Canine Health Foundation Grant #3166-A

ABSTRACT

In canine allergies, recurrent skin infection is frequent, often requiring repeated antibiotic use. This leads to a financial burden on owners and higher risk for antibiotic resistance. Recent studies in people have shown that diluted bleach baths can help patients with allergies and skin infections. In dogs, bleach has shown antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. However, no studies have been done to evaluate the effects of bleach in client-owned dogs skin infection secondary to allergies. The researchers hypothesize that compared with chlorhexidine spray, another commonly used topical antimicrobial, diluted bleach will be as effective to treat skin infections, but will also help with the allergic disease. The aim of this study is to evaluate if diluted bleach is a viable alternative to chlorhexidine and its ability to restore normal skin microflora in canine allergies. Results from this study may significantly change the way clinicians treat superficial skin infections and potentially reduce antibiotic usage. This will be the first study to demonstrate the benefits of diluted bleach in canine allergies.