Horses can be affected by many different skin conditions, ranging from common bacterial and fungal infections, parasitic infestations and allergies to rare immune-mediated disease. There may be several equine dermatology conditions affecting the horse at any one time; for example, a horse with sweet itch may have hair loss and secondary bacterial skin infection as well as the underlying causal allergy.

Equine Dermatology Diagnosis
It is often possible to diagnose the horse's problem by a thorough clinical examination on your yard. We may take samples of the hair and scabs for laboratory tests such as microscopy and culture to confirm the diagnosis. Complicated cases may require that we take a biopsy of the affected skin for histopathological examination. 

Internal Referral
For those very complicated cases, we can arrange for your horse to see dermatologist Sue Paterson at Ashbrook.

Sue qualified from Cambridge University in 1984 and gained her Certificate in Small Animal Dermatology in 1990. She gained her RCVS Diploma in Veterinary Dermatology in 1994 and European Diploma in 1996. She is a RCVS and European Recognised Specialist in Dermatology andhas now written and edited four textbooks as well as numerous article and book chapters.

Sue has a keen interest in Equine Dermatology and runs monthly dermatology clinics at Ashbrook, accepting referrals from vets across the North West. She examines and treats all types of skin disease, including cases of allergic skin disease, immune mediated skin disease and chronic or recurrent infections. Intradermal allergy testing followed by immunisation vaccine are commonly performed and can prove extremely beneficial for horses suffering from allergic dermatitis.