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Skin problems are one of the most common reasons pets visit the vet, and one of the most frustrating. Without identifying the underlying cause, symptoms tend to come back. At Kingsdale, dermatology is one of our areas of clinical interest.
Constant itching, licking, and chewing at the skin can have several causes. Here are the most common ones we see in Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge.
Reactions to pollens, mould spores, dust mites, or grasses. In the Kitchener-Waterloo region, allergy flares are common in spring and fall as tree and ragweed pollens peak.
Usually a reaction to a protein source like beef, chicken, or dairy rather than grains. Food allergies cause year-round symptoms with no seasonal pattern.
Even a single flea bite can trigger a reaction in sensitive pets. See our preventative care page for flea and tick control info.
Reactions to specific materials, cleaning products, lawn chemicals, or plants your pet rolls in or walks through. These often show up on the belly, paws, or muzzle where contact is most direct.
Yeast and bacterial infections often develop when an underlying allergy disrupts the skin barrier. Treating the infection alone without addressing the cause leads to repeat episodes.
Many skin conditions look similar on the surface. Getting the diagnosis right before starting treatment avoids months of guessing and a pet that never fully feels comfortable.
Allergies and skin conditions show up in patterns. If you spot more than one or two of these, especially recurring ones, it's worth a closer look.
Schedule a skin checkIn cats, skin problems can look different. Watch for over-grooming that leaves thinning patches, scabs along the neck and back, or miliary dermatitis — tiny crusty bumps scattered across the skin.
We start with a full history and a detailed skin exam. Depending on what we find, we may recommend one or more of the following.
We ask about when symptoms began, whether they're seasonal or year-round, which parts of the body are affected, how often flares happen, and what you've already tried. A thorough history often points toward the most likely cause before we even look at the skin.
A quick look at cells from the skin or ears under a microscope. This tells us whether yeast or bacteria are involved and helps guide treatment from the first visit.
Rules out mites (mange) as a cause of itching and hair loss. If your pet is on a flea and tick preventative, we may not need this step as these products often target mites as well.
How your pet responds to medications like antihistamines, steroids, or Apoquel can tell us a lot. A strong response to steroids suggests an allergic or inflammatory cause. A partial or no response helps narrow down what we're dealing with.
Identifies the specific environmental allergens your pet is reacting to. This forms the basis for allergen-specific immunotherapy. We perform serum allergy testing at Kingsdale. For intradermal testing, we refer to a veterinary dermatologist.
The most reliable way to diagnose a food allergy. It involves feeding a single novel or hydrolyzed protein diet for 8 to 12 weeks with no exceptions. We'll walk you through it step by step.
We also factor in your pet's full history from their annual wellness exams, which helps us notice patterns over time and catch recurring issues early.
Treatment depends on what we find. Most allergy patients do best with a combination approach: Quick relief during flares, infection control where needed, and a longer-term plan to keep symptoms from coming back.
Allergy shots or sublingual drops are formulated for your individual pet based on testing results. Builds long-term tolerance to specific allergens over 12 to 18 months. The closest thing we have to a real long-term solution for environmental allergies.
A daily oral medication that controls itch and inflammation quickly. Often used while a longer-term plan is put in place.
An injectable antibody therapy that targets the itch signal at the source. Works well for dogs with atopic dermatitis and typically lasts 4 to 8 weeks per injection.
Helps manage secondary infections, reduce surface bacteria and yeast, and support the skin barrier. Pets bathed routinely during allergy season often have better symptom control.
For confirmed food allergies, a long-term hypoallergenic diet is often the most straightforward solution. You can reorder through our online vetstore anytime.
Pets with allergies have a defective skin barrier, which lets normal surface bacteria gain access. All infections need to be addressed before we can expect success from anti-allergy therapies.
The infection is just what you see on the surface. Underneath, something is keeping the ear canal irritated enough that yeast and bacteria keep coming back.
Treating each flare-up helps. It doesn't stop the next one. Getting the allergy under control usually does.
We check ears at every wellness visit, not just when something looks wrong, because early buildup is a lot easier to treat than a full infection. If your pet has been through multiple rounds of ear medication, the next conversation worth having is about what's actually causing it.
Book an ear & allergy review
A pet that's constantly itching is uncomfortable. If you've been dealing with scratching, licking, or recurring infections for more than a few weeks, a proper diagnosis is the next step.
