Dermatology For Animals (DFA)

Opening Hours

Monday – Friday: 9am-5pm

Saturday - Sunday: Closed

Our specialists travel across Queensland, Northern Territory and parts of New South Wales to support local pets and their GP veterinarians. See our page for more details or contact us for more information.

1300275468

team@skinvet.com.au

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If you have a pet emergency, come straight to us.

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FAQs

Our team can provide an approximate estimate of costs over the phone. A more accurate estimate will be given at the time of the consultation after examining the patient.

We accept VISA, MasterCard, EFTPOS and cash. Interest-free finance plans are available through Vetpay at the QVS Stafford Heights clinic ONLY. Our staff can explain the options and application process.

In order to make your appointment with us as seamless as possible, we’d like to detail a few things.

Please arrive 5–10 minutes early for your appointment, as this gives our staff time to greet you and verify all information about you and your pet.

If you have it, please bring your pet's previous history from your regular veterinarian.
Please don’t bathe your pet for 2–3 days prior to the visit, as this can remove many of the clues we need to identify the cause of the problem.
If allergy testing is to be performed, some medications will need to be stopped prior to the appointment.

Our recommended drug withdrawal times for allergy testing are:

Steroid injections: 6–8 weeks
Oral steroids: 4 weeks
Antihistamines: 2 weeks
Topical (including eye and ear drops) containing steroids: 2 weeks
Apoquel and Cytopoint: 0 days

NB: we can still see your pet and start the investigation even if these medications have been given. If your pet is on any other medication for other conditions, please contact the dermatology clinic BEFORE stopping the medication.

At each visit, our veterinarians will review your pet’s medical records and their response to therapies administered and perform a thorough dermatological examination.

Additional tests such as cytology, skin scrapes, blood work, cultures and histopathology may be required to further the investigation. We will then discuss the different treatment options available.

We understand many of the concepts are difficult to grasp initially and different diseases may have been discussed during the consultation. This can all seem overwhelming and hard to digest. So, once the examination has been completed, detailed client instruction sheets, along with additional information on the various diseases (investigation and expected treatment outcomes), will be given to you by our team. This information will be forwarded to your local veterinarian so they remain key partners in treating your pet.

If you would like to book an appointment, please phone 1300 275 468 to speak to one of the dermatology team members.

DFA offers the following at our Brisbane location:

Dermatology

Our services

Discover our specialized pet services at Dermatology for Animals. We offer Our experienced dermatologists and veterinarians specialise in identifying and diagnosing a wide range of skin diseases in animals. With advanced training in their field, they can distinguish subtle differences in clinical presentation, history, and treatment response that set these diseases apart. This expertise allows us to offer precise and cost-effective diagnostic investigations for your pet's skin conditions, ensuring the most effective care possible. Please see below for our range of services.

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We take pride in our specialty services

When your pet has been diagnosed with atopy (an environmental allergy), we will perform an intradermal allergy test on them. This is very similar to the test your allergist would perform on you if you had hay fever.
It involves the injection of a small amount of individual allergens into the skin. A positive reaction is seen as a lump (a bit like a mosquito bite) that develops over 10–15 minutes.
Once the positive reactions have been identified, a vaccine can be formulated to control the symptoms (itch, recurrent infections, etc).

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The shape of dogs' (and cats') ear canals is quite different to ours because they have both vertical and horizontal ear canals. This means they are very long – for example, the length of the ear canal in a cattle dog is approximately 8 cm.

The video otoscope is a thin camera that can be placed inside the ear canal, providing high illumination and magnification. This allows our veterinarians to examine and treat the deep aspects of these very long canals. It allows us to identify tumours, polyps and foreign bodies deep in the canal and allows deep cleaning – even into the middle ear – to allow better resolution of disease.

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In all cases, we strive to prevent infections and damage progressing to avoid “end-stage ear” developing, which requires surgery to remove the entire canal.

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There are only two animal-dedicated MRI facilities in Queensland, and Dermatology for Animals can utilise both to investigate complicated cases of ear disease.

This technology allows us to determine the nature of disease in the middle and inner ears. It also allows precise mapping of tumours if surgical intervention is necessary.

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In addition to being able to collect the most appropriate samples from your pets, our dermatologists are all trained in the interpretation of pathological changes, which allows much more accurate diagnoses to be made and treatment plans instituted.

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Many important changes on the skin occur at a microscopic level. We are skilled at collecting superficial samples from the skin using a variety of techniques then interpreting them to guide both diagnosis and treatment.

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While the practice predominantly sees small animal cases, we are trained in the dermatology of all species, including horses. We can and do consult on equine dermatology cases, but these are always seen in conjunction with your regular veterinarian.

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About DFA

Dermatology for Animals was established in Brisbane in 1998 to provide specialised patient care in dermatology for any species.

Our dermatologists and veterinarians have all received advanced training in their field and are committed to continuing education on the hundreds of different diseases that can affect the skin of animals. We strive to provide the very best in patient care.

Our specialists travel across Queensland, Northern Territory and parts of New South Wales to support local pets and their GP veterinarians.