Nov
18
2009
How Are Allergic And Irritant Contact Dermatitis Diagnosed?
Posted by: Alan in Contact Dermatitis, tags: Allergic, Contact, Dermatitis, Diagnosed, Irritant
I plan on taking my dog to a canine dermatologist now, since the vet thinks he has allergic and irritant contact dermatitis. What exactly will the dermatologist do to diagnose my dog’s problem? I know I’ll be telling them the entire history of my dog’s health and they will physically examine him, but are there any other tests that they will do?
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November 18th, 2009 at 6:28 am
A skin allergy test – same as the prick test they do on humans to test to see which substances cause your dog to have reactions. They will be able to give better info once they have narrow it down on the type of shampoo you will need, what food to feed or avoid & what you should be doing at home. The vet would the one to decide which tests are necessary based on your individual dog – not every allergy prone dog is the same or requires the same treatment, meds or testing. Sometimes there are other health issues going on that make the allergies worse or more noticeable. Dermatologist vet is the best choice for skin treatments & diagnosis.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Contact dermatitis is diagnosed very much the same in animals as people. An area is shaved and potential allergens are injected under the skin. The area is monitored and the areas that show reaction are charted.
There is a blood test, but most experts do not favor it for contact derm allergy diagnosis. It’s pretty accurate for food/internal allergies.