Preparing For Your Appointment

1.  Do not bathe your pet for 3-5 days prior to the appointment. Avoid ear cleaning or ear medications for 2 days prior to the appointment. Feel free to bring pictures of your pet’s skin from previous flare-ups.

2.  Please bring a copy of your pet's medical records or your veterinarian may fax records to our office at 610-391-1212 or email to info@lehighvetderm.com

3.  Appointment times are usually 45-60 minutes.  Time spent at the office can vary from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours.  New appointments take longer than rechecks. Please schedule your day accordingly.

4. Most procedures (allergy testing, ear flushes, skin biopsies, laser surgeries etc.) are scheduled as drop offs in the morning between 8-9am and pick up times are typically scheduled in the early afternoon. Please let the staff know if you will be waiting in the area, at home, or going to work; we will do our best to accommodate your schedule.  Although uncommon, some tests require a full day to complete. 

4.  Most dermatologic problems are not solved in a single visit and require follow-up appointments. Many of our patients require lifelong maintenance treatment and periodic re-examination visits.  Annual visits are required to refill prescription medications. 

5.  Thyroid medication: Please try to give the thyroid medication 4-6 hours prior to the appointment in the event that a blood test is needed.

6.  ALLERGY PATIENTS:  Patients that are candidates for allergy testing have additional requirements for accurate results.  Since intradermal allergy testing often requires sedation and withdrawal of many medications, it is not typically possible to perform this testing on the first visit.  If you would like to test your pet on the initial visit, this must be mentioned when scheduling your initial consult.  While we do our best to accommodate you, there are no guarantees as we often have several other patients scheduled per day for testing.  Many medications, such as steroids, Apoquel, and antihistamines, can interfere with allergy testing.  We can still see your pet even if he/she is taking these medications and can help develop a plan to help get your pet more comfortable and prepare them for allergy testing in the future. If your pet is currently taking oral steroids, discuss an appropriate withdrawal schedule with your primary care veterinarian, as rapid steroid withdrawal can cause serious side effects. The below withdrawal times are recommended for dogs/cats prior to allergy testing.  If there are questions regarding specific medications, please contact the office at (610) 391-1200.

7. For any sedated procedures, please do not feed your pet for 10 hours prior to your appointment. Water is fine up to two hours prior to the appointment. Diabetic patients and other pets that need to eat for medical reasons should do so as medically required.  Administer insulin and any other medications if medically required. If you have any questions, please contact our office at (610) 391-1200.

Appropriate Medication Withdrawal Times Prior to Skin Testing

Please call us at 610-391-1200 if you have any questions