My horse has a skin condition. How can a skin scraping help?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I’m sorry to hear Macie has been having skin issues. Itching like you are describing can have a variety of causes, including skin mites like you suspect, allergies, an infection (bacterial or fungal) or another underlying medical cause. She can be skin scraped to test for mites, but as they burrow in the skin sometimes they are hard to find to diagnose. If you are concerned about mites, you could talk to your veterinarian about some of the newer oral flea and tick preventatives that are available (such as nexgard or bravecto), which in addition to preventing flea and ticks also treat skin mites. If it isn’t mites, the. Your veterinarian can discuss what other treatment options may be available if the apoquel isn’t helping enough. Good luck!

Scrappy needs to go to your veterinarian for an exam and skin scraping to determine the cause of this skin condition. It looks like a bacterial infection but he also could have mites, a fungal infection or it could be an autoimmune disease or tumors. If it's a severe bacterial infection with antibiotics and medicated baths this should improve. The longer he has these lesions the more likely the skin can become damaged and his fur may not grow back in. In addition to the skin scraping they may recommend a thyroid level test and perhaps a blood panel to check for other underlying disease. Scrappy will feel better once they get a diagnosis and the proper treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Scrappy.

I would have to agree with your vet's plan, especially if fleas and ringworm have also been ruled out. Often we just don't get the answers to simple skin problems with simple tests, and we have to biopsy. I recommend submitting the biopsy for dermatopathology - that means a pathologist with special training in dermatology will look at it - and this can mean the difference between getting and not getting an accurate diagnosis. Cats can have some very strange skin diseases, especially around the head, and getting an accurate biopsy will help to get Annie the treatment that she needs.

Demodicosis and scabies are caused by 2 different mites, Demodex and Sarcpotes, respectively. The only way to diagnose and differentiate between these mites is by a veterinarian performing a skin scraping. This technique essentially scrapes away the top few layers of skin cells and bit of blood just under the outermost cells so that the sample can be examined microscopically. The mites are diagnosed during this microscopic exam and can easily be distinguished. There are two different prescription based medications for each mite, but must be given under close veterinary supervision. If you are concerned about mange, Jack should see his vet for both diagnosis and treatment. I hope that all goes well!

Without getting a sample (a swab or a scraping) from the skin it's tough to say exactly what might be going on with Opie's skin. Your veterinarian would probably take a sample and evaluate it under a microscope to see whether there might be bacteria or yeast present. If the swab showed yeast or bacteria that would likely indicate that Opie has a skin infection. There are other things that can cause red skin lesions such as insect bites, allergic reactions, and even a fungal infection called ringworm (this is a fungus, not an actual worm despite the name). It does look like Opie has licked off a fair amount of fur, which can signal that Opie is itchy. your veterinarian, in addition to treating the source of the skin lesions would likely also place an e-collar to prevent him from licking at the site and would probably prescribe a medication for itch. I hope I could be of help!

Poor guy. I would highly recommend asking your vet to perform a skin scrape on Tombo. These lesions are suspicious for possible demodexx mites. The trumectin is a Demodexx treatment; however, you didn't mention that your vet actually tested for this. If this is a mite problem, then a topical medicated shampoo can be used in conjunction with the injections to gain better control of the overpopulation of mites on the skin. Also there are several other products that treat for mites that may be more effective for him, such as the off-label use of Nexgard, Bravecto or Simparica (have to be 6 months or older, so this may be an option depending on his exact birthdate). Also a skin culture should be done to determine which antibiotic will get rid of this infection for a certainty. Most skin infections will respond to broad spectrum antiobitcs, but there can be resistant infections that don't respond, which may be the case with your pet Tombo. This infection doesn't look particularly fungal in nature; however, if your vet already did a skin impression to confirm there is yeast present on the skin, then definitely continue with the Fluconazole treatment as prescribed. These viable tests (skin culture, skin scrape, impression) should give us a good idea on how we should be treating him from here moving forward. As a general rule of thumb, you can give you pet pet formulated fish oils for just about any skin condition in which the skin is red. Fish oils act as a natural anti-inflammatory and can also held with overall skin health. You can find these at your local pet store or through your vet office. I would also inquire with your vet about prescribing some antihistamines to help with any itching that Tombo has right now. That will help him allow his skin to heal and respond to all the treatments he is receiving. I hope this helps you find some resolve for Tombo's itchy/irritate and balding skin. Best wishes and take care!

It’s possible Jaxon may have mange or a bacterial skin infection. Oral flea/tick preventatives such as Nexgard, Bravecto or Simparica that you can often get from vaccines clinics such as vippetcare.com or Vetco.com will treat mange. Topical neosporin cream twice daily for 10-14 days may help with bacterial infections although prescription steroid/antibiotic/anti fungal ointment from you vet will likely work much better. If the lesions do not improve within 1-2 weeks of giving Nexgard and applying neosporin twice daily, a trip to your vet for in person assessment /diagnostics is recommended. There is also a possibility that Jaxon may have a fungal skin infection which is transmissible to humans. For this reason and others, if you are able to bring him to the vet for an assessment, it is best! Good luck!