Skin Care

Skin conditions can have a variety of causes. If a bacterial infection is suspected, your veterinarian may want to take a skin scraping sample from your dog. It involves taking a very small scraping of the affected areas on your dog’s skin. The procedure is relatively painless for your pet and can be performed during your consultation. The sample will be analyzed under a microscope to look for bacteria, yeast or other causes of skin infections. Your veterinarian will then discuss a treatment plan for your dog.

Although the name suggests otherwise, ringworm is not a worm, it is caused by a fungus. Ringworm can be a contagious infection that can lead to patchy areas of hair loss and cause circular looking lesions on your dog’s skin. Ringworm can spread to other animals and humans too. There are a variety of tests that your veterinarian can do to diagnose ringworm. Once a positive diagnosis is found, your veterinarian can prescribe a treatment that is right for your dog.

External parasites such as Demodex, mites, fleas and lice can cause disease in your dog’s skin. These bugs feed on your dog, causing irritation and sometimes secondary infections. They can acquire these parasites from the environment or other infected dogs. Treatment involves either topical or oral medication to kill the parasite, and other medications if needed to treat secondary signs.

There are a number of diseases that involve your dog’s endocrine system that can lead to skin disease. Hypothyroidism and Cushing’s Disease are two examples of this. A physical exam and blood test chosen by your veterinarian can help diagnose these conditions.