skin and coat Flashcards
What is alopecia?
the partial or complete absence of hair from areas of the body where it normally grows; baldness.
what is Erythema
superficial reddening of the skin, usually in patches, as a result of injury or irritation causing dilatation of the blood capillaries.
what is Excoriation
to chafe, abrade or wear off the skin.
what is Pruritis
severe itching of the skin, as a symptom of various ailments.
how much protein is required for the skin of dog and cat?
30-35%
what is an Allergic skin disease?
immune mediated inflammatory reaction in the skin to an allergen.
What are the top 3 most common allergic skin diseases?
Flea allergy dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis
Food allergic dermatitis
What is the most common sign of allergic skin?
pruritus + gastrointestinal signs
scratching and biting at the skin, rubbing the face against carpet or furniture or licking the feet or other parts of the body.
What is the most common underlying cause of allergic skin diseases?
exposure to allergens - any substance that when inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin induces an allergic or hypersensitive response.
causes formation of immunoglobulins, primarily IgE
These become attached to tissue mast cells or basophils. When these are exposed to the allergen, they cross-link with it and other IgE molecules leading to the release of compounds that cause the inflammatory reactions of erythema, oedema and pruritus.
What is the Pruritic Threshold?
individual animal’s tolerance of allergic and non-allergic factors that initiate pruritus.
exposure to a level of pruritic stimulatory factors above the pruritic threshold initiates clinical signs.
‘summation effect’ explains why an animal who has a low-level response to one or two mould allergens can appear to be completely normal, until the pet develops a new allergy to fleas.Taken separately, the mould or flea allergy may not cause enough discomfort for the pet to scratch, but the cumulative effect of the two allergies may cause the dog to exceed the threshold where the discomfort manifests in clinically noticeable symptoms.
How can the pruritic load be reduced?
by decreasing exposure to inhalant allergens, by treating for fleas, by removing offending food ingredients from the diet, or by using a combination of these actions.
what is most common external parasite to domestic dog?
fleas
What is the allergy to fleas called?
Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD)
flea allergic dogs develop clinical signs between one and three years of age.
immediate response - 15-20min of being bitten
delayed response 0 24 hours after - rear of pet causing itching up to 30 days
If flea infestations are there for a lon gtime, what can happen to the animal?
significant amounts of blood loss = parasitic anaemia and transmit tapeworm
how can you test for FAD
observations - the presence of lesions and papules along the back, near the tail and on the hind legs may be supportive of a FAD diagnosis.
intradermal allergy - detect cutaneous IgE and other non-IgE antibodies in the skin. This can be compared with serologic testing which detects only circulating IgE in the serum.
Whatis atpoic dermatitis?
common skin disease caused by hypersensitivity to environmental allergens
offending antigen and sensitised mast cells present in the skin begin a hypersensitivity response that includes the release of inflammatory agents.
what are clinical signs of AD in dogs?
Moderate to intense pruritus, skin lesions and secondary bacterial and yeast infections may be seen.
Excessive licking of the coat or skin leads to staining of the hair coat. Dogs will often lick the groin region, their feet and between the toes which can lead to hair loss, staining and skin irritation. Rubbing of the muzzle, eyes and ears
what are clinical signs of AD in cats?
miliary dermatitis, self-induced alopecia, eosinophilic granuloma complex and pruritus of the face, neck and ears.
does AD have a cure?
no - antihistamines, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatories are presrcibed
prevention in fatty acids and coat skin care
Whats the best treatment choice for dermatologists and allergists?
immunotheraoy
__________ allergy testing involves the injection of a small amount of different individual allergens into the skin.
intradermal
What is food allergic dermatitis?
abnormal immune mediated initiated reaction to food - usually protein
What is food allergic dermatitis?
abnormal immune mediated initiated reaction to food - usually protein
what is the clinical signs of food allergic dermatitis
dermatitis in dogs and cats is moderate to intense pruritus which can occur in any body location.
What are the two underlying mechanisms/outcomes of food allergy?
Type 1 - severe pruritus seen after ingesting the offending dietary allergen
type 3 - responsible for acute intestinal signs such as vomiting and diarrhoea
type 4 - hypersensitivities which occur several hours to days after ingesting
How do you diagnosis food allergy?
full out other diseases such as FAD and AD - then full diet history from pet parent
what is the treatment for FA?
food allergy diet trail - strict food diet - avodiance
step 1. elimination diet (8-12 weeks) (3-4months cats)
step 2- assessment - expectation is 50% reduction in licking, scratching etc
step 3 - provocation - re-challenging pet with original diet observing clinical signs - proving food allergy exists (1hr to 14hrs)
step 4- identification - individual ingredients added to elimination diet to identify the specific offending dietary allergens. - for 2 weeks. if pruritus returns = animal is allergic
what fatty acids are essential for cats and dogs?
omega 6 LA (linoleic acid) - water permeability
cats also required omega 6 - AA arachidonic acid (epidermal proliferation)
What nutrients are essential for good skin and coat
fatty acids
zinc - calcium and iron competes for absorption thus can results in deficiency
vitamin A -
Vitamin E - antioxidant
B complex vitamins
What are two essential nutrients discovered by waltham that has to be included in their diet? - reducing coat scale
Zinc and linoleic acid
