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When a senior dog walks in with multiple lumps and bumps, the big question becomes: which ones actually need a needle? And how do we make those decisions when time, finances, and patient comfort all matter?

In this episode of The Derm Vet Podcast, I take a break from the Derm Drugs series to dive into an exciting new diagnostic technology... VISTA iQ. This conversation features Dr. Liron Levy-Hirsch (managing director for HT VET), who breaks down exactly what VISTA iQ is, how it works, and why it may be a game-changer for evaluating multiple masses in dogs.

Timestamps
02:29 What Does Vista IQ Do?
04:03 Why Was This Tech Needed?
06:07 The Basics of HT Vista
08:17 The Practical Applications
10:46 How the Science Works
11:56 Process Efficiency
13:15 Limitations of the Vista IQ
15:21 How It Fits With Existing Tools
16:28 Final Thoughts
18:37 Outro

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Continuing our DERM DRUG series... we are discussing one of the most common class of drugs asked about: antibiotics! Specifically, those used for staphyloccal pyoderma since it is seen almost every day in general practice.

A majority of this discussion was developed from the newly updated ISCAID (International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases). These guidelines were updated in 2025 and are open access to the public. You can find them at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vde.13342.

These guidelines cover duration of treatment, topical therapy and different tiers of systemic antibiotics. Which antibiotics can you feel more comfortable using empirically? Find out on this week's episode of The Derm Vet podcast!

00:00 – Intro
02:12 – Important Precursors
05:37 – First Choice Drugs
08:50 – Second Choice Drugs
14:39 – Reserved Microbial Drugs
21:21 – Overview
23:47 – Outro

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Welcome to our first podcast series of the year: DERM DRUGS! We will spend the next few weeks jumping into different categories of medication and provide real world application of when and how we reach for these medications.

Our first installment in this series are anti-yeast medications. How do you know when to reach for systemic anti-yeast drugs? Which one should you pick? How long should you treat and when do you recheck?

We address all of these questions and more on this week's episode of The Derm Vet podcast!

00:00 – Intro
02:53 – Azoles
07:26 – Which Anti-Fungal to Choose
12:27 – Azole Side Effects
13:34 – Length of Treatment
14:26 – Pulse Dosing
18:45 – Overview

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I have had quite a few cool video otoscopy procedures lately. With cool procedures, come the ability to share these videos and images online. With that, comes lots of questions from you!

When should I refer for video otoscopy?

What is the purpose of video otoscopy?

When should I choose video otoscopy over everyday handheld otoscopy?

We break down the four main reasons to consider video otoscopy. If you check out the YouTube channel, there are some cool images and videos or recent scopes that will confirm how cool this procedure can be!

00:00 – Intro
01:43 – Should you have a video otoscopy
02:58 – Four main reasons to consider video otoscopy
03:12 – Magnifying the image
04:26 – Deep flushes
06:15 – Middle ear cytology and culture
07:37 – Removing things
09:19 – Overview
11:17 – Outro

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Recurrent infections can be so difficult in our allergic patients. Learn how to minimize severity of frequency of pyoderma on this week's episode of The Derm Vet podcast!

1. Work up the underlying allergies

2. Support the skin barrier

3. Adjust topical therapy accordingly

4. Recognize historical patterns

5. Refer to a dermatologist early in the disease

00:00 – Intro
02:24 – Working up the underlying allergies
04:53 – Support the skin barrier
07:36 – Adjust your topical therapy accordingly
10:27 – Recognize historical patterns
13:02 – Referring these patients early
13:56 – Overview
14:32 – Outro

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Periocular dermatitis can occur for a multitude of reasons. The first step is to figure out if the eye itself is involved or not. Once we know the eye is healthy, it is time to figure out why the SKIN AROUND the eye is losing hair, crusty, itchy, etc.

It is important to return to the basic diagnostics. Cytology can be sampled with tape (if the lesion is dry) or swab (if the lesion is wet) to not risk damaging the eye. A trichogram can be used instead of a skin scrape to also protect the eye from a scalpel blade!

Anything that can cause folliculitis to other areas of the skin can impact the periocular dermatitis. Allergies, mites, dermatophytosis, pyoderma, yeast dermatitis, autoimmune diseases and neoplasia can cause lesions. Dive into the details on this week's episode of The Derm Vet podcast!

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
03:00 Periocular Dermatitis
05:21 Cytology Techniques
06:45 Allergies and Facial Pruritus
08:20 Demodex
12:00 Biopsy
13:20 Neoplasia
16:00 Outro

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I asked a few of my vet friends what "derm gifts" they received in 2025. I loved their answers and wanted to share them on our final episode of the podcast this year!

1. More confidence in cytology

2. Comfort in using new tools and innovations

3. Improving client communication and utilization of staff

4. Treating dermatology like a puzzle you have to put together

5. Prioritizing referral for allergy testing and immunotherapy

And mine... be curious and collaborate!

Thanks for another wonderful year of podcasting! Can't wait to see what 2026 has to bring.

00:00 – Intro
01:55 – Derm Gifts of the Year
02:26 – Gift 1: Improving Confidence in Cytology
04:33 – Gift 2: Becoming Open to Try New Things
06:11 – Gift 3: Learning More About Client Communication
09:28 – Gift 4: Realizing Derm is a Puzzle
12:08 – Gift 5: Being Thoughtful When Referring Immunotherapy
15:27 – Gift 6: Remaining Curious and Collaborative
18:52 – Outro

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It is very common for clients to present their pet to the veterinarian complaining that an allergy medication that used to work is no longer effective. Before changing therapies, it is important to consider four different things.

1. Rule out simple mistakes like missed flea prevention, diet change, etc.
2. Identify infection
3. Progression of allergies
4. It is no longer just allergies

Learn more details on this week's episode of The Derm Vet podcast!

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:20 Looking for Simple Causes
03:47 Identify Infections
06:10 Allergy Progression
08:30 When It Isn't Just Allergies
10:22 Overview
12:05 Outro

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Zinc responsive dermatitis is a skin condition in dogs resulting from a zinc deficiency or an inability to properly absorb the mineral. It is a rare condition that typically presents as scaling, crusting, and hair loss around the head (especially muzzle and periocular region) and pressure points.

The most common form is syndrome I which is almost exclusively seen in Nordic breeds like Huskies and Malamutes. They have a genetic defect that impairs intestinal absorption of zinc (even when sufficient quantities are in their diet). 

Learn about this disease process including diagnosis and treatment on this week's episode of The Derm Vet podcast!

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:00 Zinc Basics
04:12 What Happens If You’re Not Absorbing Enough Zinc
05:55 Syndromes Seen With Zinc Deficiency
07:22 Zinc Responsive Dermatitis in Huskies
08:31 Presentations of Zinc Responsive Dermatitis
09:50 Other Differentials You Can See
11:53 Treatment for Zinc Responsive Dermatitis
13:35 Length of Treatment
14:10 Other Treatment Methodologies
15:19 Outro

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Solar dermatitis (actinic keratosis) is skin damage from prolonged UV exposure, affecting both dogs and cats, particularly those with light-colored or thin coats. So, pets that have white fur and live in high UV exposure areas (like the southern US) are predisposed. Symptoms include redness, scaling, hair loss, and thickened, crusty skin. Commonly affected areas include the nose, ears, abdomen, and inner thighs. 

This condition can lead to more severe issues, including pre-cancerous lesions and aggressive skin cancer like squamous cell carcinoma. We will discuss ways to identify this disease and treatment options such as CO2 laser ablation, etc.

00:00 – Intro
04:06 – Nasal Solar Dermatitis
06:32 – Classic Canine Solar Dermatitis
08:15 – Treatment Options for Solar Dermatitis
16:52 – Outro