Self-trauma Flashcards
What are the patient factors that affect self-trauma?
Species, breed, location, temperament, conformation and agility of the patient
How do yo define skin manipulating behaviour in an animal?
Is it new? What is the frequency of self-trauma? How long has it been going on? Does it disrupt other behaviour (e.g. eating)? What is the extent of the tissue damage?
What are the methods of self-trauma?
Scratching, licking, rubbing, gnawing, nibbling, biting, rolling, ‘cleaning’, scooting, head shaking, grumpiness
What are the observer factors affecting the detection of self-trauma?
Observation skills, time spent with pet, relationship with pet, attitude, knowledge and experience, personal threshold
How do you perform a clinical assessment of self-trauma?
Look for abnormal behaviour at home/during consultaion
Reflex itching (owner often refers to it as ‘tickly spot’)
Evidence of trauma such as gross lesions or hair damage (esp cats)
What are the systems that could cause self-trauma?
Skin - pruritis or pain, Internal - pain or pruritis, Neurological - pain or pruritis, Behavioural/psychological
What is pruritis?
Subjective sensation of itching provoking the desire to scratch
Therefore it is a symptom not a practical objective tool
What are the skin causes of pruritis?
Superficial inflammatory diseases
Inflammatory cell neoplasia
Dry skin - Exacerbation by irritant factors such as high temperature, humidity, fabrics
How is itch detected in the skin?
Itch receptors at dermo-epidermal junction or basal epidermis and are stimulated by pruritogenic substances
Usually an inflammatory environment
What are the benefits of achieving a specific diagnosis for the cause of pruritis?
Cure, accurate prognosis, therapeutic options, client compliance and better long-term management
What is the pruritic threshold?
The level above which the animal starts scratching
What influences the pruritic threshold?
Temperament, anxiety and mental stimulation
What is the summation of effect and threshold concept?
One disease on its own may not be high enough to go above pruritic threshold, however, if the animal then gets a secondary disease then this may cause the animal to reach its pruritic threshold and start to itch. Therefore, removing just one stimulus may be enough to control pruritis
What are common parasitic pruritic diseases?
Surface mites such as Cheyletiella
Burrowing mites such as Sarcoptes
Trombicula
Follicular mites
What are common microbial causes of pruritis?
Staphylococcus
Malassezia
(Dermatophytes)
