F E B R U A R Y 2012
OPEN: Oregon: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 8:00am - 6:00pm
Oregon: Wednesdays <No Appointments> 8:00am - 2:00pm
OPEN: North Carolina: Jan 26 - 27 - 28
OPEN: North Carolina: Feb 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11
OPEN: Oregon: Saturday, Feb 25, 2012
As always, please give us a call with any questions and/or concerns you may have regarding your pet or any changes to our schedule. We are here to help!
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Dermatologic FAQ's: Diagnostic Testing
1. What do clients need to know about allergy testing for atopic dermatitis?
Accurate allergy testing is currently available for animals with atopic dermatitis (environmental allergies) but not food allergic dermatitis. Allergy testing is performed after the diagnosis is made rather than to make the diagnosis.
After the veterinarian diagnoses atopic dermatitis, allergy testing is performed to determine what the animal is allergic to in the environment, ideally so the animal can start receiving allergen-specific immunotherapy (allergy vaccine). Allergy testing can be performed via itradermal skin testing. Intradermal skin testing is considered the gold standard.
2. When is skin cytology necessary and how is it done?
Skin cytology - the microscopic evaluation of material collected from the skin - provides valuable information that helps determine:
- the type and degree of infection present
- if there is evidence or suggestive features of parasites
- if a normal or abnormal immune response is present
- if immune-mediated or neoplastic diseases are present
Important items identified on cytology include:
- bacteria
- yeast
- neutrophils
- eosinophils
- acantholytic cells (cells present in pemphigus foliaceus or, more rarely, dermatophytosis)
- neoplastic cells
Technicians can collect samples for skin cytology via direct impression smear using clear adhesive tape to lift the sample, a cotton swab to obtain exudate, or metal spatulas to obtain material from nail beds. Different slides need to be used for different locations and lesions, and the slides will be labeled accordingly.
3. What is the difference between superficial and deep skin scrapings?
The goal of most skin scrapings is to identify parasites, the most common being the Demodex species of mites. The scrapings are done differently if the parasites are more superficial in the surface of the skin versus deeper in the hair follicles.
Superficial scrapings are obtained using a broad-sweeping scrape, and surface material is often collected from a larger area.
The main parasite being evaluated for with a deep skin scraping is Demodex species. A #10 or #15 dulled blade is used to scrape the skin (preferably after a mineral oil swab) until capillary oozing occurs. Technicians would typically squeeze the skin before and during the scrape to aid in capillary oozing. The veterinarian will usually decide the ideal place to scrape, as Demodex species can be located anywhere.
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