Itchy Scratchy ?  
Treat symptoms  AND  Get a diagnosis

Most pets in Florida will have some type of skin problem at one time in their life.  It is very important to address not only the symptoms of skin disease but also the cause.   Just treating a skin problem with steriods without finding out why the pet is itching, is not doing you or your dog/cat a favor.  Skin work ups are very important and may discover a very treatable problem.

Our skin work ups always start with a good history, including all past medications used.  We will do a through examination of the skin to assess for skin infection, fleas, abrasions etc.  Some pets require a  skin scrape (to look for mites),  a skin fungal culture (ringworm screen),  and  cytology.  Pets that we suspect may have food or other allergies  may need to undergo a food trial  and/or allergy testing to determine the cause of their problems.  Pets with long term skin problems or suspect histories often need blood testing, including thyroid levels. 

 Demodex mite- common in puppies with hair loss (found by skin scrape)

Treatment of skin problems is always multimodal and may include  antibiotics, antihistamines, medicated baths or sprays, derm caps, and sometimes steriods.   Allergic pets may need to take allergy shots  and/or only eat a special diet.