Effect of a mixture of essential oils and a plant-based extract for the management of localized superficial pyoderma in dogs: An open-label clinical trial

Abstract

A mixture of essential oils and a plant-based extract in the form of shampoo and spot-on were shown to have in vitro antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. The purpose of this open-label clinical trial was to evaluate the efficacy of these two products for the management of canine localized superficial pyoderma. Twenty dogs diagnosed with 3-4 localized pyoderma lesions were enrolled. The dogs were bathed weekly for 8 weeks with shampoo and 48 hours later, spot-on was applied near the lesions. Clinical lesions and pruritus scores were subjectively assessed using a clinical improvement score system (1-5) and a pruritic visual analog scale (0-10) on days 0, 14, 28, 42, and 56. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was used to compare the two parameters between day 0 and days 14, 28, 42, and 56. Sixteen dogs completed the study and four discontinued prematurely due to worsening of clinical signs. The average clinical improvement scores on day 14 (2.6±0.5), day 28 (2.05±0.6), day 42 (1.63±0.7) and day 56 (1.13±0.5) were significantly better than day 0 (5) (P value < 0.0001). The average pruritus scores on day 14 (3.75±1.37), day 28 (3.15±2.01), day 42 (2.26±2.45) and day 56 (0.81±1.56) were significantly better than day 0 (4.90±1.74) (P value < 0.007). In conclusion, the weekly bath with shampoo and topical spot-on may be an option to manage localized superficial pyoderma. A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study should be conducted to support the results.