Skin Care

Skin ailments and conditions can be very irritating to your dog. Infections can be caused by several different pathogens as well as certain health conditions.

What are the causes, symptoms, and diagnosis of bacterial skin infections?

Skin problems can be caused by bacteria, parasites, fungi, and even allergies. The most obvious sign of a skin condition is excessive itching, hair loss, and redness. The cause of skin infection is diagnosed with a skin scraping, where a scalpel blade is used.

What are the causes, symptoms, and treatment for ringworms?

Despite the name, ringworm isn’t a worm at all, but a fungus. The most obvious sign of ringworm is hair loss in round formations and itching. Diagnosis involves using a special tool called a Wood’s lamp, which emits a special form of light that will cause the ringworm pathogen to fluoresce. From there, we can send a skin culture to the lab to determine what strand of ringworm is affecting your pet, as different strands require different medications.

What are the causes and treatment of allergic skin diseases?

Allergies are caused when your dog’s immune system has an incorrect response to something in the environment or their food. As a result, they can experience inflammation of the skin and itchiness. To treat the skin, we first need to find out what your dog is allergic to by doing an elimination trial with their food or allergy testing. If they’re reacting to something in the food, we can switch diets to something that does not contain what they are allergic to. If it is something in the environment, we may need to prescribe seasonal allergy medications. The skin condition may be treated with antibiotics if there is an infection present.

What are the causes and treatment for parasitic skin diseases?

Parasites found in the environment, such as mites and fleas, are the most common culprits of this type of skin disease. Monthly parasite preventatives protect against most of these parasites and are also used to treat them.