Hunt Valley Dermatology For Pets

At Hunt Valley Animal Hospital, our team believes that the health of your pet’s skin is essential to your pet’s overall happiness and well-being. Our team of veterinarians is experienced in treating pet dermatology issues, including dog dermatitis and dog rashes. We also offer intra-dermal skin testing for allergic disease.

Since many of the skin diseases that can affect your cat or dog share similar symptoms, our Hunt Valley veterinarians are trained to identify and hone in on these minute differences. This ensures efficient and affordable diagnostic testing and follow-up work. As part of continuing education for our veterinarians, our vets stay up-to-date on new research and treatments, including skin manifestations of internal diseases.

Hunt Valley Veterinarian Dermatology
Will Keep Your Pets Healthy and Active

Just like people, pets may be sensitive to certain skin irritants. In fact, there are hundreds of different skin diseases that may affect your dog or cat, often with similar symptoms. As an owner, you may notice a change in your pet’s behavior, hair loss, redness of skin, and mysterious, recurrent infections. If you notice any of these symptoms, or are concerned, we recommend you bring your pet into our Hunt Valley veterinary hospital for a check-up. Often, several dermatologic diagnostic tests are necessary to help our veterinarians identify the cause of the skin disorder and provide relief for your pet.

Here at our Hunt Valley animal hospital, a trained veterinarian will begin your pet's appointment with a basic check-up followed by several diagnostic tests.   A skin scrape test is used to diagnose the presence of a parasite that might be causing the skin irritation. A cytology test looks for the presence of autoimmune disorders in cells and is used to identify infections. If ringworm is suspected, a Dermatophyte Culture will be used to isolate and identify the organism.



Some pets are allergic to different foods. To properly diagnose a food allergy, our vet will place your pet on an eight to ten week trial diet that includes a new protein and carbohydrate source to which your pet has not previously been exposed.

Common skin disorders include dog dermatitis and dog rashes. Direct contact between your dog’s skin (especially in places not well protected by hair) and a chemical irritant can lead to itchy red bumps and skin inflammation. If your dog’s skin becomes sensitive to a specific chemical, like components in a shampoos, soaps or flea collars, a delayed reaction may occur known as allergic contact dermatitis. 



We are very experienced treating dog dermatitis at our Hunt Valley animal vet clinic. Our veterinarians will work to identify the irritant, find ways to limit future exposure and will typically treat the existing case with a topical or oral antibiotic. Oral corticosteroids can also relieve itching and inflammation associated with some dog rashes.



If you have questions about your pet’s skin or are concerned about a persistent rash, skin redness/odor or behavioral change, we invite you to bring your pet to our Hunt Valley animal vet clinic.  For more information about our hours or to schedule an appointment, please click here or call us at 410-645-9191.