Wednesday, September 18, 2013

My dog"s skin problems, Hot Spots, Itching


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Question
Hi, I have an eight-year-old Norsk Buhund and he has skin problems. He has patches of red skin, some spots where the skin seems to have been scratched off, and he pulls out his own fur at these areas. He had this really badly once before, but over time it went away. The other day I saw him itching, and even grabbing at his fur and trying to pull it out, and when I checked on him, I realised he had this problem again.
I took some photos of it, please look at them: http://www.deviantart.com/download/174055448/dog_skin_rash_by_threevoices.jpg
Please get back to me! I know they went away before but I’m just worried about him. He is a European dog, and we moved to Asia a few years ago, so it might be the humidity, but this has only happened recently.
We feed him only pedigree dog food and use frontline, heartguard and worm pills, so I’m concerned …
Thanks for your time,
Naomi Answer
Dear Naomi,


Some dog breeds are notorious for hot spots and skin rashes.  They are usually caused by mites, fleas, other parasites, low quality foods, allergies, and boredom. There are several things you  can do to help aid this situation.


1. Bathe him in oatmeal shampoo and get an oatmeal after rinse (conditioner type of product). Oatmeal soothes dry, itchy skin and helps it heal. This is one of my favorites: http://www.petco.com/product/111501/Nature-s-Dog-Fresh-Goat-s-Milk-All-Natural-O…
2. Make sure you are feeding him a good quality diet. By products, fillers, and grains can aggravate this issue. Heres a link that can help you make sense of what your dog is eating:
http://lapofluxurypets.com/blog/choosing-your-pet-food/
3. There are hot spot specific sprays and ointments that have worked wonders
4. Keep your home allergen free. Frequent dusting, vacuuming, and air purifiers can help.
5. In some cases unflavored Benadryl with vets permission may do the trick.
6. If it is boredom, get your dog walking, running, playing, and learning new tricks. This will help keep his mind off of it.
7. A vet can prescribe antibiotics or cortisone if the above doesn’t work.

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