36 min
Episode 3 - Westies And Besties The Skin Flint Podcast
-
- Science
In Episode 3 of the Skin Flint Podcast, we invite dermatology specialist Janet Littlewood to join us to discuss a very popular breed of dog - West Highland White Terriers (Westies). Janet has over 30 years' experience in referral dermatology, holds the RCVS Dilpoma, and is an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Dermatology.
Log this CPD with 1CPD here
SHOW NOTES
Intro (00:00) - Westies And Besties
John introduces Sue & Paul, before briefly addressing the topic to be discussed and who is joining us on episode 3.
Chapter 1 (03:08) - Why Westies?
Sue introduces Westie skin disease and Janet talks about whether this breed is more likely to suffer from skin issues. John then asks if there is a link between the white coated nature of the breed and the skin disease and Janet points out there is not any evidence of a link and there are also other white coated breeds which aren't as prone to skin problems.
John then poses the question as to whether there is anything potential owners can do to reduce the risk of getting a Westie puppy likely to have skin disease. Janet talks about seeing the mum and dad of the puppy, especially the mum, and looking for saliva staining on the hair coat (rusty/reddish-brown) as a suggestion of allergy being in the genes of the puppy. But she also points out this isn't a guarantee and some severely affected puppies come from mildly affected parents.
Sue brings up Lucy's Law, which regulates people buying puppies from breeders and not bad sources. Janet also urges caution in having a rescue Westie, as they are often rehomed because of skin disease, but may well look fine at the point of rehoming as the rescue centre they are in is a low allergen environment. Janet shares a story of rehoming a dog herself, but it very quickly became symptomatic when she arrived home.
Chapter 2 (10:35) - Westie Skin Disease
John asks if it is only allergy we are talking about with ‘Westie skin disease’, which Janet clarifies: it is generally an environmental allergy with secondary issues from something like bacterial infection. It is sometimes, but not often, a food rather than environmental allergy.
Sue talks about the horrible black thickened skin Westies can get and Janet talks about this being a result of a long-term secondary infection, referring to it as a dysbiosis (see next question), often caused by a yeast infection called Malassezia dermatitis. She mentions these are even more itchy and hard to control with anti itch therapy such as Oclacitinib (Apoquel), Lokivetmab (Cytopoint) or glucocorticoids (steroids) than the allergy itself. As such the vet should find out what micro organism is overgrowing on the skin.
Sue then clarifies the word dysbiosis, and Janet talks about this being the imbalance of micro organisms on the surface of the skin, micro organisms which are naturally on the skin already. This imbalance causes an overgrowth of one organism, bacteria or yeast, which is what she says is often called infection.
Chapter 3 (14:14) - Diet
Sue summarises the way allergy unsettles the skin and brings the conversation back to Westies; she asks what can Westie owners do? Janet suggests a diet high in essential fatty acids - this can normalise the skin barrier, and she clarifies she's not referring to hypoallergenic foods but diets with these specific oils added. Sue clarifies what these oils are found in.
Sue then asks if Malassezia (Yeast) infections can be solved with a no-yeast diet. Janet clarifies the skin yeast isn't like brewers yeast in bread but a skin surface yeast, and diet would not contribute to this yeast overgrowth. These yeasts are normally in the skin in certain areas naturally, but they get out of control when the skin becomes upset.
John again summarises how we get to this point and that owners can use a combination of things to help manage this. John then asks Janet whether a raw food would solve the problem. Janet suggests first of all, the importance of bathing with a medic
In Episode 3 of the Skin Flint Podcast, we invite dermatology specialist Janet Littlewood to join us to discuss a very popular breed of dog - West Highland White Terriers (Westies). Janet has over 30 years' experience in referral dermatology, holds the RCVS Dilpoma, and is an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Dermatology.
Log this CPD with 1CPD here
SHOW NOTES
Intro (00:00) - Westies And Besties
John introduces Sue & Paul, before briefly addressing the topic to be discussed and who is joining us on episode 3.
Chapter 1 (03:08) - Why Westies?
Sue introduces Westie skin disease and Janet talks about whether this breed is more likely to suffer from skin issues. John then asks if there is a link between the white coated nature of the breed and the skin disease and Janet points out there is not any evidence of a link and there are also other white coated breeds which aren't as prone to skin problems.
John then poses the question as to whether there is anything potential owners can do to reduce the risk of getting a Westie puppy likely to have skin disease. Janet talks about seeing the mum and dad of the puppy, especially the mum, and looking for saliva staining on the hair coat (rusty/reddish-brown) as a suggestion of allergy being in the genes of the puppy. But she also points out this isn't a guarantee and some severely affected puppies come from mildly affected parents.
Sue brings up Lucy's Law, which regulates people buying puppies from breeders and not bad sources. Janet also urges caution in having a rescue Westie, as they are often rehomed because of skin disease, but may well look fine at the point of rehoming as the rescue centre they are in is a low allergen environment. Janet shares a story of rehoming a dog herself, but it very quickly became symptomatic when she arrived home.
Chapter 2 (10:35) - Westie Skin Disease
John asks if it is only allergy we are talking about with ‘Westie skin disease’, which Janet clarifies: it is generally an environmental allergy with secondary issues from something like bacterial infection. It is sometimes, but not often, a food rather than environmental allergy.
Sue talks about the horrible black thickened skin Westies can get and Janet talks about this being a result of a long-term secondary infection, referring to it as a dysbiosis (see next question), often caused by a yeast infection called Malassezia dermatitis. She mentions these are even more itchy and hard to control with anti itch therapy such as Oclacitinib (Apoquel), Lokivetmab (Cytopoint) or glucocorticoids (steroids) than the allergy itself. As such the vet should find out what micro organism is overgrowing on the skin.
Sue then clarifies the word dysbiosis, and Janet talks about this being the imbalance of micro organisms on the surface of the skin, micro organisms which are naturally on the skin already. This imbalance causes an overgrowth of one organism, bacteria or yeast, which is what she says is often called infection.
Chapter 3 (14:14) - Diet
Sue summarises the way allergy unsettles the skin and brings the conversation back to Westies; she asks what can Westie owners do? Janet suggests a diet high in essential fatty acids - this can normalise the skin barrier, and she clarifies she's not referring to hypoallergenic foods but diets with these specific oils added. Sue clarifies what these oils are found in.
Sue then asks if Malassezia (Yeast) infections can be solved with a no-yeast diet. Janet clarifies the skin yeast isn't like brewers yeast in bread but a skin surface yeast, and diet would not contribute to this yeast overgrowth. These yeasts are normally in the skin in certain areas naturally, but they get out of control when the skin becomes upset.
John again summarises how we get to this point and that owners can use a combination of things to help manage this. John then asks Janet whether a raw food would solve the problem. Janet suggests first of all, the importance of bathing with a medic
36 min