Chestergates Veterinary Specialists has launched a new Specialist-led dermatology service to meet rising demand for the diagnosis and management of complex skin and ear disease in dogs and cats.

The service is headed by Sara Legnani, RCVS Specialist in Veterinary Dermatology, and will operate three days a week, working closely with Chestergates’ existing referral teams to deliver rapid, accurate diagnoses and tailored treatment plans for pets in Northwest England.

An experienced clinician and educator, Dr. Legnani qualified in 2009 from the Università degli Studi di Milano. After years in general practice across Italy and the UK, she completed a specialist internship and a residency in veterinary dermatology at a busy referral hospital, achieving board certification in 2018. Before joining Chestergates in January 2026, she served as Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool Small Animal Teaching Hospital. Her clinical interests include new diagnostic methods and cutaneous infectious diseases.

Dr. Sara Legnani said:

The dermatology service will be delivered by Dr. Legnani, with support from a dedicated dermatology veterinary nurse with prior referral experience. Case types include acute and chronic skin disease, atopic dermatitis, autoimmune dermatoses, parasitic skin disease, and the full spectrum of otitis presentations - from recurrent infections to middle and inner ear involvement. The service will focus on resolving persistent pruritus, tackling refractory ear disease, and improving long-term quality of life for patients and their owners.

To underpin the new service, Chestergates has invested approximately £15,000 in video-otoscopy and microscopy equipment and is expanding nursing support dedicated to dermatology. Video-otoscopy will enable detailed ear canal assessment, therapeutic flushing, and targeted sampling, improving both diagnostic yield and procedural efficacy in challenging otitis cases.

Dermatology at Chestergates will integrate seamlessly with the hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging (with access to CT and MRI when deeper or structural pathology is suspected), Internal Medicine (for systemic or allergic drivers and complex comorbidities), Soft Tissue Surgery (including surgical management of advanced ear disease), and Neurology (for differential diagnosis and management of middle/inner ear disease). This cross-disciplinary model is designed to accelerate time-to-diagnosis and ensure case-appropriate therapy, especially for patients with multifactorial or recurrent disease.

This launch further strengthens Chestergates’ comprehensive referral offering. The hospital now covers all major services on-site and is the only centre in the Northwest to provide neurology, dermatology, oncology, ophthalmology, anaesthesia, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, cardiology, soft tissue surgery, and orthopaedics under one roof—offering referring practices streamlined case coordination and continuity of care.

Referral information:

• Clinic days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
• Species: Dogs and cats
• Scope: Skin, hair, paw and ear disease; suspected atopy; autoimmune dermatoses; parasitic disease; recurrent/refractory otitis; cases requiring advanced diagnostics and collaborative management

Chestergates Veterinary Specialists is one of the most advanced and well-equipped veterinary specialist referral centres in the UK. It offers a broad range of specialist veterinary referral services including orthopaedics, oncology, cardiology, soft tissue surgery, anaesthesia and analgesia, ophthalmology, internal medicine, diagnostic imaging and neurology and neurosurgery.