Common diagnostic steps for determining the cause of your pet’s itchy skin are skin scrapings (testing for parasites), skin cytology (looking under a microscope to see if yeast or bacteria is present), prescription food diets, serum testing (blood testing for allergies). Based on our clinical findings we can design an individual treatment plan which may consist of antibiotics, antifungals, anti-histamines or immunomodulators (steroids and cyclosporine) to make your dog or cat more comfortable. Skin disease caused by true allergies can be incredibly frustrating; allergies are never cured, and a pet will need life-long treatment. We can help you develop a plan for your pet to make them more comfortable and decrease allergy symptoms. As always, if we feel it’s in your pet’s best interest to undergo specialist intradermal skin testing we can arrange a referral to a dermatologist in the area!