Dermatology Center for Animals

I cannot speak highly enough of Dr. Mel and his care team at DCA. We live in Anchorage, and when our Cavalier developed PSOM (“glue ear”) which is common in the breed we found ourself with no Veterinarian services for his specific needs in the state of Alaska. Dr. Mel and his staff at DCA came highly recommended to us and we made the trip to Seattle for his services. CT and bilateral myringotomy was performed and our sweet boy can hear again and feels so much better. We cannot thank you all at DCA enough for helping us in our time of need. We are so grateful for you and highly recommended Dr. Mel and his team at DCA to anyone in need of specialized veterinarian Dermatology services.

I recently had a really good experience here at DCA with Dr. Mel with one our dogs who is a chihuahua, Wyatt. We were referred here by our primary veterinarian. Dr. Mel was very professional and drew everything out on the whiteboard while educating us. He was able to tell us with certainty that our dog's skin condition is related to an endocrine disorder, and not an infection or anything fungal or viral. We appreciated knowing this and we are grateful for his knowledge and expertise. While we did not receive a definitive diagnosis or treatment, we did receive a thorough evaluation with a lot of expertise behind it. I appreciated his sound internal medicine recommendations as well. We are now one step closer to a diagnosis, and onwards we go on the diagnosis journey. Dr. Mel's staff was very kind and customer service oriented. Making an appointment was very easy and check-in was fast and they were very gentle with our little Wyatt. The clinic was nice and clean and had a modern appearance. The clinic staff and Dr. Mel was quick and swift about getting the medical notes and invoices to me so that I could submit a pet insurance claim. I highly recommend DCA and Dr. Mel if you are considering consulting a dermatologist.

Buckle up folks, this is a long review! Had an initial consultation appointment today at DCA for my cat Sunshine. Had a great experience before the appt with Asa at the front desk who answered all of my questions before making an appointment. One thing I liked was that I was directed to their pricing guide before scheduling; I appreciate the up-front clarity on that, we all know specialists can get pricey! Dr. Mel was great with my shy ginger girl, she warmed up to him eventually, and he was very gentle with her. I know some negative reviews I've seen have complained about Dr. Mel's style of education, one of them I think said they felt like they didn't get clear answers which I understand, but I really appreciate how he took the time to carefully review the entire differential diagnosis process and all of the different treatment options depending on the cause. The fact of the matter is that unfortunately there aren't always clear-cut answers (like in our case). The photos I'm including are of the room with the white board, then the information from the appointment. Even though we don't have a "definitive" diagnosis (meaning we don't know what her allergy is), after carefully examining Sunshine and the photos I have taken of her skin issue, Dr. Mel talked me through why he disagreed with the initial diagnosis from my vet and answered all my questions to make sure I understood where he was coming from and what he would expect to see if it was an autoimmune problem (original diagnosis) rather than an allergy. Lastly, my favorite thing was that I wasn't pushed toward the most expensive treatment option which would also be invasive and tough commitment-wise. In the end we agreed to continue doing the as-needed treatment with steroids that we were already doing, and Dr. Mel talked me through my concerns and the pros and cons of this decision. He could have easily been a fear-monger to push for the allergy testing and immunotherapy, but he cares about the patients and the owners, and was upfront about not feeling like it was necessary for our girl at this time. It was easy to make an appointment through the website, and I also really appreciated the super-detailed parking instructions! I highly recommend this practice!

I had two visits with this dermatologist and came away feeling like the care was generic, dismissive, and not tailored to my dog at all, which was especially disappointing given the cost. My dog has a long history of chronic diarrhea and later developed severe skin issues (rash, hair loss across the trunk). I came in expecting a thoughtful evaluation that considered both together. Instead, the approach felt like a shortcut: I was told this was “probably atopy” and essentially pushed toward Apoquel without any meaningful effort to explore diet-related causes or other explanations specific to his history. What bothered me most is that Apoquel is not a great fit for my dog due to a prior history of cancer. When I raised that concern, it didn’t seem to change the recommendation or lead to any discussion of alternatives. That felt careless. When I asked about allergy testing or next steps, I was told it wasn’t worth pursuing because of his age, including a comment along the lines of “he’ll be dead by the time we can do anything with that information.” I found that both dismissive and inappropriate. I understand that Apoquel is a common treatment and that many cases are managed this way. But this felt like a one-size-fits-all approach rather than actual dermatology workup. I paid for a specialist and got what felt like a default answer. I ultimately made more progress addressing the issue through diet changes on my own than I did from these visits. If you’re looking for quick symptom management, this may be fine. If you want a thoughtful, individualized approach, especially for a more complex case, that was not my experience. Edit: I am updating this review in response to the clinic’s reply. I am not confusing this clinic with another. The dates they listed are correct, and this review is about those visits. To clarify one point, Apoquel was discussed, but it was not prescribed because I declined it due to my dog’s prior history of cancer. My concern was that this was still presented as the primary path forward without meaningful discussion of alternatives. My overall issue remains the same. The care felt generalized and not tailored to my dog’s specific history. Kuma has had lifelong gastrointestinal issues along with later skin problems, and I came in hoping for a more thoughtful evaluation that considered both together. That did not happen. The response here focuses on whether specific medications were prescribed, but that misses the point of my review. My concern was not just prescriptions, but the overall approach. I did not feel that diet-related causes or other explanations were meaningfully explored. I also stand by my recollection of the tone and communication during the visit. While the clinic disputes specific phrasing, the overall message I received was that further investigation was not considered worthwhile, which I found discouraging. Since then, I have made significant progress addressing Kuma’s issues through diet changes, which reinforces my feeling that this avenue should have been taken more seriously during our visits.

We are so grateful for Dr. Mel and his team at DCA. Our cat Arthur has struggled with severe atopic dermatitis due to allergies, and after multiple ER visits, procedures, and primary care vet appointments (all involving repeated steroid injections and antibiotics) we were worried about the impact on his long-term health. We decided to see a dermatologist, and we are so thankful we did. From the moment we met Dr. Mel, he was incredibly kind, calm, and gentle with Arthur in a way that immediately put both us and our cat at ease. He explained Arthur’s condition slowly and clearly, helping us understand something that is usually very complicated and overwhelming. He was honest and transparent about treatment options and success rates, and it was clear that he genuinely just wanted what was best for Arthur now and in the long term rather than the quick fix. The clinic itself is clean, welcoming, and clearly run by people who care deeply about animals and the humans who love them. Every staff member we interacted with was compassionate, attentive, and invested in helping Arthur feel comfortable. Thanks to Dr. Mel and his team, our sweet boy is finally experiencing relief. We know allergies can be a long and challenging journey, but we are endlessly grateful to see Arthur feeling like himself again and to have such a knowledgeable and caring team supporting him. Thank you, Dr. Mel and staff, for taking such wonderful care of our Arthur!