Tag Archives: dog

The efficacy of oromucosal or sublingual immunotherapy in dogs

Posted on March 11, 2013 by skinvet

by Jon Plant, DVM, DACVD Two routes of administration may be used for allergen immunotherapy: subcutaneous injection or oromucosal  / sublingual.  The subcutaneous route has been in use in humans and animals for more than 50 years.  After an initial … Continue reading →

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Controlling Staphylococcus in the veterinary hospital

Posted on December 20, 2012 by skinvet

With the rapid emergence of methicillin-resistant strains of Stapylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP), the potential for nosocomial infections should be addressed by every veterinary hospital with a formal, written infection control program.  Most of the control measures for MR staphylococci are applicable … Continue reading →

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Serum allergy test reliability in dogs

Posted on August 12, 2012 by skinvet

If you are recommending that your client spend several hundred dollars on an allergy test for their dog, it would be nice to have confidence that the test is reliable.  It should demonstrate both test-retest reliability (repeatability) and inter-lab reliability … Continue reading →

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Serum allergy testing of normal dogs

Posted on July 28, 2012 by skinvet

Do you wonder about the specificity of allergen-specific IgE tests in dogs (the percentage of dogs not allergic to an allergen that are correctly identified as non-allergic)?  Hopefully, you are using clinical criteria to make the diagnosis of canine atopic … Continue reading →

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Intradermal testing reliability in dogs

Posted on June 5, 2012 by skinvet

This month I will review the reliability of “allergy” testing in dogs.  If you are going to recommend allergy testing to clients, you should understand their limitations.  The topics I have planned for the coming weeks are: Intradermal testing reliability … Continue reading →

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Variability of allergen-specific immunotherapy formulation

Posted on May 27, 2012 by skinvet

Allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) is often discussed as though it represents a uniform treatment option.  In fact, the process of customizing an allergen prescription for a pet is not standardized and there is a great deal of subjectivity involved, even when … Continue reading →

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Getting the most from your skin biopsies

Posted on May 11, 2012 by skinvet

It’s frustrating for you and your clients if a skin biopsy result comes back non-diagnostic. Here are some of the things I do to get the most information that I can from dermatopathology. 1. For inflammatory skin diseases, do not … Continue reading →

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Skin cytology: let the lesion morphology guide your technique

Posted on April 28, 2012 by skinvet

When it comes to taking samples for skin cytology, there is no one technique that is best in every situation.  Here are my favorite techniques, and when I find them most useful: 1.      Cellophane tape stripping is the technique that … Continue reading →

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Diagnosing Canine Atopic Dermatitis

Posted on March 30, 2012 by skinvet

How do you diagnose atopic dermatitis in a dog?  That’s right.  Based upon clinical features.  Serum IgE and intradermal testing can be used to identify potential allergens, but the tests are not sensitive or specific enough to rely upon for … Continue reading →

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5 Tips for Better Skin Scrapings

Posted on March 24, 2012 by skinvet

What can I possibly teach you about that most basic test in veterinary dermatology, the skin scraping? Taking a skin scraping seems like a simple enough technique, yet at least once per month I am able to find a mite … Continue reading →

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