Pittsburgh Veterinary Dermatology

07/22/2026

Sweet Miss Ellie Mae visited us today for her ear procedure. She has had chronic infections in ONE ear, and upon exam, a pink shiny mass was visible in her ear canal. Given her young age and the appearance of the mass, it is most likely a benign inflammatory polyp. 🐾

We performed a CT of her head to look for any middle ear infection or surprise polyps on the other side, then used our video-otoscope to examine her ear canal. We were able to grasp the polyp with forceps and remove it via traction. Ellie Mae was a very good girl and her polyp did NOT extend from her middle ear cavity, which makes removal and flushing MUCH easier. We flushed out all the trapped debris, woke her up, and she was happy as a clam. We expect a full recovery!

07/21/2026

Our squirrels are completely unbothered. The cats love it.

07/07/2026

🚨 ROAD CLOSURE starting July 10th: attention to our clients using the I-376 Parkway East traveling from Monroeville, Squirrel Hill, Swissvale, etc! 🚨

Please make extra time for travel starting July 10th! Check your route into the city or around the city heading north towards Cranberry area for your pet's Pittsburgh Veterinary Dermatology appointment! 🏥

*If your expected drive time increases due to the closure and your pet is nervous for car rides, please call your veterinarian or our office for pre-medication options to settle the experience.*

Call, text or email us with any questions! 📲☎️

I-376 Parkway East 25-Day Closure Begins July 10 in Pittsburgh, Edgewood

07/05/2026

We truly hope you had a wonderful July 4th weekend, celebrating 250 years of this country! Happy Independence Day! ❤️🤍💙

From all of us at the AVMA, we want to wish you a Happy Independence Day! During today's holiday, be sure to take a moment to reflect on all the people whose sacrifices have made our freedom possible.

06/29/2026

Check out our visitor last week! I was thrilled, but the other birds not so much!
Who can ID this big guy??

06/16/2026

Thank you Dr Painter!

When we think "allergies," we picture sneezing, watery eyes, a runny nose - rhinitis signs. We don't think about ear infections, interdigital cysts, recurrent pyoderma, and diarrhea. 👀

So, when someone's dog has these problems - the link to allergies is not always made. I see this all the time in my practice. This is especially the case around recurrent infections. The infections are seen as just something that happens, not something that is directly related to the underlying allergy.

This is why I promote Inflammation First® and encourage veterinary practioners and owners alike to see infection of the skin and ears for what it is - an expected consequence of allergic inflammation.

But, doing so can be tricky when the lens that owners see the world of allergies through is the "rhinitis" lens and not the paw-licking, secondary infection, skin one.

That's what this platform matters. As a Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist® I feel that it is my mission and duty to promote understanding and help us all have a space where we can learn the real deal about allergies.

Veterinarians - share this with your clients.
Pet parents - share this with your veterinarians.

Let's speak the same language, and help more allergic dogs together! 🐾

06/13/2026

We go all out for food days here at PVD. We always pick a theme. This week we did ‘pie day’. (Clearly we missed 3/14!). We had a beautiful raspberry pie for Dr Sargent’s birthday, some pizza pie, dirt pie, veggie pie and ube pie! What theme day should we do next??

05/30/2026

05/20/2026

Love this blog about Dog Allergy Supplements from our friend and colleague Dr Megan Painter

A Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist® breaks down the $2.67B pet supplement industry—exposing label tricks, sub-therapeutic doses, and what actually works for itchy dogs. Save money, skip the hype, and learn the evidence-based options that truly help.