Pumpkin's immunodeficiency virus led to the vulnerability that allowed skin mites to infect her.

A kitty cat named Pumpkin was certain that for all 10 years of her life she was the most adorable pumpkin not just in Wisconsin but maybe even the entire universe. When her face started feeling itchy, scabs developed around her nose only to fall off and reappear, she realized she had a mighty big cuteness problem. She couldn’t remain the most beautiful pumpkin in the world unless she got rid of the gunky stuff on her face.

 

Symptoms of skin mites include itchiness, and Pumpkin developed scabs around her nose that fell off but would reappear.

Her owners took her to see Dr. Bailey Ryback. They didn’t tell Pumpkin they were worried about cancer, but they were. They also knew that as a kitty with feline immunodeficiency virus, she was at risk of acquiring any number of other infections and diseases more easily than other cats. They never let Pumpkin know they were scared.

Just having a pretty pink nose surrounded by white fur predisposed Pumpkin to skin cancer. “When fur is light colored and sparse, the sun reaches the skin on the nose, ears and other areas in just the same way it does with humans,” said Ryback. “Pets can get sunburns and have skin damage just like we do. We were quite relieved when the skin biopsy came back negative for cancer, but discovering she had a demodex cati mite infection was a bit of a surprise, since it’s not very common.”

Problem occurrences from those types of mitesare relatively rare, especially in this region. Most mammals have demodex mites in their hair follicles, but they pose no problem, she said. “They aren’t contagious, and they don’t become a problem until there is overgrowth.”

“Mites are parasites, and when they multiply more than is normal, the pets develop skin problems,” said Ryback, “and pets with compromised immune systems are much more likely to experience that. Some pets develop rashes and experience fur loss. They may have uncontrollable itching that causes them to yank their fur out. “And when pets overgroom themselves, that can cause other troubles. Having skin parasites is uncomfortable, and in many cases it is very painful for the animal,” she said.

Diagnosing mites can be a little tricky. “Ordinarily we take a skin scraping and look at it under a microscope, but the mites aren’t always easy to detect. In Pumpkin’s case, we did a biopsy because we were checking for skin cancer, but we can also examine hair follicles or debris from the ear canal under a microscope.”

This image shows how a molar grew under rather than behind a tooth.

As Pumpkin's treatment works, she is once again rating highly on the autumn adorability scale.

There are different treatment options for different types of mites, and the severity of the case also factors in on which treatment to use. “We were lucky with Pumpkin,” said Ryback. “Hers is a very simple treatment of applying a topical medication to treat her mites once monthly. Treatment with isoxazoline medication is effective after one month in reducing the number of mites, but it should be continued for four months minimum to fully treat the infection. We are treating Pumpkin for six months due to her immune system being compromised. She is doing well with our treatment.”

Meanwhile, now that her face has cleared up from the mites, Pumpkin is pretty sure she is Wisconsin’s queen of October.

If your pet is showing symptoms of skin discomfort, make an appointment by calling 414-421-1800 or visit https://greendalevillagevet.com//.