Demodectic Mange

Caused by a microscopic mite known as Demodex Canis which all dogs raised normally by their mothers possess. These mites are transferred from mother to pup during the first few days of life. The mites are normal residents in dog skin; however, for some dogs, the mites proliferate and can cause serious skin disease.

Note 1: Demodectic Mange is not contagious and mites are not transmitted to humans or other dogs (except the mother dog to her pups).

Note 2: Sarcoptic Mange is a completely different disease.

 

Sarcoptic mange

Sarcoptic mange (technically is is called notoedric mange in cats), commonly know as scabies, is caused by an external parasite that burrows deep into the skin. It is contagious to other pets and occurs in many different animals. It causes intense itchiness, especially affecting the ear margins, elbows, and face. People can pick up this disease from their pet and show symptoms of itching, but it goes away by itself in a short time and does not require treatment in most cases.

It is important to note that the diagnosis of this skin condition, like most skin conditions, can not be made just by looking at a pet. Diagnostic tests are mandatory to arrive at a correct diagnosis and achieve a satisfactory outcome to therapy. Stating that an animal looks "mangey" is not the same thing as making a positive diagnosis of mange. Pets that have Ringworm , Demodex. and allergies can look like they have Sarcoptic mange.

Cause

Sarcoptic mange is caused by a mite called Notoedres, a microscopic ectoparasite that burrows in to the skin.

 

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Symptoms

The most prevalent symptom of sarcoptic mange is intense itching called pruritis. This itching will inflame the skin and cause scabs with a secondary bacterial infection (pyoderma) occurring due to the trauma. The areas most commonly affected are the ear margins, elbows, and face. Some pets will shake their ears excessively and cause an aural hematoma (swollen ear). These symptoms can mimic those of other skin conditions, so the rules of the diagnostic process should be carefully adhered to.

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 Diagnosis

The primary way to diagnose sarcoptic mange is to do a skin scraping where the patches of alopecia occur. Finding these mites under the microscope can be very difficult in this disease. a pet that has the symptoms of Sarcoptic mange and is negative on skin scrapings for the parasite can still have the disease. In these cases we commonly treat for the disease anyway, because the treatment is highly effective.

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Treatment

It is best to get you pet to the vet for various tests and once these have been carried out your vet will prescribe a course of treatment, the most common treatment in this county is a product called Advocate, which can only be prescribed by your vet. This treatmeant may also be part of a combination of treatments. So it is always best to consolt with your Vet for the various treaments that are available.

Pet Insurance

Always remember to have your pet insured, as the vet consultation fees and the treatments can work out to be very expencive NO MATTER WHAT PROBLEM YOUR PET MAY HAVE.

SO GET YOUR PET INSURED.

 

OCD occurs when a loose piece of bone or cartilage separates from the end of the bone, often because of a loss of blood supply and insufficient amounts of calcium. The loose piece may stay in place or slide around making the joint stiff and unstable. OCD in humans most commonly affects the knees or ankles, but can also affect other joints such as the elbow. If a serious injury occurs in this area, the bone around it will supply it with as much calcium as possible to try and fix the loose piece of bone. This often results in a calcium build up around the loose piece. This build up is surgically removed most of the time.

The term "dessicans" refers to the "creation of a flap of cartilage that further dissects away from its underlying subchondral attachments (dissecans)" [1]

OCD has been associated both to too little, and too much, calcium in the body

Your Pet & Canine Inherited Eye Disease

Hereditary diseases of the eye in dogs are common and much more common than in the cat or horse. Some eye diseases are inherited and, as in man, the dog suffers from several inherited eye conditions. Hereditary diseases can be divided into congenital conditions, ie those present at birth, and non-congenital conditions, ie those occurring later in life. It must be understood that not all congenital conditions are inherited and not all hereditary conditions are congenital. Typical of congenital conditions is considerable variation in the degree of severity from animal to animal - some animals are born blind, whereas others only show very minor defects with no apparent effect on sight and no change throughout life. Typical examples of such congenital conditions are collie eye anomaly and multifocal retinal dysplasia. Non congenital conditions may not occur until the animal is adult and sometimes several years of age. Typical of non-congenital conditions is progression so that the conditions starts as a mild problem but often progresses ultimately to total blindness. Examples of such conditions are the progressive retinal atrophies and cataract, although it must be remembered that not all cataracts are inherited.

It should be noted that some hereditary eye diseases are painful, examples being glaucoma and entropion whereas others are not eg progressive retinal atrophy and cataract, although the resulting blindness from these conditions may well make the dog nervous or even afraid. Hereditary eye diseases usually effect both eyes but just occasionally, perhaps surprisingly, only one eye is involved or the two eyes may be affected to differing degrees. Hereditary eye diseases can involve all parts of the eye. Sometimes the whole eye is implicated, eg microphthalmos, but more usually one part of the eye or periorbital region (the eye surrounding the eye), eg eyelid, cornea, iris, lens, retina.

Perhaps the best known hereditary eye disease is PRA (generalised progressive retinal atrophy) in which the retina, the light sensitive membrane at the back of the eye, degenerates from puppyhood during life. The condition is always bilateral and the first sign noticed by the owner is often one of night blindness or poor vision in subdued light, but thus progresses over months or years to total blindness and there is no treatment that will either halt or reverse the degeneration. Breeds affected include the Miniature and Toy Poodle, Lhasa Apso, Tibetan Terrier and Spaniel, English and American Cocker Spaniel, Labrador and Golden Retriever and Irish Setter amongst others.

Perhaps the commonest hereditary eye disease is entropion, or inturning of the eyelid. This affects different breeds in different ways and one, two, three or all four lids may be involved. The inturned eyelid rubs on the cornea, the front window of the eye, and causes irritation, inflammation and pain and ultimately ulceration. Entropion is a condition which can be cured by surgery and breeds affected include the Chow, Bulldog, Shar Pei, Bloodhound, St Bernard and sometimes Retrievers and Setters. Entropion is often related to the size, shape and position of the eye and the amount of skin on the head.

Hereditary cataract affects different breeds in different ways and the form of the cataract is often breed specific. It is usually, but not invariably, bilateral and may, or may not, progress to total blindness. The condition is pain free and cataract operations are frequently performed in the dog. There are many causes of cataract, not all being inherited, but examples of hereditary cataract are to be found in the Boston Terrier, Golden Retriever, Miniature Schnauzer, Norwegian Buhund, Siberian Husky and American Cocker Spaniel.

Another hereditary eye condition affecting the lens is lens luxation, in which, usually in dogs of three to five years of age, the lens in one eye, invariably followed by the second, falls away from its attachment within the eye and sets up a pressure, or secondary glaucoma, which is both painful and blinding. Surgery to remove the dislocated lens can be successful and prevent the formation of glaucoma.

Although some hereditary eye diseases can be treated it is much better to control these diseases and ultimately eradicate them by breeding from sound dogs. With this in mind eye certification schemes for the control of hereditary eye diseases are to be recommended. Breeding animals are examined by a specialist veterinary ophthalmologist and certified free from hereditary eye diseases which affect their breed. This has lead to the reduction of hereditary eye diseases in some breeds, examples being cataracts in the Golden Retriever and Afgan Hound and collie eye anomaly in the Shetland Sheepdog. However, most hereditary eye diseases are due to recessive genes and the carrier state cannot be diagnosed by ophthalmoscopic and slit lamp examination However, the advent of molecular biology and gene testing will, in the future, make eradication of these diseases, with the co-operation of dog breeders and the Kennel Club, a definite possibility.