The European College of Veterinary Dermatology (ECVD) is a veterinary speciality organisation established within the EU structure for veterinary specialization recommended by the Advisory Committee for Veterinary Training (ACVT) of the EC, set up by Council Decision 78/1028/EEC of 18 December 1978 and OJ No L 302 of 22 December 1978, in its report document III/F/5285/3/91. The ECVD was an initiative of the European Society of Veterinary Dermatology (ESVD) and was the result of discussions held in the late eighties and early nineties in Europe to respond to the growing demand for better specialized veterinary dermatological services, and to harmonize certification in this area for better consumer information.

The ECVD aims at the improvement and promotion of: the quality of animal health care, by making available specialized knowledge and skills in veterinary dermatology; the quality of general practice, through contact between general practitioners and registered specialists; the quality of service to the public, by, amongst other things, the protection of the public from unqualified "specialists"; an organized structure and appreciation of health care for animals by owners, veterinarians and those interested in animal health insurance; the quality of personnel in animal clinics; the further development of veterinary dermatology.

The objectives of the ECVD are to advance veterinary dermatology in Europe and increase the competence of those who practice in this field by:

1. establishing guidelines for post-graduate education to become a specialist in the speciality of veterinary dermatology;
2. examining and certifying veterinarians as specialists in veterinary dermatology to serve the public by providing expert care for animals with dermatological disease;
3. encouraging and promoting dissemination of research and other contributions to knowledge related to the pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapy, prevention, and control of diseases directly or indirectly affecting the skin of animals;
4. the ECVD is a non profit-making organization and does not pursue commercial interests;
5. financial means of the ECVD may only be spent according to the constitution; Members or Officers of ECVD receive no payment from the funds of the College, except reimbursements;
6. Nobody may be favoured by expenditures or excessively high compensations which are not according to the purposes of the ECVD.