Staph Dermatitis

• Staph bacteria enter the skin through an open wound, quickly multiply and cause an infection. This is the most common form of a staph infection in a dog.
  
  

Symptoms

• Skin lesions, the most common symptom of staph dermatitis, may be small, red and pus-filled, similar to a pimple, or circular and red with crusty edges and hair loss within the crust border.
  
  

Cause

• When a dog has an allergy, excessive itching can cause an open wound where the staph bacteria enter and is one of the main causes of a skin staph infection.
  
  

Staph Allergies

• If staph dermatitis is reoccurring, then an allergy to staph bacteria---staph hypersensitivity---may be present. Staph dermatitis can be treated and may not reoccur, whereas staph allergies cause reoccurring staph infections.
  
  

Staph Ear Infections

• Another common staph infection is an ear infection, particularly common in floppy-eared dogs. Staph bacteria builds up in the ear, causing an infection. For many dogs, staph ear infections are reoccurring.