Is your pet’s itchy skin keeping you both up at night?
There are a wide variety of factors that can affect a companion animal’s skin, and the symptoms can be unpleasant. You don’t want your best friend to suffer and neither do we!
Waterloo West Animal Hospital’s allergy and dermatology services will help get your loved one as healthy on the outside as on the inside.
Diagnosing the Problem
To help your pet feel better, we must first determine precisely what’s causing the problem. We may be able to tell what’s wrong through a cursory exam, or we may need to investigate further. Blood work, skin scrapings and biopsies can provide answers we need to move forward with a cure.
Some dermatological issues we routinely assist with include:
- Allergies (food and/or environmental)
- Infections (acute or chronic)
- Parasites
- Dermatitis
- Hormonal disorders
- Autoimmune diseases
- Tumors
- Skin cancer
Developing a Treatment Plan
Once we’ve identified the problem, the next step is determining how to best treat it. Depending on the situation, we may recommend something as simple as applying a topical medication. More complex conditions may call for a longer-term strategy or involve a combination of multiple treatment methods.
Signs of a possible skin problem include:
- Excessive scratching
- Scabbing or flaking of the skin
- Hot spots
- Shedding more than usual
- Biting, chewing or licking at the affected area
- Bumps or lumps on or under the skin
If you notice any of these signs, it’s time to schedule an appointment. Contact Waterloo West Animal Hospital. We can help your loved one live a more comfortable life.
