27/04/2026
🌟 Dermatology case of the Month: Nellie’s Happy Ending 🌟
Meet Nellie, a gorgeous 15‑month‑old blue Staffordshire Bull Terrier 💙
Nellie was referred to our Dermatology Service after 5 months of relentless itchiness and progressive hair loss. Her caregiver told us that Nellie just wasn’t herself anymore — she was constantly scratching, unsettled, sad, and had stopped playing with her best friend and housemate, Bella the chocolate Labrador 🐾
Despite being treated with several anti‑itch medications, Nellie’s skin just wasn’t improving.
When Nellie arrived, our dermatology team Silvana and Bertie took a detailed history, carefully examined her, and collected samples from her skin and ears. What they found explained a lot:
🔴 Her skin was very red and inflamed
🧴 She had hair loss on her chest, neck, and in patches on her back
👂 Her ears were extremely inflamed and painful
Under the microscope, the skin samples revealed large numbers of Demodex mites, tiny cigar‑shaped parasites that normally live quietly inside hair follicles. In Nellie’s case, they had multiplied excessively — a condition known as demodicosis — and were even present in her ears.
Demodex overgrowth can occur for several reasons, including a temporary drop in immune system efficiency. On its own it causes hair loss and inflammation, but not itchiness. Since Nellie’s samples showed no bacteria or yeast, an underlying allergy was suspected as the main cause of her intense itching.
✨ The treatment plan:
• Bravecto® to reduce the Demodex population and support her immune system
• Cytopoint® injection to rapidly control her itch
🐕💖 The result?
Nellie is now doing brilliantly — her hair has regrown, her skin is comfortable, and she’s back to playing happily with Bella. And perhaps most importantly…
🧶 Her owner no longer needs to learn knitting to make Norwegian‑pattern jumpers to protect her from the sun and cold!
If your pet is itchy, losing hair, or just not acting like themselves, don’t ignore it — help is available, and happy endings like Nellie’s are absolutely possible 🌈🐾
Get in touch for more info or ask your vet to refer today www.rutlandreferrals.com