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External Medical Services
External
medicine deals with treatment of the skin and 'covering'
tissues. Although this is a simple classification, in this
area of practice we treat a large number of clinical
problems, in a number of fields, including dermatology and
ophthalmology.
Our dermatology
services deal with any skin problems, including dogs with
itchy skin, cat fight abscesses, skin wounds, hair loss,
infections and allergies. Once we have diagnosed the
problem, we will explain what needs to be done to both
control and cure the disorder. Some skin conditions can be
quite difficult to treat, especially allergies. Where a
condition is ongoing, we may offer you a referral to a Veterinary Dermatologist
for further assessment, and if necessary, allergy skin
testing. Some conditions (for example, fight wounds and
abscesses) may require surgery, but we will inform you of
all available options for treatment in the consultation
process.
Ear problems sometimes
fall into the category of dermatology, since the external
ear (including the ear canals down the the ear drum) is a
modified form of skin. As such, ears are prone to
infections, and also have the distressing ability to collect
grass seeds and other foreign objects. While most pets will
allow a full ear examination in consult, it is sometimes
necessary to sedate or anaesthetise the patient to allow
better visualisation of the external ears, removal of
foreign bodies and sometimes even flush out pus and
debris.
At the Box Hill Veterinary
Hospital, we also treat a number of external eye
problems, including conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, blocked
tear ducts, and foreign bodies in the eye. Internal eye
problems are dealt with on our Internal
Medicine page.
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