VMC 983

Dermatology

Section: 005

Course Description

Dermatological disease will represent a significant proportion of your case load, particularly in companion animal practice. Most of the patients that you will see have chronic relapsing disease that can be frustrating, and often costly for the owner. Therefore, whilst an accurate diagnosis represents the first step in dealing with a case, the challenge in this field of medicine is to successfully manage cases in the long term. This requires good and open communication with the client as well as regular patient evaluation. Most of the diagnostic techniques employed in dermatology are very simple and do not require expensive equipment or excessive amounts of time. The key to successful dermatological practice is to use these tools appropriately to recognize conditions such as parasitic infestations and bacterial or yeast infections for which there is a specific course of treatment. It specializes in the diagnosis and management of chronic ear disease and immunological dermatoses such as autoimmune skin diseases, food reactions and atopic dermatitis. The good practitioner however, recognizes that cutaneous manifestations may be a reflection of internal disease and a thorough systemic evaluation is also required. When studying the skin there is one big advantage, it is on the outside.