Treating from the Inside
Just like a human a dog must be treated from the inside out as well as on the outside. So what goes in will show itself on the surface -food is terribly important. But if the system is not functioning correctly it doesn’t matter how much good quality food is put in the body, it will never reach the appropriate organs it needs to reach. The answer: probiotics and enzymes. Enzymes break the food down to allow the body to easily digest the nutrients in the food. The probiotics put the healthy bacteria back into the digestive track so that it functions as it was made to function – to absorb nutrients. If the body is absorbing the right amount of nutrients – the pimples would not appear on the face.
Treating from the Outside
To treat the pimples from the outside as you might think the best way to treat it is to keep it clean. Bingo! So face wipes is best. I caution you however. Do not purchase face wipes that contain alcohol or too many chemicals. I also do not advocate benzoyl peroxide (like that found in Oxy or Stridex) which truly promotes the acne to surface to expel the gunk inside the epidermis. Therefore, it seems to be encouraging more pimples. On the other hand, it also seems to dry out sensitive skin. So I have found that the Biore Make-up Removing Face Wipes work quite well for sensitive faces. They contain Green Tea amongst other natural ingredients. These are not meant to treat acne but they are good smelling, they are meant to remove make-up so they can remove gunk from the pores, and they are low in alcohol (or alcohol free). I will most likely try the true acne treatment facial wipes by Biore as well to see if it works any better. The Walmart Equate version is not too bad either, however it does contain alcohol but it is not as strong as some of the other name brand products listed above.
How to care for Puppy Acne according to the Great Dane Lady
Puppy acne is very common and you normally see it from 3 - 18 months of age especially in the giant breeds. It shows up on the chin and lips, sometimes the vulva area, and in chronic cases you will see pimples along the back and rump. Normally it is treated with an antibiotic, usually Cephalexin (Keflex or Cefa-Tabs) which can be a real problem in this breed. (See antibiotic reactions).
How To Handle Puppy Acne
The best way to treat puppy acne at first is NOT internally with an antibiotic, but by altering the outside environment and boosting the immune system. Then if after 3 weeks that does not do it, you can resort to an antibiotic. When an antibiotic is used they generally want to use is Cephalexin, which can be a problem for Great Danes- as many are sensitive to this drug and it can throw them into an HOD-like reaction. So if we can avoid this by handling the Puppy Acne naturally by boosting the immune function and treating it externally, the puppy will be better off. Because antibiotics destroy the beneficial bacteria in the gut you MUST use probiotics (BacPakPlus) twice a day on their food to keep the gut in balance and free from loose stools.
ALLERGIC REACTIONS TO ANTIBIOTICS
It is not at all uncommon for antibiotic sensitivities or reactions to happen days after the dog has been on the drug. In some animals, within 24 hours you will notice something is wrong, with others it may be up to 7-10 days on the therapy before you notice the symptoms of: polyarthritis, lethargy, swelling in joint areas, fever and/or loss of appetite. (all the same symptoms as in the advanced stages of "true" HOD)
Problem Antibiotics for Great Danes (and other breeds)
Sulfonimide Drugs
Ditrim,Tribrissen, SMZ, Trimethoprim and Sulfadiazine, TMZ,TMP/SDZ, Bactrim, Primor
Also, but not related to sulfonamides:
Cephalexin, Keflex (Cefa-Tabs, , C-Tabs)
Course of Action:
If you determine the "HOD like" symptoms are due to an allergic reaction to antibiotics, stop the antibiotic, change to another if you have to and generally the animal is treated with Azium/Dexamethasone for 2-3 days, until the swelling and aches go away. Discuss the course of action with your veterinarian.
So why is this puppy acne (staph infection) so common?
Staph infections are only the tip of the iceberg. Staph is a secondary infection because of a weak or immature immune system.
At first puppy’s immune system is very week and will gather strength with age provided their body is given the nutrients necessary to do this job. But just as it starts to develop we knock it back down with an onslaught of vaccines, wormers, cropping and antibiotics. At the same time the rapid growth, hormones and teething of the large and giant breeds, and this is more than the poor body can handle at this young age.
When the immune system becomes weakened, the good bacteria of the gut does not grow and multiple, protecting the lining of the gut from pathogens (bad bacteria, yeast, fungus etc.) and then we start to see the a domino effect such as Puppy Acne, Vaginitis and Demodectic Mange.
Why Are Probiotics So Important?
The use of beneficial bacterias (probiotics) are critical to maintaining a strong immune system, so if using an antibiotic you must ALWAYS feed a probiotics at the same time, to keep the gut reseeded with good bacteria. The antibiotics will kill off the good AND the bad bacteria, but as you reseed the gut with good bacteria (probiotics), it will take hold even though some is lost due to antibiotics. Give probiotics AM and PM when you are on an antibiotic. (See Blackwatch Puppy Feed Program)
An Illustration: Think of it this way….you have a new apartment with few nice pieces of furniture, and the longer you live there the more you will add to your collection of nice furniture to make an environment of harmony and balance. But along comes your new roommate who brings his flea market furniture, a lava lamp, some crates, bricks and boards making demands on your space. Before you know it…your "Feng Shui" interior is in chaos!
This is like the environment of the gut…in the beginning it has a few good bacteria (probiotics) living there, gaining strength and multiplying in harmony and balance. Then along comes other factors like stress, vaccines, antibiotics, diet, and rapid growth, teething, all making demands on the body, it can’t handle all this at once and there is chaos on the weak immune system.
The role of good bacteria is to keep the bad bacteria (pathogens) and the yeast/fungus in check, and stops them from causing chaos in the form of secondary infections or a systemic yeast infection, therefore keeping a good balance within the digestive tract.
The best preventative measure is always a sound feeding program and the use of functional foods such asNzymes,Oxydrops and BacPakPlus Probiotics or 4 in 1 Probiotics.
Q. Why is it so important for the environment of the gut to remain healthy with good levels of beneficial bacteria?
A. Because good levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut is the basis for disease prevention, and for helping to prevent bloat and torsion and systemic yeast infections. It is also important for the sake of keeping the immune system functioning properly to help prevent many of the degenerative diseases.
The basis of all good health starts in the environment of the gut.
Think of the environment of the gut as a place where a variety of organisms live - good organisms and bad organisms - in a continuous struggle to dominate the environment of the gut. Another word for the environment of the gut is described in terms of intestinal flora. When the good organisms win the fight for dominance, we have better health and when the bad (pathogenic) organisms win the fight for dominance, we have disease and illness. So keeping the gut replenished, or reseeded with good organisms, on a daily basis, is critical to good health for you and your dog.
The word biotic means life. So we have pro-biotics (pro-life) and anti-biotics (anti-life). There is a need for both probiotics and antibiotics in the management of disease and illness. The use and/or over-use of antibiotics can have serious side effects on the environment of the gut because in an effort to kill of the bad bacteria of the gut it also destroys the good bacteria/flora as well. When the use of an antibiotic is indicated, use judiciously and ALWAYS in conjunction with a probiotic product to keep the balance of the good bacteria continually replenished.
When we don't use a probiotic along with an antibiotic, like the domino effect, the whole system is affected, including immune suppression, which allows other opportunistic organisms to invade the system. How many times after being on antibiotics have you experienced, cold sores, diarrhea, yeast infections? The reason is the antibiotics have disrupted the "balance" of the intestinal flora of the gut and now opportunistic organisms flourish.
What we put into the gut drastically affects this "war" between the dominance of these good and bad organisms. The antibiotics are not selective and go after only one bacterium present in the gut; they tend to wipe out many bacteria, both good and bad. Then the results is opportunistic organisms, such as strains of resistance bacteria, or fungus start to flourish and our health is compromised.
The daily use of "friendly" bacteria (probiotics) in your diet, are critical to maintaining good health. It is even more critical to double and triples dose your probiotics on a daily basis, while you are on antibiotics. This will preserve the integrity of the mucosal lining of the gut and keep reseeding the gut with the good bacteria that is killed off from the antibiotic.
The Workings Of The Gut
The lining of the gut (intestines/colon) is full of these good bacteria and bad bacteria. When the system is compromised due to; stress, nutrition or medications such as antibiotics, the environment of the gut and the mucosal lining are compromised or destroyed. In other words, the mucus of the gut, which is the protective barrier, starts to break down allowing toxins to pass through it into the bloodstream and enter into the whole system. When this lining is compromised or destroyed it also allows for "other" toxins, bad bacteria or fungus, that are resistant to antibiotics, to have an environment where they can grow and live. They began to take over and flourish in the host organism, which is you or your dog. I use the following things to prevent and maintain a healthy gut for my dogs/cats.
Probiotic Products ~ help to maintain a healthy gut environment = which in return = keeps the rest of the body functioning and healthy!!!!
GREATDANELADY.COMLinda Arndt ~ Canine Nutritional Consultant
http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/vaginitis_puppy_acne_demodectic_mange.htm
How to Treat Dog Acne – natural method
http://www.ehow.com/how_5216401_treat-dog-acne.html