Itching, licking, red patches, scabs, hair loss and new lumps are skin problems a vet should check when they last more than a few days or keep coming back. Petfolk Veterinary & Urgent Care - Indian Land, a vet clinic in Indian Land, South Carolina, finds the cause with simple in-clinic tests and builds a plan you can keep up at home.
Call (803) 232-9817 or book online.
Which skin problems does Petfolk Indian Land see most?
Itchy skin is the most common skin complaint at Petfolk Indian Land. Since the clinic opened (May 8 to October 19, 2026):
About 1 in 8 Indian Land sick visits (12%) were for itching, scratching, licking, hot spots, hair loss or allergies.
Dogs made up 91% of those itchy-skin visits.
About 1 in 3 itchy-skin visits (33%) included an in-house skin or ear cytology test, where the vet looks at a tape or swab sample under the microscope for bacteria and yeast.
Itch follows the seasons. Across Petfolk's Charlotte-area clinics, itchy skin was behind about 14% of sick visits from June to September, versus 11% from December to February (October 2025 to September 2026).
Petfolk Indian Land is a general practice, not a specialist dermatology service. If a case needs a specialist, the vet will tell you.
Will a hot spot heal on its own?
Usually not. A hot spot (a raw, wet, often smelly patch of infected skin) tends to get bigger, because licking keeps it moist and bacteria spread outward. Many start under a thick coat after a swim or a bath that never dried fully. At Petfolk Indian Land, treatment means clipping the hair, cleaning the skin and stopping the licking, then finding the cause (fleas, an allergy flare, an ear infection) so it doesn't come back. Book a visit if the patch is bigger than a coin, keeps spreading, or your pet won't let you near it.
Do South Carolina ticks cause skin problems in pets?
Yes. A tick bite can leave a red bump, a scab or a small infection where it fed. Ticks in South Carolina can bite and spread disease year round, and six species are common here (SC Department of Public Health). Clemson University lists the lone star tick as the one most often collected in South Carolina.
After a walk through tall grass or a wooded edge, run your hands over your dog's ears, neck, armpits and between the toes. Pull an attached tick straight out with fine tweezers, and keep it in a sealed bag if your pet later seems unwell.
Is hair loss in a cat just shedding?
No. Cats shed evenly, so bald, thin or stubbly patches, especially on the belly and inner legs, usually mean the cat is licking or pulling the fur out. Fleas, allergies, stress and pain are common reasons. A round, scaly bald patch can be ringworm, a fungus (not a worm) that can spread to people and other pets. Skin scrapings, tape samples and a fungal culture help sort these out at Petfolk Indian Land.
How does the vet check a lump on the skin?
The Petfolk Indian Land vet usually starts with a fine-needle aspirate: a few cells are drawn into a small needle and looked at under a microscope or sent to a lab. You can't tell a harmless fatty lump from a concerning one by feel. Across Petfolk's Charlotte-area clinics, lumps or bumps were behind about 1 in 9 sick visits (11%), and about 1 in 10 lump visits (11%) included a cytology test (October 2025 to September 2026). Lumps that need to come off are covered on the surgery page.
Petfolk came up with a plan and fixed her skin issues.
Gail B., Google review
What happens at a skin visit at Petfolk Indian Land?
At Petfolk Indian Land, a skin visit follows four steps:
History. When it started, what you've tried, diet and flea product.
Exam. The whole coat, ears, paws and nails, since nail and paw problems often share a cause with the skin.
In-clinic tests. A skin scraping for mites, a tape or swab sample for bacteria and yeast, or a hair sample.
A plan and an estimate. You see the estimate before treatment. If itch follows the seasons, the plan may overlap with allergy testing and treatment.
When is a skin problem a reason for a 24-hour hospital?
Go to a 24-hour emergency hospital if your pet's face or throat swells quickly, a wound is deep and bleeding, or a skin problem comes with collapse, weakness or pale gums. Petfolk Indian Land handles non-critical skin problems.
Where do I book a skin check near Charlotte Highway?
Petfolk Veterinary & Urgent Care - Indian Land is a veterinarian in Indian Land at 1150 Sherbrook Ave, Ste B109, Indian Land, SC 29707, near the Charlotte Highway corridor, with on-site parking. Call (803) 232-9817 or book online.
Book a visit at Petfolk Veterinary & Urgent Care - Indian Land, or see all veterinary services in Indian Land.
Skin and coat questions from Indian Land pet parents
Near the Charlotte Highway corridor