Skin diseases and ear infections are common in dogs and cats. Many different disorders can have a similar symptom or appearance such as itching, rash or hair loss. For this reason, some conditions may be diagnosed after a complete history and physical exam, and others may require further diagnostic tests in a step by step plan.
Some of the diagnostics services we offer include:
- Skin scraping to check for parasites
- Skin cytology (looking at cells under a microscope collected from a skin swab, ear swab or from a fine needle aspirate of a skin lump)
- Skin culture and sensitivity for bacterial skin infections
- Skin fungal culture and woods lamp examination for fungal skin infections
- Thyroid and Cortisol testing to diagnose hormonal skin diseases such as Hypothyroidism and Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushings Disease) which are common causes of hair loss.
- Serum allergy testing for environmental allergies
- Skin biopsies
There may be occasions when we feel your pet would benefit from a referral to a board certified veterinary dermatologist in Vancouver or Victoria and we are happy to arrange this for you.