Meet Astro, a 6.5-year-old Border Collie. Astro came to us with a raised, red, circular lesion on the upper left lip. Astro’s owner first noted the lesion one month prior to her first appointment with Vet Dermatology Services. The referring veterinarian prescribed...
Simply changing to a different brand or even different meat source listed on the label is often diagnostically ineffective because many ingredients overlap in the different diets. There are two types of diet trials used to effectively diagnose food allergy in dogs and...
The dermatological signs of food allergy in dogs and cats are indistinguishable from those of environmental allergies, with itching being the most common presentation. Food allergy can also cause gastrointestinal issues, such as flatulence, frequent defecation,...
Allergies are diagnosed when the history and clinical signs are suggestive and other likely causes, besides allergies, are ruled out by diagnostic tests or therapeutic trials. Testing is not done to confirm allergies, it is done to formulate immunotherapy, as...
Let’s talk about the majority (85%) of my patients with allergic skin disease who are reacting to environmental allergens. Commonly used terms for this type of allergic dermatitis are atopic dermatitis (AD) or atopy. Pets and people with atopy inherit the...
An allergic reaction is an immunological, over reaction to harmless proteins, called allergens, to which the pet has been previously exposed. Exposure to various allergens can occur through the digestive tract, respiratory tract, eyes and skin. Microscopic amounts of...