Dermatitis Treatment With Your Cupertino Veterinarian

Does your pet rub their ears against the carpet or constantly scratch their ears? Have you noticed your pet's ears are red or have a lot of earwax? If so, there may be an undiagnosed ear problem. Our Cupertino veterinarian at Pet Ear Care Center provides treatment for a range of ear conditions, including dermatitis.

Dermatitis Causing Inflamed Canal | Dermatitis Causing Excess Wax

What is Dermatitis?

Dermatitis causes itching on the skin. It commonly targets the face and ear region. Similar to allergies or asthma in humans, dermatitis is often caused by a hypersensitivity or allergic reaction to something in the environment. Your dog may be irritated by allergens like dust or mold, or seasonal pollen. In one sense, dermatitis is very similar to allergies in humans.

This condition usually develops when your dog is between one and five years old. Buildup of yeast in a dog's ear is very common among pets with dermatitis, and many of these pets experience frequent ear infections as a result.

Symptoms of Dermatitis

Looking at your pet, you'll see redness, moist fur, yeast in a dog's ear, and signs of scratching or chewing. You will also observe your dog constantly licking, biting, chewing, rubbing, or scratching at parts of their body. If it seems like your dog is constantly itchy, a Cupertino veterinarian can do an allergy test.

It could be a food allergy causing dermatitis, or your dog could have underlying ear issues causing infection and yeast buildup. If the cause is an underlying allergy to something like food, switching to a different food can relieve dermatitis symptoms. If our vet determines the allergy is environmental, we'll begin dermatitis treatment in Cupertino.

Dermatitis Treatment in Cupertino

Our pet ear specialist will perform a complete ear evaluation so we know exactly what is going on. If your pet has a yeast or bacterial infection in their ear as a result of dermatitis, we will give you oral or topical medication for treatment.

We take a comprehensive approach to dermatitis treatment. We may suggest ways to improve your pet's environment by limiting exposure to irritants or changing up pet food.

Immunotherapy desensitizes your pet to irritants. We can give immunotherapy injections in our office or give you an at-home immunotherapy kit.

Topical treatments help to relieve the itching that is driving your dog crazy. We offer medicated shampoos and conditioners to decrease itching and remove the irritants from your pet's skin. When you follow up a medicated bath with an antibacterial or antifungal medication, you can greatly decrease the itching your pet experiences.

To keep pets ears healthy, we can offer anti-inflammatory medications. These reduce the itching without giving your pet steroids. Since there are many medications for dermatitis, it may take a bit of "trial and error" to find the best fit.

Call us today to schedule a complete ear exam with our pet ear specialist for your pet and treat ear issues to improve your furry friend's quality of life.