Our Services
Board-certified veterinary dermatologist in South Florida, specializing in the care of animals with skin, allergy and ear conditions.
Your pet is part of our family
At Miami Veterinary Dermatology, we specialize in diagnosing and managing allergies and recurrent ear infections. In addition to these core services, we also offer a wide range of diagnostic treatments to address various dermatological concerns in pets. We strive to make sure every pet feels loved and cared for and their care-givers get the support they need.
Allergic Skin Disorders:
Diagnosis and Management
How allergies affect your cats and dogs
Allergies are a frequent cause of skin and ear issues in both dogs and cats, often being the primary reason pets visit a veterinary dermatologist. These allergies can lead to significant itching and discomfort for pets. While scratching is the most common sign of itchiness, pets may also chew, lick (especially their paws), rub, scoot, or over-groom (particularly in cats). Allergies can also result in recurrent skin infections and ear infections.
What are the 3 main types of allergies?
The three main types of allergies affecting dogs and cats are flea allergies, food allergies, and environmental allergies (such as pollen). Dr. Rosales will take the time to thoroughly assess your pet’s condition to determine which allergy or allergies may be causing their discomfort. Identifying the specific allergy may require multiple visits.
How environmental allergy testing works
For pets suffering from environmental allergies, Dr. Rosales offers intradermal allergy testing, which is similar to the skin prick test performed on humans. This testing is considered the gold standard for identifying the environmental allergens that could be causing your pet’s itching. Once the specific allergens are determined, Dr. Rosales will create an allergen-specific vaccine or immunotherapy to help “desensitize” your pet to these triggers. This personalized treatment is a highly effective, non-steroidal method for managing chronic allergies in both dogs and cats.
Ear Infections
Diagnosis and Management
Recurrent Ear Infections
Recurrent ear infections are common in dogs but rare in cats. When an ear becomes infected, it can cause significant pain and discomfort for your pet. It’s important to address ear infections quickly to prevent the development of chronic changes in the ear canal.
As part of the treatment for recurrent ear infections, Dr. Rosales may use video-otoscopy to get a detailed view of your pet’s ear. This advanced tool, resembling an elongated camera with a strong light source, is gently placed inside the ear to provide a clear view of the deeper structures, including the ear drum. This allows for a thorough assessment of the infection’s extent and helps determine if it has spread to the middle ear.
Middle Ear Infections: Advanced Diagnosis and Treatment
Chronic ear infections in dogs are often caused by infections that have reached the middle ear. When an infection extends beyond the ear drum into the middle ear, it becomes more difficult to treat with regular ear cleanings. This deep-seated infection requires specialized treatment to effectively address and resolve the issue.
At Miami Veterinary Dermatology, we offer state-of-the-art middle ear infection treatment using video otoscopy. This advanced procedure involves cleaning the ear under anesthesia to allow for thorough and precise treatment. Using a video otoscope, we insert a catheter through a specialized port, which is connected to a device that flushes saline into the middle ear and then suctioning out the debris and infection.
This deep cleaning is essential to remove the infection from the middle ear, as it is only after this step that the ear infection can for most patients be fully resolved. This approach ensures the most effective treatment for pets with chronic ear infections.
Treatment of Other Conditions:
At Miami Veterinary Dermatology, we specialize in diagnosing and managing a wide range of skin disorders beyond allergies and recurrent ear infections. Our expert team is equipped to handle various conditions, including:
Skin, paw, and
nail infections
Parasitic infections, such as mange (mites)
Endocrine and hormonal disorders
Autoimmune conditions
Keratinization disorders
Congenital and hereditary disorders
Certain neoplastic (cancer) conditions
Idiopathic or unknown causes
Our comprehensive approach ensures that your pet receives the best care for a variety of dermatological conditions.
Diagnostic Services
At Miami Veterinary Dermatology, we offer a range of diagnostic tests to quickly assess and diagnose your pet’s skin conditions. Many of these tests are routine and can provide results within minutes during your visit:
Skin Cytology
An essential diagnostic tool for detecting infections
Skin cytology is an essential diagnostic tool for detecting infections on your pet’s skin. We use various methods, including tape sampling or swabbing the affected area, to collect a sample, which is then examined under a microscope. This test can be performed during the visit, and results are available in 15-20 minutes.
Ear Cytology
Ear cytology helps identify infections in your pet’s ears.
A sample of the ear discharge is taken and examined microscopically. Like skin cytology, this test is done during the appointment, with results ready in 15-20 minutes.
Skin Scrapings
Skin scraping to test for mites
A small, dull blade is used to scrape both affected and unaffected areas of your pet’s skin to check for mites (such as mange). This simple test provides immediate results to determine if mites are causing your pet’s skin issue.
Skin Biopsy
Skin biopsy to confirm diagnoses
For certain conditions, such as autoimmune disorders, a skin biopsy may be necessary. A small skin sample is taken under local or general anesthesia and sent to a dermatopathologist for detailed analysis. This procedure helps confirm diagnoses when needed.
Skin / Ear Cultures
To identify bacterial and/or fungal infections
A sterile sample is taken from your pet’s skin lesion or ear discharge and sent it to a microbiology lab for culture. This helps identify bacterial and/or fungal infections contributing to your pet’s condition.
Various Bloodwork Analyses
Blood test to detect underlying conditions
Blood tests help detect underlying systemic conditions or hormonal imbalances that may be causing or contributing to your pet’s skin problems.
Dermatophyte Test Medium
For diagnosing fungal infections
These diagnostic services allow us to quickly and accurately assess your pet’s condition, ensuring the most effective treatment plan.
What to Expect at Your Appointment
Making Your Appointment
In order to facilitate the scheduling of the appointment, please provide us with the following:
- Name of the veterinarian that referred you. If you were not referred by a veterinarian, we need the name of all the veterinarians that examined your pet for skin and/or ear problems in the past.
- Authorization to obtain your pet’s medical records
- Credit card to reserve the appointment.
Dr. Rosales’ office will confirm appointments within two days of your visit. If you are unable to make your appointment, please inform us within 24 hours. This gives us ample time to call those clients who are on our wait list. You may inquire about our drop-off option, if your work schedule doesn’t fit into our work hours.
Prior to Your Initial Consultation
- Do not bathe your pet or clean its ears 2 days prior to your appointment. Do not apply any ear medications the morning of the recheck appointment.
- Patients that are non-diabetic should not receive food after 10 pm the night before the initial consult visit. Water is allowed up to the morning of the appointment. This is recommended in case bloodwork needs to be obtained or a sedation or anesthetic procedure needs to be performed.
- Diabetic patients should continue to receive insulin as directed by their veterinarian. Pets on thyroid supplements or seizure patients on anti-convulsant medication should continue on their medications as instructed by their veterinarian.
- Please bring or take a picture of all your pet’s medications: including shampoos, sprays, ointments, ear medications, flea and heartworm preventatives. Take a picture of your pet’s food bag so we can see the ingredients.
Your Initial Consultation
We ask that you come 15-20 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment to fill out new client information forms as well as a pet questionnaire.
To save time, you can complete the pet questionnaire online by clicking here:
Once the paperwork is filled out, Dr. Rosales’ technician will take you into the examination room and briefly ask you about your pet’s problems. The technician will then review the case with Dr. Rosales, who will ask you additional questions concerning your pet. She will then perform a dermatological exam, obtain diagnostics samples (if deemed necessary) and then will confer with you about your pet’s skin issues. A treatment plan will then be formulated. A letter summarizing the visit, exam findings, test results and treatment plan will be provided to you that same day or sent to you via postal mail or email the next day. Your veterinarian will also receive the same letter, so that he/she is informed about your pet.
The initial consultation visit can take approximately 60-90 minutes.
Your Follow-Up Consultation
Depending on the primary condition your pet may have; it may be necessary to see your pet for several follow up visits. We may also have you follow up with your family veterinarian. Please discuss with Dr. Rosales any concerns you may have with these follow-up appointments.
For those coming for Intradermal Allergy Skin Testing
We need to do an initial consultation before scheduling allergy skin testing. We will then discuss what the procedure entails and if any medications need to be withdrawn prior to testing. Sometimes after assessing your pet’s skin condition we find that allergy skin testing may not be necessary.
