About Us

Specialist-led, comprehensive and compassionate care

We’re The Dermatology Referral Service and our experienced and friendly team specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of all skin, hair, ear and nail diseases in dogs, cats and horses.

There are now hundreds of skin diseases described in dogs and cats alone with many of them proving a challenge to diagnose and treat quickly and effectively. With over 50 years combined experience, our specialists have the skills and knowledge required to ensure pets receive the care they need and to get to the root of the problem.

We can accept all dermatological cases from the straightforward to the more complex and our service includes:

Cytology reading
Allergy work up including skin testing
Ear work up including video-otoscopy / ear flush
Laser surgery

At our state-of-the-art centre, we have advanced equipment which helps our team provide excellent and efficient care. This includes:

Intradermal testing
Video-otoscopy
Cytology
Histopathology and cultures
Digital photography
CO2 Laser

We can now offer CO2 laser surgery

Laser surgery uses an intense beam of laser which vaporizes or “erases” unhealthy tissue. It is very precise and can selectively remove only a few cells at a time. The laser seals nerve endings and so patients are much more comfortable after surgery. There is much less post-operative swelling compared to tradional surgical methods. Less pain and swelling promotes a quicker recovery. Less bleeding simplifies surgery and reduces the need for anaesthesia. Laser reduces the risk of infection.

Laser surgery is particularly useful in dermatology and has enabled us to treat cases that would otherwise be unresponsive to medical therapy. An example is the removal of infected tail gland tissue. The photos below are of a six year old Gordon setter that had had an infected tail gland for a very prolonged period (years). She had to wear a buster collar to prevent her biting at the lesion. Although prolonged antibiotic therapy helped to reduce the size of the lesion, deep fibrosis remained and she continued to lick at the area. With the CO2 laser we were able to remove the lesion and the wound healed uneventfully. Five months on, there has been no recurrence and she no longer needs to wear the collar.