Many treatments for dog and cat skin problems go directly on the skin. For bacterial infections that stay near the surface of a dog’s skin, an international veterinary guideline names treatment on the skin alone as the first choice [1]. This guide explains how your vet may use this kind of care. It does not replace your vet’s own instructions.
Use only what your vet prescribes, in the way your vet tells you. Do not use human or leftover products unless your vet says so.
Finding the cause comes first
A skin infection in a dog almost always grows on top of another problem, such as an allergy. Vets need to find and manage that problem, or the infection tends to come back [1][2]. Before your vet picks a treatment, your vet may run tests to find the cause. For how vets do this, see how vets diagnose skin problems in dogs and cats.
Why vets use topical care
The skin is easy to reach, so vets can often treat it directly. This also helps vets save medicine by mouth for the cases that need it, which matters as germs become harder to treat [1]. Regular care on the skin may also help keep some infections from returning [1].
Your vet may prescribe topical care on its own or together with medicine your pet takes by mouth or by injection. Medicine by mouth is usually kept for deeper infections, or for cases where care on the skin has not worked well enough [1][2]. For one bacterial skin problem, see pyoderma in dogs.
Medicated shampoos
Your vet may prescribe a medicated shampoo. An everyday grooming shampoo is made only to clean the coat. The FDA treats products sold only to clean or beautify a pet as grooming aids, while a product meant to treat a disease counts as a drug [5]. So a grooming shampoo is not a treatment for a skin problem.
A medicated shampoo has to stay on the skin for a while before you rinse it off, so it can work [1][2]. Your vet will tell you how long to leave it on and how often to bathe. Rinse it out very well: shampoo left in the coat can irritate the skin [2][4].
Shampoos suit problems that cover a large part of the body. For smaller areas, or on days between baths, your vet may suggest a spray, mousse, wipe or solution that does not need to be rinsed off [1].
Topical care for cats
For cats, topical care is often aimed only at the affected spot. With chin acne, for example, vets often use medicated wipes or careful cleaning of the chin, and clipping the hair there can make the area easier to clean and treat. A shampoo may be tried if wipes do not help [4]. For more, see cat chin acne.
Using topical care safely
Pets often lick or rub off what you put on their skin. Keeping your pet busy right after treatment, with play, a walk or a meal, can give the product time to work [1]. Your vet will tell you how much to use.
Some products can irritate the skin, especially if used too often or too heavily, and can make the problem worse [2]. A reaction to something that irritates the skin tends to be stronger with more of the substance and longer contact [3]. Your vet will watch for this. For skin reactions to things that touch the skin, see contact dermatitis in dogs and cats.
Do not swap one product for another on your own. Your vet picks both the ingredient and the type of product to suit the problem, the body area, your pet and what you can manage at home [1].
Tell your vet if you cannot bathe or treat your pet at home. If a pet will not allow it, or there is no place to do it, your vet can plan another way [1][2].
At home, as directed by a vet:
- follow your vet’s instructions for each product closely;
- ask your vet to explain anything in the directions that is unclear;
- do not use human or leftover products unless your vet says so;
- go back for every recheck, where your vet can check progress and adjust the plan [1].
When to see your vet
Call your vet if:
- your pet’s skin seems more irritated after a treatment [2][3];
- the skin is not getting better with the treatment [1];
- you cannot give the treatment as your vet directed [1][2].
The bottom line
Many treatments for skin problems go on the skin itself, but finding the cause comes first. Your vet may prescribe a medicated shampoo or other topical care, and will tell you how to use it. Use only what your vet prescribes, and ask your vet before you use anything else on your pet’s skin. Prescription creams meant for people are a separate risk: see prescription skin creams for people and pets.
This article is for general information only and does not replace advice from your veterinarian. Use any skin treatment only as your vet directs.
Sources
- Loeffler A, Cain CL, et al. Antimicrobial use guidelines for canine pyoderma by the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases (ISCAID). Veterinary Dermatology, 2025 (CC BY 4.0). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12058580/
- Torres SMF. Canine Pyodermas. Small and Large Animal Dermatology Handbook, Vol. 1. University of Minnesota, 2025 (CC BY 4.0). https://open.lib.umn.edu/animaldermatology/chapter/canine-pyodermas/
- Torres SMF. Contact Dermatitis: Small and Large Animals. Small and Large Animal Dermatology Handbook, Vol. 1. University of Minnesota, 2025 (CC BY 4.0). https://open.lib.umn.edu/animaldermatology/chapter/contact-allergy-small-and-large-animals/
- Torres SMF. Feline Acne. Small and Large Animal Dermatology Handbook, Vol. 2. University of Minnesota, 2025 (CC BY 4.0). https://open.lib.umn.edu/animaldermatology2/chapter/idiopathic-keratinization-disorders-feline-acne/
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. CPG Sec. 653.100 Animal Grooming Aids. Compliance Policy Guide, March 2019. https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/cpg-sec-653100-animal-grooming-aids