May 2023
Dermatology
Edited by Dario d’Ovidio, DVM, MS, SpecPACS, PhD, Domenico Santoro, DVM, DrSc, MS, PhD
Due to the increase in popularity of exotic animals as pets in households as well as their recognized importance on the entire ecosystem, zoologic medicine has made significant advances in the past decades. Consequently, all areas of this field have developed considerably. Dermatologic disorders are some of the most common problems affecting companion animals (eg, dogs, cats, horses), and exotic animals are not the exception. This issue of the Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice brings, in separate articles, up-to-date information on bird, rabbit, ferret, rodent, reptile, amphibian, four-toed hedgehog, zoo mammal, and fish dermatology. For the first time, we are proposing a problem-oriented approach in exotic animals to help diagnose dermatologic conditions based on the predominance of their main clinical sign, such as alopecia, pruritus, scaling/crusting, erosion/ulceration, and nodular lesions. The information presented in the articles included in this issue highlights the impressive progress made in this field of veterinary medicine over the last 20 years, with numerous scientific articles and case reports documenting newly diagnosed dermatologic diseases, new diagnostic methods as well as evaluation of new treatment modalities for different types of exotic animal species. Finally, an overview of the main zoonotic dermatoses, including parasitic, fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases, is provided to gather the most updated information on their epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment.
