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Skin problems
Case Study One:
Max is a 5 year old, yellow Labrador and has recently developed a nasty spot at the front side of his neck, just under his chin. He itches at it continuously with his hind leg and grunts loudly in enjoyment, with every now and then a yelp.
His owner is very concerned since it is very red, swollen and discharging. After a further examination I find no other problems on Max and diagnose that Max is suffering from a “Hotspot”. Hotspots are sudden onset of skin irritation which demand excessive itching and hence cause self trauma. They are very often caused by insect bites or allergy related reactions, i.e. fleabite.
It is important to shave the area in order to by able to investigate the extend of the trauma and to “air” the wound in order for it to heal sooner. After this, the wound should be washed and the medicated shampoo should be left to work for 10 minutes. This can be done on a daily basis, or a salt water solution can be used. Most “Hotspots” are deep pyodermia’s and do require antibiotic treatment for at least 2 weeks, often longer. Since the wounds are enormously itchy it is recommended to apply a steroid-antibiotic cream or spray in order to break the circle and to possibly add a special collar, which prevents the dog from biting the wound or to put on a sock over the paw to withhold the dog from scratching the wound and so continuing the trauma.
Although it looks very alarming and it easily worsens, it is NOT an emergency and washing the wound with salty water, will reduce the inflammation and hence the itchiness. It is recommended to be seen by a vet.
Case Study Two:
Since moving to the new neighborhood Felix has had nothing but trouble. Obviously the neighboring cats do not agree with his macho attitude and frequently Felix finds himself facing another fight. His Mummy is getting desperate and calls the clinic when Felix one day is not able to use his front leg and it looks nasty and swollen. Besides this, he is not himself, he did not want to eat and did sleep most of the day. I ask Mrs. Smith to check his temperature and when she calls me back and mentions it is 39.9 °C I am quite sure what is wrong with Felix. I tell her to bring Felix in since I suspect he has an abscess forming at his front paw, due to his most recent fight.
When Felix arrives in my consult room, it indeed is an abscess. I explain the need for the abscess to ripen and how we can speed this up with some warm compresses. When the wound breaks, it is important to flush it vigorously in order to establish good healing. The wound(s) should be kept open, since premature closing enables the anaerobe bacteria to thrive and the process will start over again. Fortunately for Felix the abscess has already formed and I can feel a nice soft spot on which it will most likely break in the next few hours. Since Felix is in the clinic I decide to speed things up a little more and open the abscess with a scalpel blade. The nurses flush the wound and Felix gets antibiotics and an
Dr. Ellen Kruijning, Al Barsha Veterinary Clinic