Healthy skin is in! Protect the skin your pet is in.

In human medicine, patients see their family doctors for routine wellness checks and general health concerns. But often, the primary care doctor recommends a specialist. The same is now true of veterinary medicine. Get to know our Veterinary Specialist in Dermatology, Dr. Melanie Hnot [NOT].

Does my dog need a manicure?

Symmetric Lupoid Onychitis in dogs
Do you have a dog whose nails are brittle or where the nails have started to fall off? Symmetric lupoid onychitis (SLO), an immune-mediated condition that affects your dog’s nails and paws. I’ve seen this recently in some patients so I wanted to give an update on this dermatologic disease. 
Luckily, this disease isn’t that common, but if it’s your dog, you want to bring them to your veterinarian right away. 

What is it?
SLO has been reported in many dog breeds. I’ve seen it in Vizslas, Greyhounds, German Shepherds, Giant Schnauzer and mixed breed dogs. Commonly occurring in middle age, dogs can present with brittle nails or with nails falling off on multiple paws. Understandably, this can be painful and discourage your pup from walking or playing. This disease usually only affects the feet so dogs are typically still eating and drinking normally.

What can I do?
The best way to diagnose this disease is to biopsy an affected nail. The biopsy is helpful because it can differentiate SLO from other diseases.
Treatments for SLO varies as does the response of from each dog. Often a combination of treatments are used. Some dogs respond to strict diet trials, whereby a food allergy causes this disease. Other dogs respond to omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, doxycycline (an antibiotic) along with niacinamide (a B-vitamin) and some need stronger medications like prednisone. Nails grow slowly so treatment can take time. Most patients need to be treated for at least 8 weeks before seeing improvement and dogs may need treatment lifelong. Even with treatment, the nails can grow in abnormally. We also want to make sure our patients are comfortable so pain management is part of the initial plan. 

The good news, most patients respond well to treatment of SLO.

Itchy Cats

Itchy Cats
Ever had a cat that is licking excessively or scratching so much the skin bleeds?  Hopefully not, but if you have an itchy cat, you know heartbreaking it can be to watch.  If you’ve been reading up on the multitude of causes of itching in cats online, you might get discouraged.  We’re here to help guide you through the process of figuring out what’s making your cat itch!!

What causes this?
There are many causes of itching in cats. They can include parasites, infectious diseases, allergies, and behavioral issues, among other diseases. Your veterinarian will take a detailed history to learn more about your cat and will then perform their exam. Looking for parasites is one of first things we want to do. We see a lot of flea allergy dermatitis (inflammation of the skin) so we will want to perform a combing to check for fleas. Some cats are fastidious groomers and can lick fleas off of their hair coat before we even find them so we often recommend a flea prevention. Looking for other parasites is important too. Superficial and deep skin scrapings can be taken to look for certain types of mites. Skin cytology can be helpful to look for bacteria and yeast infections and testing for ringworm can be performed.

Could it be allergies?
Once parasites and infectious diseases are ruled out, the next step is determining if your cat has allergies. Allergies can be caused by fleas, foods or even pollens, dust mites and molds in their environment. 

What can I do?
A strict, prescription 2-3 month diet trial may be recommended to see if your cat has a food allergy.  We know that cats can be picky eaters, which is why we have multiple dry and canned foods to try.  If environmental allergies are suspected, allergy testing can be performed.
With all of these possible causes, we recommend taking your cat to their veterinarian so they can help you determine the cause of itching and help treat it.

*New product update in cats: Revolution Plus is a new topical preventative for cats. It helps to provide protection against fleas, some ticks, heartworm, roundworms, hookworms and ear mites. It requires a prescription so you will need to talk with your veterinarian to see if it is an option for your cat.

A veterinary dermatologist is an expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of animal skin, ear, hair, nail, hoof and mouth disorders. Our specialty teams work closely with your pet’s primary care veterinarians to develop the best possible treatment plan for your patient.  If you have questions about our dermatology services or any of our other specialized services in Surgery, Cardiology, Internal Medicine or Emergency & Critical Care, please contact us via our website at vcahollywood.com, by phone at 954-920-3556 or by email at au1000@vca.com.

Stop your pet's constant scratching!!!

Does your pet lick its paws? Is your pet scratching? Does your dog have red scaly skin? Is your cat losing hair?

Want to see this smile again?!?

Our Veterinary Dermatologist, Dr. Melanie Hnot [pronounced-Knot] may be able to help you understand how! Skin diseases can be frustrating for pet owners.

🐾🐾🐾🐾

Why is Dermatology important?

 Skin is the largest organ in the body. Skin can develop bacterial and fungal infections. It can be targeted by parasites, such as fleas and mites. Even immune-mediated diseases, allergies and endocrine diseases can affect the skin. The ears are lined with skin so similar diseases can cause ear issues too.

What is a veterinary dermatologist?

Veterinary dermatologists are veterinarians with intensive training in skin and ear diseases. After veterinary school, they perform an internship and a three year dermatology residency. The dermatology residency includes seeing dermatology patients, research and teaching. Once finished with the residency, they take an exam to become a Diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology.

When is a Dermatology appointment recommended?

Is your pet itchy? Do they have hair loss or other skin lesions? Are their ears red or malodorous? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you’ve found the right place. We understand that itching and infections can be frustrating and affect the bond between you and your pet. The goal is to determine what is causing the skin lesions and itching so they can be managed. Allergies are often life-long so it’s important to formulate a short-term and long-term treatment plan.

What to expect at your Dermatology appointment?

Prior to your appointment, we recommend that you fill out a questionnaire that provides more information on your pet. At your initial appointment, your pet’s skin and ears will be examined. Samples may be taken to look for evidence of infections or parasites. The treatment plan will include treating infections as well as discussing underlying diseases that could cause you

r pet’s skin lesions. Additional diagnostics, such as bloodwork, skin biopsies, diet trial, or environmental allergy testing may be recommended.

What services does a Dermatologist provide?
Beyond bringing back the happiness?!?!

-Allergy testing! Performing prescription diet trials to see if your pet has a food allergy-Cytology: looks for cells, bacteria and yeast that may be found on the skin
-Skin scrapings: looks for evidence of mites
-Skin biopsies
-Environmental allergy testing and immunotherapy (allergy vaccine)
-Manual and video otoscopy to evaluate your pet’s ears
-CT scans and deep ear flushes under general anesthesia

Meet our Dermatologist!

Melanie Hnot VMD, MS, DACVD

Dr. Melanie Hnot is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology. She received her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania and completed a one-year small animal surgery and medicine internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital. This was followed by a one-year dermatology internship at several private practices in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She completed her dermatology residency at The Ohio State University as well as received a Master of Science degree in 2015. She became board certified in veterinary dermatology in 2015 and has enjoyed working at VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital.

Food Allergies: When Good Foods Go Bad !!!!!

Food Allergies: When Good Foods Go Bad 

Many of us know people with food allergies, but did you know that pets can have food allergies too? In honor of Food Allergy Awareness Week, we want to make you more aware of food allergies in pets.

While it’s difficult to determine the prevalence of food allergies in dogs and cats, food allergies may occur in about 10% of dogs and cats with allergies. While you may think this is not very common, consider that in 2007, about 3.9% of children were found to have food allergies.1 

Pets can develop dermatologic as well as gastrointestinal signs with food allergies. Common dermatology problems include itching throughout the year, skin infections and ear infections. If your pet has these clinical signs, it is recommended that they be evaluated by your veterinarian to determine if a diet trial would be helpful. To determine which diet would be the best, a complete dietary history including current and previous diets, treats, table food and supplements, is necessary.

One common myth is that grains are the most common pet food allergens. In fact, proteins are much more common allergens. When your veterinarian recommends a diet trial, options include home-cooked diets, novel protein diets and hydrolyzed diets. If you decide to use a commercial diet rather than home cooking, we recommend prescription diets as research suggests that some over the counter diets may contain ingredients that are not listed on their label.

The goal is to feed a protein and carbohydrate that your pet has not eaten before. While your pet cannot have any of their previous treats, there are treat options. I like to think of diet trials as an opportunity to find a new food or treat that your pet will like. He might even like the new treats better than the old treats. Don’t forget that chewable flea and heartworm preventatives are flavored so we recommend talking to your veterinarian about non-flavored options.

We recommend that the diet is fed for at least 8-12 weeks before evaluating your pet’s response to it. In one study,2 about 94% of dogs improved by 8 weeks on the diet trial. So even if your pet does not improve within the first few weeks, it’s worth it to continue the diet trial. You may think that sounds like a long time to wait to see a reduction in itching, but we have medications that we can use to keep your pet comfortable during the diet trial. Blood and saliva food allergy tests are available, but they have not been found to be reliable.

If your pet is on a diet trial, it’s important to follow it closely and remember, no cheating allowed! You might think one treat can’t be bad, but even a small amount of a food that your pet is allergic to can cause more itching and infections, which are the things we want to avoid.

Our goal during Food Allergy Awareness Week is to get more itchy pets the treatment they need.

We hope you enjoyed our first dermatology blog post by VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital’s dermatologist, Melanie Hnot. Check back soon for more dermatology information!

1. Branum, Amy and Lukacs, Susan. “Food Allergy Among U.S. Children: Trends in Prevalence and Hospitalizations.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oct. 2008.
2. Rosser, EJ. Diagnosis of food allergy in dogs. J Am Vet Assoc 1993; 203: 259-262.

Congratulations to our Board Certified Dermatologist, Dr. Melanie Hnot!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to Dr. Melanie Hnot on becoming a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology!  

Dr. Hnot MS, DVM, DACVD was born and raised in New Jersey, but has really enjoyed her recent move to South Florida. 

After graduating from Mount Holyoke College, she completed veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania. She then went on to complete a one year small animal surgery and medicine internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in Tinton Falls, NJ and followed this with a dermatology internship at several practices in NJ and PA.  

Dr. Hnot, completed her dermatology residency and additionally received a Master’s of Science degree from The Ohio State University in 2015.

Her special dermatology interests include allergic diseases and otitis. Outside of the clinic, Dr. Hnot can be found spending time with her greyhound and enjoying our S. Florida beaches. 

We are very excited to announce this wonderful accomplishment and welcome her expertise to our community practice.  

Why would my pet need a Dermatologist? 

View what other specialty veterinary services we offer!