Puppy pyoderma?

[LyndseyM]

My almost 10-week old litter of puppies is ready to go to their homes tomorrow; however, one of them has little pimples on her groin and some inguinal LAO. After some searching I deduced it was likely pyoderma, so I put some coconut oil on there, and while the pimples seem to have abated, she has spots that now look more like annular lesions - similar to ring worm, but none of the other puppies appear to have this.

She is eating, behaving, popping, and urinating as normal. I did dose her with 30c Merc just to see and it appears her LAO has diminished, but I'm just uncertain as how to proceed before she goes home tomorrow.

TIA!

Thoughts?

 

[Dr. Sara]

I'm not familiar with the acronym LAO.
Pimples in the groin (or other hairless, soft skinned areas) and circular lesions such as you describe are common manifestations of Staph hypersensitivity. The best treatment is gentle cleaning of the area. Plain mild soap and water, with a thorough rinse and a gentle pat dry is just fine.
People will sometimes call this puppy pyoderma. Strictly speaking this is correct, as there is pus (pyo-) on the skin (-derma). This is a mild situation, and not a cause for alarm, just gentle cleaning. The pup's immune system is developing, and sometimes it is going to overreact to normal stimuli. Give the system time to adjust, and don't overdo the treatment!
Stay well,
Dr. Sara

 

[LyndseyM]

I'm not familiar with the acronym LAO.
Pimples in the groin (or other hairless, soft skinned areas) and circular lesions such as you describe are common manifestations of Staph hypersensitivity. The best treatment is gentle cleaning of the area. Plain mild soap and water, with a thorough rinse and a gentle pat dry is just fine.
People will sometimes cause this puppy pyoderma. Strictly speaking this is correct, as there is pus (pyo-) on the skin (-derma). This is a mild situation, and not a cause for alarm, just gentle cleaning. The pup's immune system is developing, and sometimes it is going to overreact to normal stimuli. Give the system time to adjust, and don't overdo the treatment!
Stay well,
Dr. Sara

My apologies, Sara, I use that for lymphadenopathy in my practice .

Hopefully that doesn't change things too much! Thank you for that! I will do this until she goes home tomorrow and convey to her new parents!

Lyndsey

 

[Dr. Sara]

Thank you for the clarification, Lyndsey! I consider transient lymphadenopathy to be a positive signs that the immune system has noticed an invader, and is dealing with it. My pups would frequently get a few groin pimples after being outside and running through the underbrush, or when I introduced them to the puppy pool. I cleaned them, and if it appeared that they had an irritated abrasion or more extensive lesions, I would dose them with Calendula once or twice.
Dr. Sara

 

[LyndseyM]

Thank you Dr. Sara - she had much improved before going to her new home!