April 2010 - Belle Day
Brave Belle Bares All
Belle is a lovely 3 year old, timid white German Shepherd Dog, who has had may problems to overcome in her three years, some extremely painful and some extremely itchy!
Before moving to Devon, Belle and her family lived in France. Whilst there Belle had a very unfortunate road traffic accident. She had a surgical procedure performed called a femoral head arthroplasty, this is where the head of the femur is removed, this was done due to a dislocated hip. She also suffered a dislocation of the sacroiliac junction.
Belle was first presented to us in November 2009 as she was suffering from a form of wet eczema and dermatitis over her left hip, tail and lower limb. She had also caused self trauma from excessive licking at these areas. The vet suspected that Belle maybe suffering from an infestation of Sarcoptes scabiei (fox mange). She was started on a course of topical spot on treatment. Belle was prescribed a steroid based cream and a long lasting antibiotic injection. The steroid cream would help relieve the itching and soreness of the eczema.
Belle was seen the following week, her skin had much improved and she had stopped licking at the areas. The steroids were reduced to see if the problem had resolved or could be managed on a lower dose rate. Belle was to be seen again after six weeks if all was well, or if not, to return sooner for further allergy testing. As Belle had improved the owner requested she was spayed. The vet also advised that x-rays of the hips should be performed to rule out the previous injury and operation as a casual reason for the self trauma over the hind quarters. The x-rays revealed no abnormalities and the spay went well.
Unfortunately 6 weeks later Belle’s skin condition relapsed. There was a generalised skin infection so Belle was placed on to a longer course of antibiotics. Bloods were also taken to screen for allergies such as dust allergies, grass allergies and flea allergies. This is known as atopy, a hyper sensitisation to common allergens with in the environment.
Her skin was again improved. The allergic screen results showed that Belle had a profound allergic reaction to flea saliva, called Flea Allergic Dermatitis (FAD). This would make her extremely uncomfortable and itchy, explaining the constant self trauma to her hind quarters and limbs.
Advice was given to keep the environment as flea free as possible as even low burdens can cause extreme reactions to poor Belle’s skin. Belle was also prescribed Atopica. Atopica is a immuno-modulator, this means it helps to regulate the immune system against allergy flare ups.
Since being placed on to this medication Belle has greatly improved and seems a much happier little dog
