Skin Infections
Skin Scrapings
Mites can cause intense itching and hair loss and skin diseases in our pets. Although some burrow under the skin and can be difficult to find, this is a simple and useful diagnostic test. It involves putting a drop of paraffin oil on the affected skin and scraping across a small patch with a blade. The scrapings are smeared on a glass slide and examined under the microscope.
Fungal Culture
There are a few other skin diseases that can look like ringworm. Fungassay is an in house fungal culture medium that we inoculate with hair and scale from suspicious skin lesions on your pet. We then wait to see if the typical ringworm fungus grows over the next 7-14 days to check if our treatment is on track.
Skin Cytology
By rolling a moist cotton bud on inflamed skin or pressing clear sticky-tape onto the skin, we can collect a sample to examine under the microscope. We look for microorganisms that may be causing the skin disease. For example, a smear from your pet's infected ear or itchy paw may show yeast or bacteria - infections that are treated very differently. Recognising the cause helps us select appropriate medication at the time of the consultation.
Next: Cytology and Histopathology
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