How is Staphylococcal hypersensitivity treated?
Treatment begins the same as for Staphylococcal dermatitis: oral antibiotics, medicated shampoos, and treatment to stop the itching. In hypersensitivity cases, long-term control is best achieved with periodic routine injections of Staphylococcal bacterin. Staphylococcal bacterin is a solution of killed Staphylococcal bacteria that is injected into the dog in very tiny amounts. This is an attempt to “reprogram” or “re-train” the dog’s immune system so it does not over-react to this naturally-occurring bacteria. The use of Staphylococcal bacterin begins as a series of daily injections into the layers of the skin. After the initial series is completed, the injections are given subcutaneously (just below the skin) at an interval of every 3 to 4 days to every two weeks. These injections frequently will give profound improvement when other treatments have failed. If such a course is prescribed, your veterinarian will teach you to administer these simple injections at home. How successful is
