Stephen D. White, DVM, DACVD

Ischemic dermatoses fall into three categories: dermatomyositis, vaccine- and drug- caused cases, and idiopathic. Dermatomyositis has been reported primarily in collies and Shetland sheepdogs and their crosses, although other breeds have a sporadic incidence of this disease.

The eosinophilic granuloma complex (EGC) in the cat actually consists of three similar diseases. Despite the name, the three diseases do not always cause granulomas.

Most of the following options illustrate the various medical means of salvaging chronic otitis in a dog, However, the ideal option is to prevent acute otitis externa from becoming chronic.

Skin disorders in rabbits and rodents can manifest in the form of pruritus, alopecia without pruritus, scaling or nodules. Combinations of one or more of these clinical presentations may be observed in an individual.

The exact etiology in most clinical cases is not well understood. Food allergy is defined as an immunologically based reaction to food. Immunologic mechanisms of types I-IV have been hypothesized.

Any appointment for dermatology begins with the technician taking a through history of the disease. Important points to cover are the signalment (age, breed, sex), the presenting complaint (especially important to determine if pruritus is present), the age at onset and if the onset of the skin problem was sudden or slow, and if the disease is seasonal.

Atopic dermatitis is the arguably the second most frequent allergy in dogs (after fleas) and the third most frequent allergy (after fleas and food) in cats. There is a strong genetic tendency in dogs, with golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, terriers, Dalmatians, and Shar-peis among the predisposed breeds.

Canine demodicosis is a noncontagious parasitic skin disease caused by an overpopulation of the host-specific follicular mites of the genus Demodex. Most cases of canine demodicosis are caused by Demodex canis, although two other species of demodicid mites are reported.

Seasonal pruritus (due to fleas or pollen allergies) typically is more pronounced in the warm weather, whereas allergy due to dust or mold components may be more severe in the winter.