Clinical efficacy of artificially carbonated water bathing on superficial bacterial folliculitis in dogs

Background Bathing with artificially carbonated water is reported to be a valuable therapeutic option for various human skin disorders. Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of artificially carbonated water bathing on superficial bacterial folliculitis (SBF) caused by Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (SP) in dogs. Animals Nineteen dogs with SBF from whom SP was isolated from skin lesions were enrolled. Methods and materials Dogs with SBF were allocated randomly to either the artificially carbonated water bathing group or the control group bathed with tap water. The dogs were bathed with the designated water type on day (D)0, D7 and D14. Clinical scores and skin surface pH were evaluated on D0 and D21. Colony forming unit (cfu) assays were performed in vitro to investigate whether the artificially carbonated water affected growth of clinical SP isolates. Results The mean rate of improvement in the clinical scores was significantly higher in the carbonated water group than in the control group. Dogs bathed with carbonated water exhibited significant decreases in their skin surface pH after bathing; dogs bathed with tap water did not. No dogs experienced significant adverse events. The cfus of SP incubated in vitro with artificially carbonated water did not significantly differ from those incubated with tap water. Conclusion Bathing with artificially carbonated water might be an effective and safe adjunctive therapy for canine SP-induced SBF.