Food hypersensitivity, food intolerance and other adverse reactions to food (ARF) could be the subject of a carrier of study. Food hypersensitivity in the dog and cat can cause a myriad of effects on several different systems of the body, with the integument and digestive system being most commonly affected.

Pruritus is the most common manifestation of skin disease in the horse. Pruritus is exhibited in a number of ways including the obvious scratching, rubbing, chewing and biting, but also in more subtle fashion such as head shaking, foot stamping or "irritability".

Atopy or Atopic dermatitis continues to be one of the most common dermatological disorders afflicting both dogs and cats. At our referral dermatology specialty practice, 75% of our patients have atopic dermatitis as one of the final diagnosis.

Allergen specific immunotherapy (desensitization or "allergy shots") has been one of the mainstays of care in specialized dermatology practice for years. In the mid 1980s serology (RAST) testing was marketed to veterinarians, and since then numerous companies have developed their own RAST or ELISA tests.

Diseases that affect the nose include more than discoid lupus or squamous cell carcinoma. This lecture will show many photographs of nose disorders to teach the practitioner some of the subtleties to consider when presented with a patient with nasal disease.

When a clinician is presented with a pruritic patient, it is correct to initially consider, and rule out, the more common hypersensitivity disorders. Atopic dermatitis, adverse food reactions, and parasite hypersensitivities (especially flea allergy dermatitis) are seen on a daily basis.

There are a limited number of tests a veterinary practitioner will be required to perform when presented with a patient with skin disease. For some of these tests, subtle and simple techniques can influence the accuracy of the results.