Pet Ailments

This month, vet Nigel Taylor takes a look at two very different but universal conditions that can affect your pets - itchy skin and false pregnancy:

The Americans, with their penchant for short, snappy descriptions, have a great name for an allergic skin condition of cats that brings them out in scabs all over their bodies - Scabby Cat Disease (SCD) sums it up to perfection.

It occurs particularly around the neck and along the back. We're a little more genteel over here and describe it as Miliary Eczema or Flea allergic dermatitis but, no matter what you call it, SCD brings cats out in scabs and, boy, do they itch! These days we think the main culprit is the flea. Cats become sensitised to flea saliva and after a few nibbles break out in the definitive scabs we've come to know and love.

Food may play a part in the allergic reaction, too. Years ago vets called this condition 'Fish Eczema', but that was long before the advent of modern pet foods when cats did receive a diet rich in fish and allergies were less well understood.

Whatever the cause Scabby Cat Disease is a bit of a pain. Affected cats lose fur and soon become semi-bald, especially around the rear end. Happy they are not. So, how do you treat this common condition? Fairly easily, really. Make sure your flea control is second to none. Drop-ons like Frontline, Stronghold and Advantage, available from your vet and used regularly are an excellent preventative for SCD. If you own a cat, you'll get fleas, too so you need to deal with them. It's nothing personal - unlike you and me, fleas are non judgemental.

Anything warm or furry simply represents an easy meal. Even if flea control is good, affected cats will still, from time to time, show signs of SCD. Your vet can help with injections of anti-inflammatory preparations; the long-acting ones are especially effective or tablets to control the allergic response. Used as directed these soon bring the itchiness under control and, before you know it, the scabs are but a memory. Until the next time!

You'd always want to know if your dog was expecting. Trouble is, it's not always easy to spot. That's where blood tests and ultrasounds can be very helpful. They reveal the hormonal changes of pregnancy and pick out the tiny outlines of puppies safe in the womb.

Every now and then, however, an apparent mum-to-be fools us. Pseudocyesis, or false pregnancy, happens a lot in unspeyed bitches. These pseudo-mums become inordinately fond of toy teddy bears or blankets, dramatically change their behaviour, eat erratically and find all sorts of hidden corners of the home to set up a little 'nest'.

It's all to do with hormones. Those normally associated with pregnancy, mainly prolactin, don't switch off after the bitch has had its season. That is, of course, fine if the bitch is truly pregnant as it helps encourage mammary development and generally prepares her for motherhood. But if there are no puppies on the way, the 'fooled' bitch's behaviour can become very bizarre.

The treatment for false pregnancy is pretty straightforward. Your vet will try to neutralise the effects of prolactin using an oral solution of a prolactin inhibitor, or perhaps an injection of canine contraceptive that effectively controls false pregnancy. If a bitch is susceptible to frequent episodes of false pregnancy, it's well worth considering having her neutered. Make sure she's not in season and showing no signs of false pregnancy when she's actually speyed, though. Interestingly, although humans find false pregnancy in their pets perplexing, nature has always taken a much more pragmatic view of things. In wild dog packs, there are always lots of hungry puppies kicking about, desperate for regular top ups from the milk bar. Mums often can't cope. So what better solution than to have several 'aunties', all with false pregnancies and full of readily available milk? Clever!