What are the benefits of going to see a veterinary dermatologist for an itchy dog?

Question

Lauren Adelman · Answer

What are the benefits of going to see a veterinary dermatologist for an itchy dog? So I think this is almost like a bigger topic to answer. What are the benefits of seeing a specialist for my dog, whether it's a cardiologist or an oncologist or like me, an internal medicine specialist? And I think in general, a lot of pet owners don't know that we exist and that, you know, seeking referral for these more complicated cases is an option. And the benefit is really that you are going to see someone just like in human medicine who is an expert in that area. So me as an internal medicine specialist, you know, I am not a dermatologist. I am not going to be good at the things that your regular family vet are going to be good at, like talking to you about prevention and vaccination. But for internal medicine issues, that is where my expertise lies. And I've done a residency and gotten that special training. And so the benefit is that you're seeing someone with a much higher level of knowledge and experience in that area. So specialists exist in almost every area that they do in people. And so if you are having an issue with your pet that is not seeming to be resolved at the level of your family vet, then either they will offer a referral or you can always ask for one to a specialist to get a second opinion.

Ashley Bourgeois · Answer

What are the benefits of going to see a veterinary dermatologist for an itchy dog? There's lots of benefits and a lot of that comes down to appropriate diagnosis and management early in the disease process. So infections are something, bacteria, yeast that happen very commonly in dogs, whether they're allergic, have an autoimmune disease, have a hormonal disorder. And they can be really frustrating. But if we diagnose appropriately and manage, even if it's just a stereotypical allergic dog, if we get them on things like immunotherapy early on or appropriate symptom management, we can lessen those infections, which is going to lessen the degree of resistant bacteria that we see in a lot of these cases. So it's a early intervention to eliminate or at least lessen resistant infections, frustration for sure. And then also just setting up a game plan as we're usually dealing with chronic diseases can be really important. So we have more success with these dogs if we see them earlier on. Now general veterinarians can do a great job managing skin disease as well. But if pet owners are open to it, seeing these pets earlier so we can manage them can really save a lot of frustration in the long run.

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"What are the benefits of going to see a veterinary dermatologist for an itchy dog?"