Current Illness of Week

Pododermatitis

     These are the feet of a 10 year old Maltese dog named Charlie.  Charlie has a history of skin “allergies.” He has seasonal itchiness, runny eyes and red feet. Charlie licks at the skin between his pads.  What we see is a brownish red discoloration on the hair. This color is from the saliva in his mouth which stains the hair red.

     Charlie has pododermatitis. This is the term for inflammation of the feet. Pododermatitis can be caused by numerous things. It can be from a foreign body such as a fox tail caught between the toes or from trauma or irritation to the feet.  In Charlie’s case his feet are inflamed from him licking them. He licks them because of contact and inhaled allergies. When he inhales pollen and walks on grass,  his feet get itchy.

    Pododermatitis presents as red, ulcerated and oozing skin between the toes. It can be on the top of the foot or underneath by the foot pads. Sometimes it is painful and can involve the toenails.

     Treatment of pododermatitis can be difficult. If the feet are oozing and painful, soaking them in warm water can be soothing. We recommend adding 1/5 teaspoon of household bleach to one quart of water to disinfect the feet. Antibiotics and antiyeast medications are used if there is infection. It can be difficult to pinpoint the cause of the allergy. Keeping the pet off of grass can be helpful. Occasionally cortisone is needed.

Previous Illnesses of the Week

Flea Infestation

This 2 year old Shih Tzu is a lucky dog that lives at the beach. Her owner was horrified last night when he turned her over and saw that she was crawling with fleas.

He immediately put her in the tub and gave her a flea bath. Luckily he had one dose of Comfortis left over from last year and he quickly gave it to her.  Within minutes dead fleas were dropping off the dog. (see photo)

Comfortis is a relatively new flea killing medication that comes in pill form and is given to dogs once a month.  It is given instead of the topical medications. Comfortis is very safe and is FDA approved. As you can see it is very effective. I examined her today and could not find one flea on her!

Chocolate/Caffeine Poisoning

This is a 3 year old papillon that spent several days and nights in intensive care for eating 3-4 boxes of Ed Hardy “Chocolate Rocks.” This human energy candy proved to be almost deadly for him.

Chocolate Rocks contain semisweet chocolate, sugar and guarana seed extract. They also have added caffeine, approximately 600mg per box.

He presented with a 106 degree fever, severe hyperactivity, tremors and twitching. After consulting with the Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435, he was placed on an intravenous line and given medications to lower his heart rate and sedate him. His rapidly beating heart was monitored with an ecg.  After hospitalization for 3 days, this dog was alert and eating. We hope that he will recover completely.

Chocolate is toxic to pets because it contains methylxanthines. These chemicals are similar in property to caffeine. Dark chocolate and baking chocolate contain more of this chemical than milk chocolate. The symptoms of chocolate toxicity are like those above: hyperactivity, twitching, heart irregularities as well as stomach upset with vomiting and diarrhea.

This product is additionally dangerous to pets because of the added caffeine. The client says the box that these “Chocolate Rocks” came in had a picture of a bull dog on the front. Be aware that these tasty treats are very toxic to your pets.

Foxtail/Foreign Body in the Foot

This is the right hind foot of a 5 year old retriever. This dog presented with an open wound that was festering between her toes. This is the common presentation for a foxtail/foreign body in the foot.

During the spring and summer in Southern California, dry wheat-like weeds are shed in great numbers. We call these “foxtails.” These plant awns have a pointed end and are notorious for lodging themselves in the coats of dogs and cats. They often get stuck between the toes, but they can also go in the ears and eyes of our pets. Once they penetrate the skin, these foxtails quickly imbed themselves and cause a festering wound.

Foxtails rarely come out on their own. As was the case in this dog, pets often require surgery to explore the area and remove the foreign body. This generally necessitates general anesthesia. After removal the area is flushed with an antiseptic solution and bandaged. The dog or cat is then put on antibiotics. Foxtails introduce bacteria into the wound that must be treated even after the foreign material is removed.

It is important to keep your pets out of the dry weeds during the warm season. This will prevent foxtails from sticking on them and creating these problems.

Protrusion of the Gland of the Third Eyelid

This is a 2 year old cocker spaniel who presented with a pink swelling at the corner of his right eye. This condition is called a “prolapse or protrusion of the gland of the third eyelid.” The common name is “cherry eye.”

Dogs have an extra eyelid within their eyes that helps to protect the eye. Imbedded inside this third eyelid is the nictitans gland. Dogs like this one have a defect in the tissue that connects this gland to the eyeball. This allows the gland to evert and become visible.

Some dogs can live okay with this condition, but in others the exposed gland causes pain, inflammation and swelling. In that case (and in this dog’s case) the gland is surgically replaced down into its normal place within the third eyelid. Removal of the gland is not advised because without it the pet often has a dry eye.

Hot Spot or Acute Moist Dermatitis

This photo is of the tail area of an Australian Shepard. This dog has a skin condition commonly known as a “hot spot.” Hs tail is very itchy, so itchy that he will not stop biting at it.

The technical name for this is “pyotraumatic dermatitis” or “acute moist dermatitis.” This sore is caused by the patient biting or itching at the area. A dog can produce a very large lesion in just a few hours.

The most common cause of “hot spots” is skin allergies, particularly flea bite hypersensitivity. This dog had very full anal glands. Occasionally a dog will bite at his tail trying to empty and itch his anal glands.

Certain breeds are predisposed to “hot spots.” They are Golden and Labrador retrievers, Collies, German shepherds and St.Bernards. The problem is more common in warm weather.

Diagnosis is made by the fact that the sores come on quickly and have a flat, eroded and ulcerated surface. Treatment involves clipping and cleaning the skin and hair over the sore and applying a cortisone/antibiotic cream. In order to reduce pain and stop the itching, dogs are given cortisone injections or pills. These are combined with oral antibiotics to control any secondary infection. Often the dogs must wear an E-collar to prevent their access to the itchy area.

Demodicosis

This is a picture of a 15 month old terrier mix dog. He has a kind of “mange” that is common in puppies and old dogs. It is called “demodicosis” or “demodectic mange.” Like all types of mange, this one is caused by a tiny mite. You cannot see it with the naked eye. It is diagnosed by scraping the skin with a sterile blade, deep in the hair follicles, and then by visualizing the mites under the microscope.

All dogs have these mites on their skin. Under normal circumstances the immune system stops the mites from doing any harm. In young and very old dogs that have immature immune systems, the mite invades the hair follicles causing inflammation ant the hair to fall out.

Usually the pattern of hair loss affects the face but it can progress to the entire body. It is common to have secondary bacterial infections of the skin. Infections appear as crusting and oozing of the skin.

If a dog has demodex in a few isolated spots, we treat it with a topical cream. If the mite is causing hair loss all over the body, we will prescribe special dips, topical therapy or even an oral medication called ivermectin. Often we use oral antibiotics for the bacterial infection as well as medicated benzoyl peroxide baths.

The puppy in these photos was treated with ivermectin. You can see the before condition of the skin and what it looks like while on treatment.