arthropathy, especially in Dobermans. The tendency to induce keratoconjunctivitis sicca must be watched.

Cephadroxyl and cephalexin are excellent for the treatment of pyodermas. Drug reactions are seen, but probably with less frequency that with the sulphonamides. They are bactericidal. Doses are 20-25 mg/kg BID.

This broad-spectrum bactericidal antibiotic is very useful. Doses used range from 15-20mg/kg BID.

These are very broad spectrum bactericidal antibiotics. It would be indicated where there is a significant involvement of gram negatives. Recommended doses are 2.5mg/kg BID (or 5mg SID) for enrofloxacin 2.0mg/kg SID, for marbofloxacin 2.5mg/kg SID.

Antibacterial shampoos using products containing benzoyl peroxide (2-3%), Clorhexidense (4%) or ethyl lactate (10%) from a most valuable supplementary treatment. Shampoos can be used 1-2 times weekly therapeutically are also useful as part of a preventive maintenance strategy.