Pet Problems
Geraint Jones of St James Veterinary Group tries to answer some questions encountered on a typical day in a busy small animal practice.
My six year old cocker spaniel bitch has been acting a little strangely recently, she has been reluctant to go for walks, is off her food but is drinking quite a bit, and has a smelly discharge around her vulva. What should I do?
Vulval discharge with systemic signs such as lethargy and increased water intake may mean that the bitch may not be affected by a simple vaginitis but something a bit more serious. The presentation is typical of a condition called “pyometra” which is a life threatening infection of the womb in entire female dogs. It is not uncommon in older, unneutered female dogs and can occur any time from two weeks to 10 weeks after a season. Female dogs have a lengthy progesterone phase to their oestrous cycle which promotes growth of the uterine tissues and secretions within the womb. This can provide a nice environment for the proliferation of bacteria (if the womb becomes infected), which results in the formation of pus. Bacterial toxins are absorbed across the womb into the animal’s blood causing vomiting, fever, kidney damage and ultimately if untreated toxic shock and death. “Pyometra” can be classified as either “open” where the cervix of the womb is open and where external signs of vaginal discharge are seen, or “closed” where the cervix remains closed and infection builds up within the womb without overt external signs. Diagnosis is usually based on clinical signs in entire bitches that have recently had a season and confirmed by abdominal ultrasonography. Treatment of the condition usually involves removal of the infected womb at surgery with judicious use of antibiotics, but some vets will try and manage the condition medically in some valuable breeding bitches. So the advice is simply- get to the vet and get her checked out!
My cat has got little “pimples” at the base of her back, has developed some bald patches above her tail and is biting and pulling at her fur. My other cat is fine- what is the matter with her?
The most common cause of hair loss and your cat being “itchy” and pulling out her fur would be a flea infection. The little “pimples” that you can feel when you run your hand over the base of your cats back is something that vets refer to as “miliary eczema” or “miliary dermatitis” and is typically caused by a flea bite sensitivity or allergy. Some cats develop an allergy to the proteins in flea saliva and the condition can be set off by one single flea bite. Treatment usually involves rigorous flea control using spot on treatments that kill adult fleas before they have a chance to bite the animal, in conjunction with environmental sprays which prevent immature and larval forms of fleas maturing to adulthood. Your vet may also prescribe steroids to prevent itching and also antibiotics depending on the degree of secondary infection in the skin from the cat self traumatising itself. In order to determine whether your cat has been infected with fleas (apart from actually identifying a flea on the cat!) you can dust or comb your cat’s fur onto a white piece of paper or kitchen roll to check for flea faeces! Flea faeces appear as small, dark, comma shaped entities which are actually dried blood. If you dab them with a moist piece of cotton wool or tissue you may observe a red ring develop around them- confirmation of infection!
My two year old Jack Russell terrier occasionally picks up one of his hind legs whilst running, sometimes he seems lame on the leg other times he walks around without any apparent problem- what could be going on?
Your Jack Russell could be affected by a number of different problems but one that should be ruled out would be a dislocating knee cap. This is relatively common in the breed- as in Yorkshire terriers, other toy breeds and also Cavalier King Charles Spaniels which are sometimes described as having “Queen Anne legs”! In the majority of cases this is a developmental problem but in some cases can be present from birth. Typically dogs affected by the condition have a bowing of the femur (the thigh bone), a shallow groove that the knee cap sits in, and/or an internal rotation of the tibia (in the lower leg). When the dog’s hind leg bends the pull of the muscles in front of the leg pulls the knee cap out of position towards the inside of the leg. The displacement can cause lameness depending on the frequency at which it occurs, and is usually more pronounced when the dog is running- where dogs tend to hold the affected leg up from the ground. Treatment recommendations are based on severity, and the degree of displacement of the knee cap. Dogs which show clinical signs of lameness and have more frequent dislocations usually require surgery.
If your pet has been affected by any of the above issues please make an appointment to see your vet or if in any doubt ring 01792 205000 for some advice.
