{"id":428,"date":"2021-02-19T22:30:56","date_gmt":"2021-02-19T22:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/?p=428"},"modified":"2026-03-12T15:47:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T15:47:39","slug":"pet-skin-conditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/pet-skin-conditions\/","title":{"rendered":"Pet skin conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Skin disease is quite common amongst pets, as up to 25% of small animal consultations relate to skin issues. Part of the reason why skin conditions are so common is that skin only reacts in certain ways despite many different causes. Don&#8217;t forget, ears are lined with skin as well. Skin conditions cause irritation and pain, therefore understanding the cause means a quicker resolution.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Common signs of dermatological issues in pets<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pets suffering from skin problems show a variety of symptoms. The following behaviours or symptoms are signs that may signal a skin disorder in your pets:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rubbing excessively against carpet or other surfaces<\/li>\n<li>Chewing at the skin<\/li>\n<li>Red, irritated skin, rashes or sores<\/li>\n<li>Weeping sores or spots<\/li>\n<li>Excessive scratching or licking of the legs, feet or body<\/li>\n<li>Repeated rubbing of the face or ears<\/li>\n<li>Flaky and dry skin<\/li>\n<li>Loss of fur<\/li>\n<li>Lumps and bumps<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you notice any of these symptoms, we advise you to schedule an appointment to see a vet.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Causes of dermatological issues<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pets can develop skin issues for many reasons. Some factors include allergies (environmental, food or parasite), bacterial infections, acne, hair loss or parasites such as fleas, ringworms or ear mites.<\/p>\n<p>The resulting skin irritation can vary from mild or temporary to severe infections or other health concerns.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Testing and treatment for dermatological issues<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are a variety of ways to test for dermatology issues. In many cases, the vet or nurse collects a small sample of material such as a fur pluck, skin scrapes or skin swabs and examine them under a microscope. They will be looking for mites, yeast, bacteria and other explanations for why your pet could be in discomfort. Allergy testing is commonly performed by a blood test or skin prick test.<\/p>\n<p>The most common treatments available for dermatological issues are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Flea and mite treatments<\/li>\n<li>Oral or injectable anti-itch medication<\/li>\n<li>Allergy desensitisation<\/li>\n<li>Topical medications (creams or ear drops)<\/li>\n<li>Medicated shampoos and conditioners<\/li>\n<li>Skin supplements<\/li>\n<li>Hypoallergenic diet<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Your vet will ask you questions of what you have observed regarding your pet&#8217;s behaviour in many cases. This critical information, paired with their physical examination findings, will allow them to determine the best action plan to correct your pet&#8217;s skin condition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Skin disease is quite common amongst pets, as up to 25% of small animal consultations relate to skin issues. Part&hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/pet-skin-conditions\/\" class=\"cta\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":429,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=428"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1279,"href":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428\/revisions\/1279"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cromwellvets.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}