Everyday Dermatology

BONUS MODULE – Approach Dermatology without Losing the Client or Losing Your Way!

Derm is important. Why?

1. Around 30% of sick animals presenting to a GP clinic are doing so because of skin disease
2. It’s established that a major reason clients change vets is because of frustration with how skin or ear disease is managed
3. Derm patients are repeat customers who offer steady income
4. Skin cases rarely die of skin disease, and that’s refreshing.

With just three questions and three actions, you can manage derm cases without too much head scratching. Watch this 20-minute bonus module to see how.

Module 1 – The Initial Presentation​

Dermatology is easy! In this module we’ll revisit the 3 questions and 3 actions from the introductory lecture, but we’ll cover the subject matter in more detail. We’ll look at some of the most appropriate initial diagnostic tests, and examine strategies to get the client onside. Things are much easier if your client is on board with the concept of ongoing allergy management, rather than recurring cycles of reactive treatment.

Module 2 – Initiating the Workup

Let’s say we’ve managed to get the client back for a revisit and you’re about to start the second appointment for their pet’s skin condition. What now? In this module, we’re going to run through how to interpret the responses (or lack of them) to your initial treatments. We’ll cover how to continue them (or not), and what steps will help you firm up or rule out your working hypothesis that the patient has atopic dermatitis. As part of this process, we will also discuss the increasingly common issue of drug resistant infections and how best to avoid them.

Module 3 – Managing Atopic Dermatitis

Once we’ve reached our diagnosis, we need to know how to manage the disease in the long term. Key to this is helping the client reach the understanding that lifelong care is a reality for dermatological conditions. We’ll discuss the various treatment options and how some presentations may lead us to prefer one modality over another. We’ll cover the way things can evolve, and what to do when that happens.

Module 4 – What About Cats?

Cats are different, and unapologetically so! In this module we’ll discuss how concepts from previous modules don’t necessarily apply to a species that makes up its own rules, sometimes as it goes along! Where do cats differ from dogs in the workup, and how do they respond to treatment? What works for cats and what doesn’t? This module aims to set you straight, so you can manage feline skin issues as easily as you do the canine ones.

Module 5 – Red Flags and Alarms

Here, we’ll look at the signs that indicate we’re not dealing with an allergy after all. What hidden dangers are lurking? We’ll discuss the ‘other’ differentials, and how to approach them. We’ll cover the diagnosis and treatment of diseases which can, at least at initial presentation, mimic an allergy and we’ll discuss what to look out for when your spidey sense is telling you that something different is at play.