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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 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 eardrum) 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 & debris. At the Barrier Animal Care Clinic 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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