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Prurigo and pets: the benefit from vets

Prurigo and pets: the benefit from vets
BMJ July 1979

The etiology of insect bites at times can be obscure.  Often, the source may be a pet.  One way to confirm the suspicion is to take a 3 - 4 mm punch biopsy.  If there are animals in the home, a veterinarian may be helpful.  The following article has stuck with me for decades.

Introduction: Cat and dog fleas cause pruritic papules in man, as do the mites Sarcoptes scabiei canis, Cheyletiella yasguri of dogs, and Cheyletiella blakei of cats. Flea and mite infestations are regularly seen in small-animal veterinary practice in Denmark, as in Britain. As these arthropods are rarely found on man Bagnall and Rook recommended that if a patient has unexplained prurigo all animal contacts should be examined. To assess the benefit from veterinary help we performed a parasitological examination of 143 animals who had contact with 111 patients with unexplained prurigo, controlled an transmissible ectoparasite, and then assessed the results.

See article. Prurigo BMJ PDF

This is a key article.  Classic in its own way.

Cheyletiella yasguri mite (cats, dogs, rabbits)

Hot Water Treatment for Itchy Bug Bites

Joe Graedon (The People’s Pharmacy)

Image from Everyday Health

“More than 30 years ago we stumbled across this bizarre tip in a dermatology text book (Dermatology: Diagnosis and Treatment, 1961, P. 94) edited by a giant in the field, Dr. Marion Sulzberger. The water has to be hot, roughly 120 to 130 degrees F. That means it is uncomfortable, but no so hot as to burn sensitive skin. The application is VERY short…a couple of seconds at most. Either expose the skin very briefly to hot running water or use a hot washcloth for a second or two.

According to the dermatology experts from the 1960s, the hot water “short circuits” the itch reflex. In other words, the nerve network in the skin gets so overloaded by the heat stimulus, the urge to scratch is abolished for up to three hours. You will be amazed at how fast the relief occurs.

A word of caution, however. This approach is not a good idea for poison ivy where there are open sores or big blisters.  Be VERY careful NOT to burn yourself with water that is too hot. Only a few second’s exposure is necessary.”

Note:  I have used this method for over 40 years.  It is quite effective.  The trick is to get the water hot enough to be effective but not hot enough to burn the skin. 

Bitten to the Quick

This is the story of an apartment dweller in New York, pigeons, and bird mites.

Bird Mites

In the spring of 2013, a family of pigeons nested in scaffolding outside my apartment building two blocks off St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan’s Washington Heights. From the window of my first-floor apartment, I heard the cheeping of baby birds and affectionately observed their downy forms and tiny black-tipped beaks: my very own slice of nature.

But in May, when the squabs matured into fledglings and flew off, it seems that a horde of barely visible parasites that had been feeding off them — bird mites — needed a new blood supply. They launched an Old Testament-worthy invasion of the first-floor apartments. Relentless and nocturnal, the bugs robbed us all of sleep, raising painful red bites on my skin that were ringed with bruises. They appeared to prefer warm and damp locales: hair, nasal passages, ear canals, folds in skin and, most alarmingly, groins. 

Full Article appeared in the NY Times Magazine, Sunday, September 21, 2013.

Travel Health Tips

Recently the SilverTravelAdvisor had an interesting post advising travelers about "Medicnes on the Holiday Menu."

The NY Times also had a good article entitled "Sick on the Road?  Try the Grocery Store."

Both of these give simple advice on how to deal with minor problems such as bug bites, cuts and bruises, stomach and eye problems that a traveler might encounter.

They tell us that "[T]ravel-savvy physicians, pharmacists and scientists suggest that some grocery items available almost anywhere can do double duty for on-the-road ailments."