"Theodore" the Chihuahua

June 2011

Theodore came to Head to Tail Veterinary Hospital because his back end was itchy for about a week. Dr. Catherine Stuart thought perhaps his anal glands being full could be the problem. Small dogs are particularly prone to anal gland issues. She did express both glands which were full.

Part of a full physical exam is checking for ecto-parasites (ones that live on the surface of animals), Dr. Stuart started looking through Theodore’s coat. She found multiple fleas while looking over the Chihuahua.

Theodore was sent home on a steroid medication to help with his itching as well as a flea medication that will kill all three stages of the flea lifecycle. Since only 5% of a flea infestation is adult fleas. The owner also took home a spray for her home to help get the infestation under control faster. The only way to truly get rid of a flea problem is to keep your pet on a flea controlling medication long after you stop seeing adult fleas. Another flea controlling medication was sent home for Theo’s cat sister since she will probably also get fleas if she doesn’t have them already.

Hope you get rid of your little friends soon Theodore!

“Kinsley” the Pug Puppy

KINSLEY THE PUG PUPPY!

Kinsley came to see us at Head to Tail Veterinary Hospital at the end of June this year. Her owners brought her in because they noticed that she had a rash on her stomach and she smelled not quite right. Dr. Catherine Stuart noticed that Kinsley’s had “alopecia”; the medical word that describes hair loss. Kinsley had alopecia on her legs, head, abdomen and around her eyes. She also had “hyperpigmentation”; which means that some parts of Kinsley’s skin were darker than others due to inflammation.

 Dr. Stuart and the team at Head to Tail Veterinary Hospital took samples from these areas using a skin scraping method and swabbing with a cotton swab. We looked at the samples under the microscope and saw demodex, bacteria and yeast. Demodex is a type of parasite that lives in the layers of the skin. Puppies are the usual culprits to get demodex. The type of bacteria Kinsley had was “cocci”; they look like small circles that appear dark purple after we stain the slide. Yeast is a type of fungus that likes to grow in warm places with lots of moisture – the folds in a pug’s nose are unfortunately perfect! Under the microscope yeast is also purple after it’s stained and it’s shaped like little peanuts in the shell.

Kinsley was put on an oral antibiotic to clear up the bacteria infection and an anti-parasitic medication to kill the demodex. She will also have to have baths with a special shampoo to help her skin get better as soon as possible. This little girl will have to come back for a couple of more visits to take more samples and see how her skin is improving. Hopefully Kinsley will be back to her normal puppy self in about two months. Get better soon Kinsley!