Oral plus topical administration of enrofloxacin-hydrochloride-dihydrate for the treatment of unresponsive canine pyoderma. A clinical trial

Abstract

An outpatient clinical trial on unresponsive deep-bacterial canine pyoderma (UDCP), without a control group, is presented. The chosen treatment was implemented with a new crystal-solvate of enrofloxacin (enrofloxacin HCl-2H2O or enro-C), in a dual scheme, i.e., 10 mg/kg/day PO, plus its topical administration, prepared as 0.5% in an alginate gel, thrice per day. Fifty-five cases that were unsuccessfully treated previously with another antibacterial drug, were selected and then classified as severe or very severe, according to a clinical score tailored for this trial. Aerobic bacteriological cultures of skin lesions and antibacterial sensitivity tests, were performed. Hematological status, liver, and kidney functions were determined before and after treatment. A complete success was obtained in 32 severe and 23 very severe, cases. The main bacterial isolates were: Staphylococcus intermedius (19/99), Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (16/99), Staphylococcus epidermidis (15/99), Staphylococcus pyogenes (14/99), Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Streptococcus sp., and others including Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6/99). The average duration of treatment was 8.03 days ± 2.1 SD and 12.0 ± 2.4 days, for dogs with severe or very severe UDCP, respectively. The adverse effects caused by enro-C were inconsequential and the hematological tests showed no deviations from normality. The use of enro-C administered dually to treat UDCP, is considered safe and highly effective.