Dermatology

Just like humans, animals can suffer from rashes, allergic skin reactions, fungal infections and even bacterial infections of the skin. The staff and veterinarians at Mercy Animal Hospital use the latest techniques to efficiently diagnose your pet’s skin problems.

If you notice pets scratching, licking or biting themselves more than usual, this is a very good indication of a skin issue. Untreated skin issues can cause lick granulomas in cats, loss of hair, and even a secondary infection from scratches that have broken the skin. Bring your pet in for an exam immediately and let our staff get them on the road to recovery. If our doctors cannot diagnose on a physical examination, usually a skin scraping or blood sample will be taken and examined under a microscope. Usually the appropriate medicines are given at that time, which may be oral or topical (meaning applied to the skin.) Mercy Animal Hospital also provides preventative medicines and foods. Your pet may suffer from a food allergy and needs special foods to prevent any further issues. Pets with a flea allergy will need to stay up to date on flea/tick preventatives and close watch will need to be kept to make sure they are flea-free. If we feel that your pet needs to be tested for allergies, our doctors will refer you to a veterinary dermatologist.