Sore points for terrier
Pampered Pets OUR VET DAVID GRANT WORKS HIS MAGIC
Q My seven-year-old Jack Russell terrier has suffered for over a year with sore ears and very sore paws. Our vet has tried many treatments but nothing works. Blood tests indicated allergies and thyroid problems. I would be grateful for your advice. A
Both you and your vet have my sympathy. Cases like this can be incredibly frustrating for all concerned, and the longer it goes on the worse the condition becomes. Both ear problems and paw problems are common and often tricky to control.
The blood tests suggesting an allergy may be significant, although the results may not be that useful at this stage. It could be that the underlying cause of your dog’s problem is the hayfever-type allergy called atopy. However, it is the secondary problems that cause much of the difficulties with these cases.
Ear problems are often caused by an underlying allergy while bacterial and yeast infections complicate matters quite quickly.
The same is true of paw problems, which can start with excessive licking and soon lead to bacterial and yeast secondary infections.
The thyroid problem is an unwelcome complication because it affects the immune system, making treatment for secondary infections more difficult, and you mention in your letter that antibiotics have not helped.
As the problem has been ongoing for some time I would suggest you make an appointment with your vet to see whether a specialist might be best at this stage. Your vet can arrange this, and although initially expensive, in the long term it’s likely to be cost effective. Q I was surprised to see a flea on our five-year-old crossbreed dog this week. I have started treatment and would like to know whether our indoor rabbits are likely to have the same fleas. A At this time of year flea problems can resurface after the summer season. This is due to central heating going full blast, meaning fleas that were dormant hatch as they like the warmth. It might surprise you that the flea you saw on your dog is almost certain to be a cat flea.
This species is far and away the most successful flea found on our pets, as it is quite happy to feed on any animal and can survive for long periods in the pupal stage.
The one flea that you were fortunate enough to see will be the tip of the iceberg. There will be lots more in the environment, particularly in the dog’s bedding, any resting places and the carpets. Apart from warmth, fleas are induced to hatch from the pupal stage by vibrations, such as a person or animal walking on the carpets, and carbon dioxide from breath.
In the wild, rabbits have their own species of flea. It is a “stick-tight” flea that burrows, unlike the cat flea.
In answer to your question it is inevitable that your rabbits will pick up the same species of flea that you have seen on your dog.
I strongly recommend that you get advice from your vet because some products for dogs and cats can be fatal to rabbits.
● David Grant MBE was a vet at the RSPCA Harmsworth Hospital for Animals. Email questions to him at pamperedpets@express.co.uk