Dermatology

Mission MedVet offers board-certified specialist care in the area of veterinary dermatology and allergy. Veterinary dermatologists specialize in allergies and all diseases of the skin, hair, nails, and ears.Routine services provided include complete dermatologic examination, cytologic evaluations, skin scrapings, hair examinations, and fungal or bacterial cultures. Advanced diagnostics include intradermal allergy testing, skin and nail biopsies, histopathology, cryosurgery, video otoscopy with deep ear canal and ear drum evaluations, and CT scan. Dermatologic diseases treated at MedVet include allergic dermatitis, bacterial, fungal, viral, an parasitic skin infections, endocrine (hormonal) disorders, autoimmune diseases, and many skin cancers.

Dermatology Special Services

Biopsies - Dermatohistopathology: A procedure that entails taking a tiny section of affected skin from your pet. Theskin can then be processed, stained, and observed on a micro-scopic level to help determine what type of skin disease your pet has. Dr. Senter is trained indermato-pathology and interprets most of the skin biopsies that he takes.

Intradermal allergy testing (skin testing) - This is a procedure in which small amounts of allergens (e.g. pollens, dust, molds, insects, etc.) are injected into the skin in order to determine if a patient is allergic to these substances. This is the “gold standard” test in veterinary medicine just as it is in humans.
• Click here withdrawal times for IDAT.
• Click here to review the skin testing pictures.

Cultures - Cultures may be needed when infectious diseases such as bacteria, fungi, or mycobacteria are suspected. Culturing the skin or discharge from the skin enables us to grow the organism in the lab and determine which antimicrobial treatments will work best for that infection.

Cytology - This entails taking samples from the outer layers of the skin, applying special stains, and inspecting these samples under the microscope for infections, inflammatory cells, tumor cells, etc.

Laboratory (blood and urine) tests - There are a wide variety of lab tests that can be performed to help identify problems with internal organ systems, check antibody levels against certain infections, and monitor for possible side effects to medications, to name a few.

Skin scrapings - A quick procedure that entails using a dull blade and mineral oil to gently scrape the surface of the skin and collect a sample. This sample is then placed on amicroscope to look for mites that live on the skin or in the hair follicles.

Video otoscopy - A fiber-optic scopethat enables us to visualize and perform procedures on the ear canal and eardrum much better than with old-fashioned handheld otoscopes. We can clean the ear more thoroughly and more safely through tiny channels in the scope along with our special suction/flushing apparatus. Biopsies or complete removal of ear canal masses and foreign bodies can be performed using this technology.

Cryosurgery - A noninvasive procedure where liquid nitrogen is used to quickly freeze and eliminate
skin tumors.

• Please download this Dermatologic History Form, fill it out and bring with you on the day of your appointment with our dermatology department. MMV_dermhistory
• Click here to see the before and after treatments

Dermatologist

David A. Senter, DVM,
Diplomate ACVD

Dr. Senter received his Bachelor of Science degree from Baylor University, followed by the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from Iowa State University. Following graduation, he completed a one-year rotating internship in medicine, surgery, and dermatology at Newark Animal Hospital, a multi-specialty referral clinic in Northern Delaware. Afterwards, he completed a two-year residency in dermatology at Cornell University with
the world-renowned veterinary dermatologists, Dr. Danny
Scott and Dr. Bill Miller (authors of Muller and Kirk’s Small Animal Dermatology). He has instructed hundreds of veterinary students and veterinarians about the specialty of veterinary dermatology. Before joining Mission MedVet in 2003, he practiced dermatology in Denver at the Veterinary Referral Center of Colorado. He
currently serves as an adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Senter has authored multiple articles in both national and international journals, delivered many scientific lectures, and conducted a variety of research projects related to veterinary dermatology. He is the editor of equine dermatology for CD-Equis, a worldwide,
interactive, continuing education CD-ROM.

Dr. Senter is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Dermatology. He is one of fewer than 200 board certified veterinary dermatologists in the United States. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Kansas Veterinary Medical Association, KCVMA, and the Society of Phi Zeta veterinary honor society. He is the only board certified dermatologist in the Kansas City Metro area.

Dr. Senter specializes in allergies and all diseases of the skin, ears, and claws. His special interests are allergic skin diseases and diseases of the ears. He has had extensive training in dermatopathology, and examines and interprets most of his skin biopsies. Although, the majority of his patients are dogs, cats and horses. Dr. Senter is trained in the diagnosis and treatment of skin
diseases of all domestic animals, and he is frequently consulted by regional zoo animal veterinarians for assistance with exotic animals.