Craig E. Griffin, DVM, DACVD

Dr. Craig Griffin offers his tips.

How to achieve an optimal outcome in veterinary patients with ear infections or allergic conditions.

Could well-intentioned clients be accidentally sabotaging your allergy diagnosis?

The most common derm problem in cats is itchy skin disease. Often these cats have allergic skin disease with many cases related to flea allergy dermatitis, atopic dermatitis and adverse food reactions.

It is common for more than one primary disease to be present, at least in the referral population seen at my practice. Multiple or changing secondary etiologies are also common. The most optimum management of a case requires that we recognize which primary diseases, secondary etiologies as well as modulating factors are present.

The cat has some important anatomic differences from the dog. The obvious is that there is less breed variation in pinna shape and conformation as well as relatively short and straighter ear canal.