Veterinary Care for Skin & Coat Including Diagnosis & Treatment of Pet Diseases

Good skin care is critical to the health of your pet. Crescenta Valley Veterinary Hospital offers basic wellness support for skin care as well as diagnosis and treatment of diseases, ailments, and infestations.

Care for Your Pet’s Skin

Attention to the care of your pet’s skin can begin with quality bathing products and careful grooming techniques, leading to other areas of support such as appropriate diet and parasite prevention. Your pet’s skin is a barrier that protects the body from the elements, infection, harmful substances, and dehydration. Skin health helps keep the entire body healthy.

On the other hand, the skin and coat are indicators of problems in other areas of the body such as poor nutrition or a parasite problem. These medical concerns are often detected by a change in the quality of the skin and coat.

At every wellness visit, we examine the skin and coat for problems or changes since the last visit. Annual blood work and diagnostic testing provide indicators of developing problems and owners are advised in the basic care and maintenance of the skin and coat of their companions.

Pet Skin Diseases

Diseases of the skin fall into one of two categories: primary or secondary skin disease. Primary skin diseases affect the skin directly such as allergies, mange, or flea and tick hypersensitivities. Secondary diseases are those that initially involve other organs, and thereby affect the skin, such as hypothyroidism.

The diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases can be difficult and time consuming. Your pet’s skin issue may even be a combination of more than one problem. For example, a dog’s flea infestation can lead to allergic reaction, and the subsequent itching can lead to hot spots. Such complex problems can be of concern to pet owners, but our professional team is experienced in the diagnosing and treating of the core problem. Treatment can often begin immediately to address the discomfort and health of your pet.

Treatment of skin disease may include steroids, antibiotics, antihistamines, topical drugs, antifungal drugs, shampoos and rinses, dietary supplementation, therapeutic laser, or modification and surgical removal of masses. Of course, you are always educated in the issues surrounding your pet’s problem and offered all of the options available and appropriate. Together, we will find solutions that bring comfort and long-term relief.

The Healthy Pet website offers this helpful article, Skin Problems in Pets.