Pittsburgh Veterinary Dermatology

09/27/2026

This is a weird one, folks. This itchy kitty came to see us with a several month history of severe itching, especially around her head. We did the usual itchy cat things, treated infection, started steroids, started a food trial. She came back about a month later, itching is NO better, maybe worse, and now, she’s crusty all over her ears, head and the tips of her toes. When I touched her ears, she frantically started scratching. And, her humans were now having some itching. These things make your ‘weird case’ radar activate, so we did some skin scrapings, and lo and behold, the cat mange mite, Notoedres cati. This is exceedingly rare in domestic cats, we have seen one case in the last ten years at our practice. It typically exists in reservoirs of stray/feral cats in particular geographic areas. We are still trying to figure out where she had been exposed, and she is an indoor only kitty. Good news, this mite is highly treatable with our isoxazoline drugs and she will be feeling much better soon. We started Bravecto and look forward to updates. Have you seen a case of Notoedres in your practice?

09/19/2026

When we started asking on our new patient forms, ‘What are your goals for the consult with the dermatologist?’, this became a very common answer. Get to the ‘root’ cause. We wish it were that simple! Dr Painter offers a beautiful explanation here.

Come see us to help your dog live an improved quality of life, regardless of the ‘root’ cause! 🐕🤧🐾🌳

What does it even mean to treat the root-cause of a dog's allergies?

I get this comment constantly, especially when I am sharing thoughts on medications. "But that doesn't treat the root cause."

So, let's talk about it.

As much as we all might not want to believe, canine atopic dermatitis is genetic. Heritability has been estimated at 0.47 in Labrador and Golden Retrievers and 0.31 in West Highland White Terriers, and it's polygenic, multiple genes involved.

So if you want to treat the actual root cause, you needed to intervene before the dog was even an embryo. That level of intervention certainly doesn't come in a chew. That ship sailed at conception. Full stop.

But...what we can actually modify is the immune system's response to the specific allergens triggering that predisposition into active disease. That's what allergen-specific immunotherapy does. This is what food interventions do. They doesn't erase the genes, but instead they retrain or settle the immune response those genes are driving. That is root cause work, and it's the only root cause work that currently exists for this category of disease. But, it's not perfect. Because the problem is genetic.

Next time someone tells you that managing inflammation, treating infections, or even immunotherapy "isn't treating the root cause," ask them what they think the root cause actually is, and how they'd propose treating it.

Allergic disease is exploding globally, in humans and in dogs, and this problem is not one created by pharmaceutical companies, or veterinarians who just want to "mask symptoms". Read Allergic: Our Bodies in an Irritated World by Theresa MacPhail if you want to go deeper.

And, before you decide a chew is a root cause therapeutic, or that all medical management is evil, sit with how short-sighted that is. This issue is a genetic, global phenomenon that is affecting us all. The more we open our mind and learn, the better off we - our dogs, you and me - will be. 🐾

09/17/2026

Supplements for allergic dogs are a hot topic. It seems like every week there is another company touting a 'miracle' chew that will make your dog stop itching. Our colleague, Dr. Meagan Painter, has done a deep dive into the topic - what actually works, and what is likely a waste of money. Take a read! 🤯

A Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist® breaks down the $2.67B pet supplement industry—exposing label tricks, sub-therapeutic doses, and what actually works for itchy dogs. Save money, skip the hype, and learn the evidence-based options that truly help.

07/22/2026

Sweet Miss Ellie Mae visited us today for her ear procedure. She has had chronic infections in ONE ear, and upon exam, a pink shiny mass was visible in her ear canal. Given her young age and the appearance of the mass, it is most likely a benign inflammatory polyp. 🐾

We performed a CT of her head to look for any middle ear infection or surprise polyps on the other side, then used our video-otoscope to examine her ear canal. We were able to grasp the polyp with forceps and remove it via traction. Ellie Mae was a very good girl and her polyp did NOT extend from her middle ear cavity, which makes removal and flushing MUCH easier. We flushed out all the trapped debris, woke her up, and she was happy as a clam. We expect a full recovery!

07/21/2026

Our squirrels are completely unbothered. The cats love it.

07/07/2026

🚨 ROAD CLOSURE starting July 10th: attention to our clients using the I-376 Parkway East traveling from Monroeville, Squirrel Hill, Swissvale, etc! 🚨

Please make extra time for travel starting July 10th! Check your route into the city or around the city heading north towards Cranberry area for your pet's Pittsburgh Veterinary Dermatology appointment! 🏥

*If your expected drive time increases due to the closure and your pet is nervous for car rides, please call your veterinarian or our office for pre-medication options to settle the experience.*

Call, text or email us with any questions! 📲☎️

I-376 Parkway East 25-Day Closure Begins July 10 in Pittsburgh, Edgewood

07/05/2026

We truly hope you had a wonderful July 4th weekend, celebrating 250 years of this country! Happy Independence Day! ❤️🤍💙

From all of us at the AVMA, we want to wish you a Happy Independence Day! During today's holiday, be sure to take a moment to reflect on all the people whose sacrifices have made our freedom possible.

06/29/2026

Check out our visitor last week! I was thrilled, but the other birds not so much!
Who can ID this big guy??

06/16/2026

Thank you Dr Painter!

When we think "allergies," we picture sneezing, watery eyes, a runny nose - rhinitis signs. We don't think about ear infections, interdigital cysts, recurrent pyoderma, and diarrhea. 👀

So, when someone's dog has these problems - the link to allergies is not always made. I see this all the time in my practice. This is especially the case around recurrent infections. The infections are seen as just something that happens, not something that is directly related to the underlying allergy.

This is why I promote Inflammation First® and encourage veterinary practioners and owners alike to see infection of the skin and ears for what it is - an expected consequence of allergic inflammation.

But, doing so can be tricky when the lens that owners see the world of allergies through is the "rhinitis" lens and not the paw-licking, secondary infection, skin one.

That's what this platform matters. As a Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist® I feel that it is my mission and duty to promote understanding and help us all have a space where we can learn the real deal about allergies.

Veterinarians - share this with your clients.
Pet parents - share this with your veterinarians.

Let's speak the same language, and help more allergic dogs together! 🐾

06/13/2026

We go all out for food days here at PVD. We always pick a theme. This week we did ‘pie day’. (Clearly we missed 3/14!). We had a beautiful raspberry pie for Dr Sargent’s birthday, some pizza pie, dirt pie, veggie pie and ube pie! What theme day should we do next??