Skin complaints are one of the most common presenting conditions in a vet's medical practice. Many canine epidermal welts are not differentiating in how they look, yet have multiple possible triggers, so an in office exam alone does not always supply the answers required to recommend a specific an approach to care. Before the exam, one of the most important diagnostic methodologies is the taking of a medical history. By asking a specific set of questions about a dog's past, a veterinarian can start to cut down probable causes of the difficulty. This could save the owner time and help to eliminate costly tests by narrowing the long list of possible dog skin conditions.
Most pet health professionals begin the office visit with a written list of questions. The doctor will then comb through the written answers with you and then will ascertain any actions that should be taken. Typical lines of questioning include:
1. What's the breed of dog? There are lots of epidermal illnesses with a higher incidence in certain dog breeds. Note that this information can vary by region. As an example, a few breeds have a higher incidence to atopy, which are inhaled seasonal allergens including Gordon Setters, Beagles, Boston Terriers, Boxers, Bullterriers, Cairn Terrier, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Dalmatians, and German Shepherds.
2. Do you know the age of the patient? Certain cutaneous conditions are seen in younger dogs including inherited conditions. Others are due to a malfunctioning or immature immune system, which isn't strong enough to avoid issues to develop such as parasitic disorders. Middle age dogs are at the mercy of allergic response to inhaled or food allergies, while older dogs are frequently subject to skin melonoma.
3. How long has the dog suffered from the problem? Diseases that appear all of a sudden are connected with parasitic sicknesses or a dietary sensitivity. Ongoing problems such as itch can be related to food or dermatitis. Problems that have gone on for years without other issues, allow issues such as hormonal problems to be discounted. Dog alopecia without other symptoms can be hereditary or a difficulty called follicular dysplasia. Depending on the cause identified, a veterinarian can test for scabies, food allergy, or infection.
4. Where on the body did the problem occur? Location is an indicator of the underlying cause of the problem. For instance, conditions on the ears can be the result of summer or seasonal allergy, food sensitivity, mites skin polyps, and secondary infection. Conditions on the extremities are frequently caused by spring, summer or fall allergy, food allergy, parasitic disorders like mange, vasculitis and pemphigus (pus filled lesions). Issues on the head include mites, pollen allergens, food allergy or fungi.
5. What are the symptoms? Symptoms like itchy skin are related to many conditions and are not especially beneficial in determining the reason that the problem occurred. Also, owners may mis-interpret pruritis (itch) as being serious when it is is a small issue.
There are numerous more questions, including seasonality, other symptoms that aren't related to the skin such as loss of appetite and behavioral change, diet, the presence of other animals and even if the owner has any skin diseases that might have been passed from the owner to the dog. The bottom line is that by making the effort by replying to a few questions can lower the cost of treatment and get your dog on the way to a positive outcome.
Most pet health professionals begin the office visit with a written list of questions. The doctor will then comb through the written answers with you and then will ascertain any actions that should be taken. Typical lines of questioning include:
1. What's the breed of dog? There are lots of epidermal illnesses with a higher incidence in certain dog breeds. Note that this information can vary by region. As an example, a few breeds have a higher incidence to atopy, which are inhaled seasonal allergens including Gordon Setters, Beagles, Boston Terriers, Boxers, Bullterriers, Cairn Terrier, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Dalmatians, and German Shepherds.
2. Do you know the age of the patient? Certain cutaneous conditions are seen in younger dogs including inherited conditions. Others are due to a malfunctioning or immature immune system, which isn't strong enough to avoid issues to develop such as parasitic disorders. Middle age dogs are at the mercy of allergic response to inhaled or food allergies, while older dogs are frequently subject to skin melonoma.
3. How long has the dog suffered from the problem? Diseases that appear all of a sudden are connected with parasitic sicknesses or a dietary sensitivity. Ongoing problems such as itch can be related to food or dermatitis. Problems that have gone on for years without other issues, allow issues such as hormonal problems to be discounted. Dog alopecia without other symptoms can be hereditary or a difficulty called follicular dysplasia. Depending on the cause identified, a veterinarian can test for scabies, food allergy, or infection.
4. Where on the body did the problem occur? Location is an indicator of the underlying cause of the problem. For instance, conditions on the ears can be the result of summer or seasonal allergy, food sensitivity, mites skin polyps, and secondary infection. Conditions on the extremities are frequently caused by spring, summer or fall allergy, food allergy, parasitic disorders like mange, vasculitis and pemphigus (pus filled lesions). Issues on the head include mites, pollen allergens, food allergy or fungi.
5. What are the symptoms? Symptoms like itchy skin are related to many conditions and are not especially beneficial in determining the reason that the problem occurred. Also, owners may mis-interpret pruritis (itch) as being serious when it is is a small issue.
There are numerous more questions, including seasonality, other symptoms that aren't related to the skin such as loss of appetite and behavioral change, diet, the presence of other animals and even if the owner has any skin diseases that might have been passed from the owner to the dog. The bottom line is that by making the effort by replying to a few questions can lower the cost of treatment and get your dog on the way to a positive outcome.
About the Author:
Cathy Doggins is the author of hundreds of articles on dog health. She's the leading contributor to the online resource, the Dog Health Guide, Cathy is dedicated to pet health and has written at length on canine skin disease.
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