Case of the Month

A Dog with Demodex   by  Sophie Daniels, Student Nurse

Buster arrived at the practice with a skin problem. Sarah, our Veterinary Surgeon, checked Buster over and found that he had bald spots on his face and on his back. Sarah gave him some antibiotics and checked him two days later. At this point he was no better so Sarah recommended some tests. She plucked some hair from his body and looked at it under the microscope in our internal lab - Sarah found a mite called Demodex!

Demodex is a small cigar-shaped mite which is found in normal hair follicles without causing any problems. In young dogs with a certain genetic pre-disposition and in older dogs with immunosuppression, the number of mites can increase dramatically. This can cause a dermatitis. This is not always itchy but causes alopecia (hair loss).

Sarah mentioned to the owners the different treatments available and the best course of action was to bath Buster with "Aludex" once a week in the hospital. He would need at least six weeks of treatment.

For each treatment a nurse made up a solution of Aludex. The nurse's placed on an apron, a pair of gloves, mask and glasses to protect against any splashes. Another nurse placed Buster in the tub table and he was washed down all over with the warm solution. We then put him in a warm kennel for the liquid to take effect. Buster really seemed to enjoy his baths and his interactions with the nurses!

Towards the end of the treatment course Sarah took another hair pluck from Buster and found no mites!

Buster is now mite-free and has a lovely thick coat all over!!!

To see one of our Veterinary Nurses for advice please call your usual surgery to make an appointment.

Previous case of the Month

Toby's story    by Kim Hall RVN,  Veterinary Nurse

Toby is an 8 year old Yorkshire Terrier and is a patient at Stonehenge Veterinary Hospital.

Toby came in initially because he had been passing some blood in his urine and had been urinating more frequently on and off for about 2 months. He was treated for cystitis and given an antibiotic medication.

Toby improved remarkably but there was still some blood evident in his urine when it was tested in the lab.  It was decided that we would book Toby in for x-rays of his bladder and prostate to check for any abnormalities.

Toby was admitted to the hospital and given an anaesthetic. While he was asleep the Veterinary Nurses took X-rays of his bladder area and found two small stones in the bladder. The stones appeared to have serrated edges which would explain why Toby was having problems with his urination. It was agreed that while he was under the anaesthetic we would go ahead and remove the stones by doing a cystotomy - this is where we cut into the bladder and look inside.

Toby was prepared for surgery and taken into theatre. One of the stones was removed easily but the other fragmented into small pieces and the vet removed as much as he could. To be sure we took another x-ray after the surgery to check all had been removed. A further small fragment could be seen in the urethra so he was taken back into theatre and that was removed too.

Toby had a good recovery and was kept in the hospital overnight. This was so he could stay on intravenous fluids to ensure he made lots of urine to flush everything through - also so we could check it was comfortable for him to urinate.

During his stay overnight he was given intravenous painkillers and antibiotics and general nursing care. He settled in well and was soon enjoying some food. The next day the Veterinary Surgeon checked Toby over and because he was fine and urinating normally he was sent home.

Toby has been in a couple of times since for check-ups and we are pleased to see he is making a full recovery.

For advice from our Veterinary Nurses or to make an appointment to see one of us then  please call your usual practice number.

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