Puppy Attack
A Dog And Puppy’s History Of Medical Issues Is A Window Into Possible Causes Of Skin Disorderes
Skin conditions are one of the primary presenting conditions in a vet’s practice. Many dog and puppy skin welts are similar in terms of appearance, yet have many diverse possible causes, so an in office palpatation (touching the skin) alone often does not provide the answers necessary to endorse a particular treatment. Prior to the exam, one of the most vital diagnostic techniques is the taking of a dermatologic history. By asking a specific set of inquiries on a dog’s medical hsitory, a doctor can try to cut down several possible causes of the condition. This will save the owner time and help to avoid costly tests by narrowing down the extensive list of possible dog skin conditions.
Most veterinarians start the office visit with a written list of questions. The pet health professional will then have a conversation around the written answers with you and then determine any suggested next steps. Classic lines of questioning include:
1. What is the type of dog? There are lots of epidermal conditions with a higher incidence in certain dog breeds. Note that this information can vary by region. For example, several breeds are predisposed to atopy, which are inhaled seasonal allergies including Basset Hounds, Beagles, Boston Terriers, Boxers, Bullterriers, Cairn Terrier, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Dalmatians, and German Shepherds.
2. What’s the age of the patient? Certain skin conditions are seen in younger dogs like inborn problems. Others are due to an underdeveloped immune system, which isn’t strong enough to avoid Problems to develop like scabies. Middle age dogs are subject to allergy, while older dogs are frequently subject to skin melonoma.
3. How long has the dog suffered from the issue? Illnesses that appear to have suddenly occurred are associated with parasitic sicknesses or a dietary sensitivity. Continuing problems like itch can be related to food or dermatitis. Problems that have gone on for years without other issues, allow issues such as hormonal issues to be discounted. Dog alopecia without other symptoms can be hereditary or a difficulty called follicular dysplasia. Dependent on the cause identified, a doctor can test for scabies, food allergy, or infection.
4. Where on the body did the condition occur? Location is often point to certain causes of the underlying cause of the problem. For instance, lesions on the ears can be triggered by seasonal allergy, food allergy, parasitic disorders, skin polyps, and secondary infection. Conditions on the extremities are often due to spring, summer or fall allergy, dietary sensitivity, parasitic disorders such as scabies, vasculitis and pemphigus (pus filled pimples). Issues on the head include mites, pollen allergy, diet allergy or fungi.
5. What are the symptoms? Symptoms such as itchyness are related to many conditions and are not especially beneficial in determining the trigger. Also, owners may mis-interpret itch as being severe when it is not as bad as it seems.
There are numerous more questions, including the time of year the problem started, other possibly related symptoms that aren’t related to the skin such as eating behavior and behavioral change, diet, the presence of other dogs and even if the owner has any skin problems that could have been passed from a family member to the dog. The bottom line is that by making the effort by replying to a few written questions can significantly reduce the cost of treatment and get your dog on the way to a positive end result.
Cathy Doggins is the editor of several feature stories on dog health. She is the leading contributor to the online resource, the Dog Health Guide, Cathy is passionate about puppy and dog health and has authored extensively on canine skin disease.
