Dogs and Cats 4 Flashcards
Management with behavioral problems what are the 2 main types and things within
- Acute management of self-harming
○ Bandages
○ Muzzle
○ Sedative -> stop from spinning for a short term in order to relieve - Chronic management - reducing stress
○ Remove sources of stress and frustration
○ Request-Response-Reward interactions (RRR)
§ Every time you interact with animal, ask to do what they know “sit”, then get reward when do it right
§ Putting predictability and consistency in its life
○ Training - again give predictability give animal sense of control
○ Consistent routine
○ Daily walks
§ Social interaction
○ Opportunity to control aspects of the environment
§ e.g. meals from food dispensing toys - controlling their food intake
Describe 3 main behaviour modifications that are used for behavioural problems
1) Response substitution
○ teach an alternative and incompatible behaviour
○ If start to spin around tell to go into safe place such as a crate (need to create a good environment in that crate not associated with the spinning first before can try)
2) Systematic desensitisation
○ reduce fear and anxiety
3) Counter-conditioning
○ reduce fear and anxiety
What are the 2 main medications and how to apply when treating behavioural problems
- SSRi’s - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (fluoxetine, sertraline)
- TCA’s - tri-cyclic antidepressants (clomipramine, doxepin (anti-histamine as well))
- Most effective in early stage
○ Treat early!
○ Wean off after two months of complete clinical resolution
§ 75% dose for 2 weeks, then 50% dose for 2 weeks, then 25% dose for 2 weeks and discontinue
§ Recommence at lowest effective dose if reappears
What are important aspects of prognosis with compulsive behavioural problems
- Control rather than cure….. relapses with stress
- 2/3 owner satisfied with outcome
- Failures
○ Poor owner compliance
○ Long problem duration
○ Did not attempt treatment
Acral lick dermatitis (lick granuloma) what are they, common location, causes and when more common
- Ulcerative plaques secondary to chronic licking, biting and chewing
- Carpus, metacarpus > radius, metatarsus, tibia
- Occurs when owner present and absent (often exacerbated)
○ Absent - possible separation anxiety - Occasionally history of trauma to area
- More common in large breeds
- Males 2X > females
Acral lick dermatitis differentials and treatment
Differentials: dermatological, neurological or displacement behaviour
Treatment: behavioural and dermatological
- Other treatments - probably not as good
○ Cryosurgery
○ Radiation therapy
○ Excisional surgery
○ Laser surgery
○ Acupuncture
Topical medications
Acral lick dermatitis what are some causes
- Normal
- Anxiety: Uncertain/inconsistent interactions/ relationships
- Inadequate physical, mental social stimulation
- Attention seeking
- Oral and GI disease
- Compulsive disorder
- Displacement behaviour
- Dermatological condition
- Endocrinopathies
- Secondary to pain or irritation, e.g. arthritis
Flank sucking what breed most common in, what causes
- Dobermans
- Damp ruffled skin to raw open sores
- If doesn’t cause physical damage or interfere with normal functioning then may be acceptable ‘coping’ mechanism?
- In some cases constant sucking when not sleeping or engaged in other activity
What are the some causes of tail chasing
- Conflict, frustration
- Reinforced
- Epileptic, episodic behaviour
- Neuropathological
- Psychotic/ hallucinary
- Dermatitis
Psychogenic alopecia (overgrooming) what is the general history and main clinical sign
- History
○ Environmental or social change may be trigger
○ More common in indoor cats
§ Confinement stress?
§ Social stress?
§ Social isolation?
○ Excessive grooming, chewing, pulling out hair
§ Away from owner if previously punished - Hairloss
○ Focal, partial, bilateral
○ Common in groin, ventrum, medial and caudal thighs
○ Skin normal to erythematous and/or abraded
Overgrooming in cats what is the main cause, breed most common and treatment
○ Large percentage of cases have underlying medical problems
§ Allergy, Endocrine
§ Infections: parasitic, fungal, bacterial
§ Trichogram important to determine cause is grooming
□ But still multiple aetiologies
→ Diagnosis of exclusion
○ Most common in Burmese and Siamese
○ Most common in Burmese and Siamese
○ Ingestive compulsive disorder
§ Rule out gastro-intestinal disease, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic disease, CNS
○ Treatment
§ Alternative oral stimulation -> Bulky, dry, chewy, fibre, bones
§ Reduce anxiety and conflict
§ TCA, SSRI
Feather picking list the 3 main groups of causes and treatment options
1) pathological
2) behavioural
3) genetics
Treatment
- Limit self-trauma
○ E. collar
- Increased space and option of flight
- Structured interactions and training
- 12 hours dark, quiet sleep
- Adding mate/removing incompatible mate
- Toys and other environmental enrichment
- Videos, radio, water spray to encourage natural grooming
- Work for varied diet
○ Food dispensing toys
- Medications
○ TCA, SSRI
List some pathological causes of feather picking
○ Nutritional deficiencies
§ Poor diet
§ Chronic disease → abnormal skin and feather development
○ Toxins
○ Infections e.g. PBFD, fungal, viral, bacterial
○ Ectoparasites, e.g. lice, mites
○ Endoparasites, e.g. giardia in cockatiels
○ Organ pathology
○ Feather cysts (Golden macaws, canaries)
○ Dermatitis
§ Hypersensitivities
□ Irritant dermatitis
List some behavioural causes of feather picking
○ Confinement ○ Limited stimulation ○ Stress / frustration (e.g. sexual) ○ Attention seeking ○ Crowding (social stress) ○ Dominance (social stress) ○ Environmental § Low humiditiy § Lack of sun, fresh air § Abnormal and inconsistent light/dark cycle § Noisy and unpredictable
List 3 main genetic causes of feather picking
○ Female Amazons
○ Parallel to trichotillomania in women
○ Trigger by stress associated with sudden, unpredictable stimuli
Skin crusting what are the 3 main colours and generally what they mean
○ White/grey crusts = scaling disorders
○ Yellow crusts (pus) = pustular disease
○ Dark crusts (dry blood) = erosive and ulcerative disease
List 4 main causes of white/grey skin crusting
a. Scabies
b. Keratinisation defects - skin cells higher turnover that accumulate
c. Endocrinopathies
d. Sebaceous adenitis - defect in sebaceous glands resulting in dehydrated scaly skin
List 2 main causes of yellow (honey coloured) skin crusts
pustules a. Bacterial infections - staphylococcus b. Immune mediated (pemphigus, drug eruptions) -> if present in areas without follicles (nose) know that it is THIS ○ Diagnosis § Cytology -> skin scraping
List 2 main causes of dark skin crusts
Dark (serum/blood) = ulcers /erosions a. Self-trauma (itchy diseases) - important in cats b. Immune mediated - causes cell death § DLE - discoid lupus erythematosus § EM § Vasculitis § Cutaneous lymphoma #
Sebaceous adenitis how common, what occurs, main risk factor and clinical presentation
- Relatively common
- In dogs, cats and rabbits
- Immune destruction of sebaceous glands
Risk factors
1. Breed - maltase terrier, Samoyed, goldern retriever
Clinical presentation - Scaly dry skin
○ Skin becoming dry due to defect in sebaceous glands and their excretions that are meant to hydrate the skin
○ Skin then tries to repair itself by making more lipid, only way is to make more skin cells -> higher turnover (hyper-proliferative) -> scaling - Dull coat - lack of sebum
- Alopecia -> sebum needed to keep hair within shaft
Sebaceous adenitis what is the clinical presentation in short vs long coated dogs and diagnosis in these cases
1) Short coated -> nodules on the skin -> hair loss -> multiple dry scaly circular lesions
§ Looks like folliculitis -> dermatophytosis, demodex
§ Diagnosis -> cytology -> sticky tap prep or Trichograms (follicular casting will be present - also present in demodex)
□ Next step -> biopsy
2) Long coated -> present with advanced clinical disease as owners generally don’t notice early signs above
§ Large amount of diffuse hair loss and scaly dry skin
§ Diagnosis -> cytology, biopsy
□ Need to tell pathologist about distribution of lesions, breed, and possible sebaceous adenitis
Sebaceous adenitis treatment for the different stages and what is important for future of animal
- Early stage (short coated) - Cephalosporin -> specifically targets the T cells which is the issue in these cases
- End stage (long coated) - hair will never come back normally as destroyed sebaceous glands
○ oil soaks
§ Cover baby oil/conconut oil 30 mins
§ Wash off and descale with Palmolive detergent
§ Phytosphingosine shampoo/mousse/conditioner
§ Repeat as needed -> monthly to normalise skin and weekly phytosphinogosine
DO NOT BREED -> genetic disease
keratinisation defect what breeds common in, how diagnose
Breeds
- Cocker spaniel
- Irish setter
- Gold retriever - most common
- Others
DIAGNOSIS BY BREED AND HISTOPATHOLOGY -> young animal, generalised scale
- DNA testing Goldern Retriever - respond well to phytosphingosine
what is the difference berween auto-immune and immune mediated and give an example
- Auto-immune - no trigger found, loss of self-tolerance
- Immune mediated (immune response cause injury but may have removable trigger
○ Eg: drug reaction -> most common drug is penicillins - first time on the drug then wont occur (needs to take 7-10days)
Pemphigus causes
- Breed related
○ Jack Russell’s, akita, alaskan malamute, Samoyed - CAN BE ANY BREED
○ Cats -> Siamese derivations - Drug induced/triggered -> penicillin common -> can be treated by removing this trigger
- Secondary to chronic skin disease
Pemphigus pathogensis and presentation
Pathogenesis
- Auto-antibodies present against desmosomal proteins which help with normal intercellular adhesions between skin cells
○ Can be transmitted to offspring through milk and transfer of auto-antibodies
- Results in blisters - skin cells separate - acantholysis -> triggers release of cytokines that attract neutrophils -> pus
Presentation
- Face - eyelids, nose, ears
- Feet
- Cat -> nail bed -> squeeze and pus comes out
○ Area of high mechanical
○ Rely on cytology here
Truncal -> less commo
Pemphigus diagnosis what are the 2 mechanisms
1) cytology -> neutrophils + keratinocytes (larger rounded cells)
2) Biopsy
○ Should biopsy INTACT pustule -> punch biopsy
§ 4mm punch if pustule is small enough as don’t want to rupture
§ 8mm punch if larger pustule need to ask for multiple resections
○ Should do before just start treating -> otherwise if doesn’t work need to stop treatment, wait and then biopsy
○ Farm dogs -> dermatophytosis can mimic pemphigus so should do it
What looks like pemphigus in cats and how to differentiate
Mosquito hypersensitivity in cats
- Looks like pemphigus -> bites around the nose HOWEVER - eosinophils present without acanthocytes also seasonal
Discoid lupus erythematosus what breeds common in and presentation
Breeds - border collies, scotch collies, Shetland sheep dogs, maremma, kelpie
Presentation
- Depigmentation and crusting on the nasal planum
- Loss of architecture - flattening of the skin
Discoid lupus erythematosus pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment
Pathogenesis
- UV induced -> causes movement of cellular proteins on surface of cell that immune system then recognises them as foreign and mounts immune response -> antibody and cell mediated immune systems
○ Cell damage leads to further release of these proteins -> self-propagating
Diagnosis
- Biopsy -> area where pigment is fading
Treatment
- REMOVE FROM THE SUNLIGHT
What 2 diseases look like discoid lupus erythematosus
1) mucocutaneous pyoderma
2) nasal hyperkeratosis
Lupoid onychodystrophy what is it, presentation and treatment
- Most common immune mediated but NOT CRUSTING
- Idiopathic?
Presentation - Acute onset of multiple nails falling off
- Loose nails, splitting nails
- Adult dogs
Treatment - Results in dystrophic nails if don’t treat early - REFER
What are 3 functions of the hair coat
- Environmental protection
- Maintenance of skin microclimate
- Psychosocial functions
Hair follicle cycle what are the 3 phases when prolonged
- Telogen - resting
○ Prolonged in winter coated animals - huskies
§ Therefore can maybe not regrow hair for a long time - Anagen - growth - metabolic
○ Prolonged in longer coated dogs - Catagen
What are the 2 main facotrs that affect the hair follicle cycles and factors within
Intrinsic factors
- Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions
Extrinsic factors
- Photoperiod, temperature, nutrition, endocrine - IMPORTANT FOR DISEASE
○ When dogs lose their hair coat may grow back pigmentated -> melanin production due to temperature
○ Shave Siamese cats may regrow dark pigmented
What are the 3 main mechanisms of alopecia and mechanisms within
- Excessive loss
○ Mechanical - trauma
○ Folliculitis - would see anagen hair but broken on Trichograms - Failure to grow
○ Follicular arrest -> severe physiological stress
○ Folliculopathy - No follicles
○ Scarring
○ Congenital alopecia -> ectodermal dysplasia (Will also have no teeth)
List 4 important steps in the diagnostic approach to a bald dog
1) signalment
2) history
3) physical examination
4) diagnostic test
What is important with signlament in terms of a diagnosis of a bald dog
○ Age (0-12 months) ○ Breed § Associated with breeding ○ Gender § Male -> testicular tumours □ Sertoli cell tumour -> feminisation -> atrophy of one testicle § Female -> hyper-oestrogenism
What are important factors to consider with history when diagnosing a bald dog
○ Excessive loss -> scratching where on the body
○ Failure to grow -> generally slow progressive, diet - nutrition
§ Cosmetic (Cushing or thyroid) or not?
□ Hyper A - PU/PD, activity levels, appetite, panting, recurrent skin infections
□ Hypothyroidism - weight gain, heat seeking behaviour, muscle weakness, decreased fertility
○ At what age did this occur
○ Time of year
○ Drug history
○ Goal -> Differentiate between HyperA/hypothyroidism AND telogen effuvium/drug induced/post clipping
Physical examination what are some clinical signs to look for when diagnosing a bald dog
○ Dull coat
○ Bronzing -> melanin transfer stops as not growing -> oxidation from UV light
○ Hyper A -> abdominal enlargement, hepatomegaly, temporal muscle wastage, skin changes, increased panting
○ Hypothyroidism - Common -> lethargy, pyoderma, greasy scaly skin
○ Frictional hair loss
○ Peeling skin infection - staphylococcus
○ Calcinosis cutis
Diagnostic tests list the 3 main important ones for diagnosing a bald dog
1) trichogram
2) biopsy
3) haematology/biochemistry
Trichograms what is important to look for when diagnosing a bald dog
□ Traumatic (breaking), which phase within, folliculitis (demodex), follicular dysplasia Folliculitis (demodex) 1. Anagen alopecia - Excess loss - Pattern baldness - Early follicular dysplasia 2. Telogen alopecia - Endocrinopathies - Alopecia X - Late FD
Biopsy where take from with bald dog and what is important to identify
edge of lesions, lesions and from bald areas
- Cut parallel to the skin and line with permanent marker, get lab to cut parallel to see the whole hair shaft
□ Histopathology
® Pattern baldness
® Early follicular dysplasia
® Inflammatory “non-inflammatory alopecia”
Haematology/biochemistry what important to diagnose with bald dogs and results that support this
For HyperA and hypothyroidism 1) HyperA -> LDDST, ACTH stim 2) HypoT -> if clin and clin path support then asses - BUT MOST COMMON OVER-DIAGNOSIS IN VET MEDICINE ◊ Haemogram Changes - Mild non-regenerative anaemia (30-50%) ◊ Serum Biochemistry Changes - Hypercholesterolaemia (75%) - CPK elevation - Mild increases in liver enzymes ◊ Endogenous TSH and free T4
