A skin scraping is a relatively simple and quick diagnostic procedure that is primarily used to identify external parasites, skin diseases or in cases of hair loss.

In this procedure, a vet places a drop of a clear, binding oil on the skin, and uses a sharp blade edge to scrape away loose skin and material from the edge of a skin lesion. The oil acts as a binder, trapping the material and sticking it to the slide. The material is placed on a microscope slide and examined for external parasites and other potential causative agents.