By Dr. Heather Kovac
Case #1: Scissors Scare
The Patient:
Tootsie, a 4 year old female domestic longhair cat, presented for a wound on her chest.
The Case:
Her owner had been trying to cut out a mat under her front leg and had accidentally cut her skin. On examination, there was an L-shaped full thickness skin laceration in her left armpit region (axilla). The wound was fresh but not actively bleeding. The underlying musculature could be visualized. She had many mats on her belly and behind her legs as well. This is a common problem that we treat in longhaired cats.
The Treatment Plan:
Cat skin is extremely elastic and when a clump of matted fur is pulled away from the body, the skin pulls up with it making it very difficult to determine where the mat stops and the skin starts. We never recommend using scissors to remove mats in cats for this very reason. Clippers should always be used if the mat cannot be brushed out. Thankfully, the wound was small and fresh so I was able to apply some tissue adhesive to close the wound quickly without any stitches or anesthesia. The cat received an antibiotic injection to prevent infection and we removed the remaining mats with a pair of clippers. Tootsie was very good for her procedure. The owner was instructed to never use scissors again and that we would be happy to help with removing her mats in the future if needed. Longhair cats need quite a lot of grooming to keep their coats in good condition. They often need a "sanitary trim" to keep the hair short around their bottoms to prevent stool and urine from collecting on the fur and skin. If you ever need assistance in grooming your own pet, please feel free to contact us.
Case #2: Hairless Spot
The Patient:
Champ, a 1 year old male German Shepherd, was presented for a circular area of hairloss on the tip of his right ear flap (pinna).
The Case:
The owner told me that the spot had been getting steadily larger for about 2-3 weeks. It did not seem to bother Champ and he was not scratching at it. The owner had tried an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream but it was not helping. On examination, there was a round area of alopecia (hairloss) on the outside surface of the right pinna measuring about 2cm across. The skin looked slightly shiny and bumpy but was not ulcerated or crusty. There were no other areas of hairloss on the body and no fleas could be found. He was not itchy.
The Treatment Plan:
I performed a skin scraping which involves using a scalpel blade to scrape off some cells from the top layer of the skin and smearing this on a slide to examine under the microscope. The skin scraping revealed a large population of Demodex mites. Demodex mites are microscopic external parasites that can cause hairloss in dogs. We most commonly see them in young dogs and puppies and are a result of an immature immune system. These mites are not contagious to other animals or to people. In fact, we all have them on our bodies (eww!) but in very small numbers and they should not cause hairloss. When the immune system does not keep them in check, they overpopulate the hair follicles causing the hairs to fall out. Thankfully, there are newer medications that allow easy treatment of these mites. Champ was prescribed a single dose of Bravecto (fluralaner) to be taken orally. The hairless spot will slowly regrow hair once the mites die off. She was instructed to be on the lookout for new spots of hairloss. Very rarely, if a dog is very sick for some other reason and its immune system is not functioning normally, we can see these mites overpopulate the skin of older animals or become generalized over the entire body. If you notice areas of abnormal skin or hairloss on your pet, they should be seen by your veterinarian to determine the cause.
If your pet is exeperencing any type of skin or hair issues, please contact us so we can set up a physcial examination of your pet.
The Drake Center for Veterinary Care is an AAHA-accredited animal hospital located in Encinitas, CA. The Drake Center loves being a source of information for all pet owners across the country however if you have any questions regarding pet care and do not live in Encinitas, CA or surrounding cities, we encourage you to contact your local veterinarian.