MEET
SOME OF OUR PATIENTS: “Mr. Crusty Buttocks" (aka Sam)"
For 11 months of the year, Sam is a pretty magnificent blue
domestic shorthaired cat with a lovely plush coat. However,
for a few weeks around August and September each year he is
known by his alias: "Crusty Buttocks the third"!! Poor Sam is
a victim of Harvest Mites ( or Berry Bugs) which are active
in the late summer and lurk in vegetation waiting to latch onto
their next victim. They scrabble around on the skin's surface
and release enzymes which effectively digest the cat's skin.
Sam’s life becomes a misery. He gets quite depressed, itchy
and scabby especially around his head, feet and backend - hence
the nickname.
His
owners know when the problem is about to erupt as he can be
seen sitting forlornly on the tarmac in the middle of the local
school playground rather than roaming through the undergrowth
as normal. He’s learnt to stay away from foliage in the late
summer as that is the natural habitat of the mite. In fact owners
of other cats similarly affected say that their pets can be
seen skirting around vegetation and walking on walls and pavements.
Berry Bugs are only found in certain geographical areas. Unfortunately
Edinburgh and surrounding areas seems to be abit of a hotbed
for them. Sam's nether regions.
The
mites themselves are just about visible with the naked eye as
a tiny orange dot. They cluster together in between the toes
and around the head and ears of affected pets (dogs and cats)
where the hair is thinnest and in sensitive cats cause irritation
and scabby areas. Luckily, most animals are not sensitive and
don’t seem to be affected, just like Sam’s housemate "Jet".
The
little fold on the ear flap is opened and a small clump of orange
dots is visible. Although the veterinary profession has developed
excellent treatments for most external parasites, such as fleas
and ticks, Harvest Mites have so far managed to outwit us. Certain
topical flea treatments have proved to be reasonably effective
but the problem is that they don't kill the mite quickly enough.
We ideally need to find some way of making the cat less attractive
to the mite. At The Veterinary Cat Clinic we've been having
some success with Tea Tree lotion and wipes (formulated for
pets) applied to the vulnerable areas. As Sam is quite severely
affected, we’ve found that we have to step in with anti-inflammatory
treatment to help prevent him overreacting to the insects. Fortunately
the berry bug season does come to an end naturally and Sam can
go back to hunting in the undergrowth to his heart’s content.
Shortly after appearing in this article we received the following
via Sam's owners. His fifteen minutes of fame have gone to his
head. Fortunately we don't find him a demanding celebrity at
the clinic!
MEET
SOME OF OUR PATIENTS: “Mr. Crusty Buttocks" (aka Sam)"
His
owners know when the problem is about to erupt as he can be
seen sitting forlornly on the tarmac in the middle of the local
school playground rather than roaming through the undergrowth
as normal. He’s learnt to stay away from foliage in the late
summer as that is the natural habitat of the mite. In fact owners
of other cats similarly affected say that their pets can be
seen skirting around vegetation and walking on walls and pavements.
Berry Bugs are only found in certain geographical areas. Unfortunately
Edinburgh and surrounding areas seems to be abit of a hotbed
for them. Sam's nether regions. 
The
mites themselves are just about visible with the naked eye as
a tiny orange dot. They cluster together in between the toes
and around the head and ears of affected pets (dogs and cats)
where the hair is thinnest and in sensitive cats cause irritation
and scabby areas. Luckily, most animals are not sensitive and
don’t seem to be affected, just like Sam’s housemate "Jet".
The
little fold on the ear flap is opened and a small clump of orange
dots is visible. Although the veterinary profession has developed
excellent treatments for most external parasites, such as fleas
and ticks, Harvest Mites have so far managed to outwit us. Certain
topical flea treatments have proved to be reasonably effective
but the problem is that they don't kill the mite quickly enough.
We ideally need to find some way of making the cat less attractive
to the mite. At The Veterinary Cat Clinic we've been having
some success with Tea Tree lotion and wipes (formulated for
pets) applied to the vulnerable areas. As Sam is quite severely
affected, we’ve found that we have to step in with anti-inflammatory
treatment to help prevent him overreacting to the insects. Fortunately
the berry bug season does come to an end naturally and Sam can
go back to hunting in the undergrowth to his heart’s content.
