Skin Care

Bacterial skin infections are caused when the skin on our pet is overrun by bacteria. There can be many causes of skin infections. Symptoms can include hotspots, sore irritated skin, foul odour from your pet, excessive scratching and licking, and ear infections. Your veterinarian may recommend running a series of diagnostic tests to determine the type of bacteria or fungus and therefore, the proper treatment. Bacterial infections are sometimes secondary to underlying medical problems such as hormonal imbalance, parasitic infections and allergies.

Ringworm is a fungal infection that affects the skin and hair coat. Symptoms of ringworm include circular lesions, hair loss, and excessive scratching. Ringworm is highly contagious and can be passed from pet to owner and vice versa. Treatment for ringworm varies depending on the severity of the infection.

Pets with allergies will often have symptoms associated with skin and hair coat. Symptoms such as ear infections, alopecia, rashes, redness, anal gland infections, excessive scratching or licking, can indicate an allergy. Allergies can be caused by parasitic infections, diet and the external environment. Allergies are treatable, so if you suspect your pet may be suffering from allergies, your veterinarian will prepare you for what may be a long road to recovery. Elimination of allergens is key to treatment. Life long medication and diet is often very successful when treating pets with allergies.

Skin disease caused by parasitic infections are not obvious to the naked eye, as parasites are often microscopic. Symptoms of these infections most often appear as hair loss, excessive licking or scratching, dry dull hair coat, or dandruff. In order for treatment to be effective, your veterinary team must first identify the type of parasite that could be afflicting your pet. We use diagnostic tools such as skin scraping and impression smears. Combing and collecting samples to be viewed under a microscope may happen too. Once the type of parasite is identified, your veterinarian will create a treatment plan to eliminate those unwanted bugs.

Hormonal skin disease is caused by an imbalance of your pet’s natural hormones. Symptoms of hormonal skin disease can look like hair loss and dull coat. Blood and urine screening is used to determine the imbalance. Most often this is treated with a life-long medication.