Common Skin Problems in Dogs - More On Paws And Claws

Dogs are susceptible to various skin problems which can be frustrating for owners who want to see them comfortable and happy. Does your dog have a skin problem, and if so, how do you fix it?

That depends on the symptoms you see. Of course, the most common sign of a possible skin problem in your dog is constant, excessive itching. Other symptoms include fur loss, either localized in a certain location or spread across the dog’s entire body. More severe cases may involve redness in the skin, changes in skin pigmentation or even open sores that your dog constantly licks.

No particular symptom necessarily proves your four-footed friend has a certain type of skin disorder, and you’ll need to investigate other areas before you draw conclusions. While it’s common and helpful for veterinarians to diagnose skin problems, it’s also essential for dog owners like you to familiarize yourself with typical canine skin problems, so you can react quickly and keep his discomfort to a minimum.

Fleas, Lice and Ticks

One of the most common problems in dogs is the presence of fleas, lice and ticks, which are parasites that live on the surface of the skin and feed on the dog’s blood. These parasites’ saliva causes skin irritation and results in intense scratching.

Lice and ticks can be detected visually when you check your dog’s fur, while fleas are hard to spot with the naked eye. However, fleas cause red pimple marks on the skin and also can be spotted through the black, gritty trail of “dirt” they leave on a dog’s belly.

While you can remove ticks and lice with tweezers applying alcohol to relax the tick’s grip before doing so you can also adopt more general methods. For instance, you can give your dog a dip with special tick shampoo to eliminate ticks. Flea sprays or flea powder can also be applied to the dog to kill parasites. But all these require persistence and it may be a while before you see results.

One of the best methods to keep your dog comfortable is to prevent ticks from living off your dog in the first place through the use of a spot-on product, such as FrontLine or BioSpot. To apply these chemicals, you drip a small amount onto the back of your dog’s neck once a month. The chemical spreads throughout the dog’s skin and kills parasites including the eggs and larvae. When regularly treated, your dog becomes an unattractive host.

Mange

Mange is a skin problem caused by mites that burrow underneath the dog’s skin, causing intense and even agonizing itching. Bald spots or inflamed red skin are common symptoms of mange. Two types of mange exist in dogs: sarcoptic mange and demodectic mange, depending on the kind of mite involved.

Inflamed red skin on dog

Most dogs carry the mites involved in demodectic mange or demodex. However, these mites usually do not cause itching except when they suddenly multiply into huge numbers. This may happen in young puppies, or in dogs with decreased natural body defenses, sometimes from stress.

On the other hand, Sacroptic mange or scabies causes intense itching in the dog as the mites burrow under the skin and even lay their eggs there. This causes large red spots on the dog’s skin, and sometimes fur loss on the ears and elbows. Scabies can infect humans as well and cause itchiness, although infection in humans usually disappears by itself after a while. However, it is still important for people to seek treatment if they get infected.

Treatment for mange requires patience and time, as eliminating them or lowering the mite population takes a while to take effect. The best way to kill the mites is to soak your dog in a lime and sulfur medicated dip for 10 to 15 minutes a few times in a week. The dip should not be washed off, but left to dry on your dog’s skin and fur. During this time, it’s best to watch your dog closely and prevent him from licking himself dry. As a further precaution, you can feed him a raw egg to line his stomach before dipping him in the solution. This way, even if he does lick himself, the solution won’t be absorbed on an empty stomach.

When fighting mange, it’s also important to support your dog with the highest quality diet you can find, to improve his immune system. Healing from mange will take a lot of his internal resources. You might consider looking into the raw diet for dogs and avoiding any corn or rice-based products for the time being.

About the author
Blake Kritzberg is proprietor of Poodle-oo: Fashion for Toy Dogs. Stop by for toy dog couture and home decor, free toy dog postcards and the Toy Dog Blog. http://www.poodle-oo.com/

Category: Dogs

Learning More About Dog Skin Problems

Learning More About Dog Skin Problems

Author: Jennifer Gretson

One of the most common type of dog health problems is that of severe skin irritations. Typically the dog will start scratching frequently, and the owner may observe such things as open wounds along with pronounced hair loss. Sometimes evidence of parasites such as fleas are also observed, and in order to properly treat this condition is important to understand all about the different types of dog skin problems.~One of the more common kinds of dog health related problems is having a severe skin irritation. Usually your dog will start to scratch frequently, and the owner might observe such things including open wounds as well as pronounced hair loss. Additionally, there may be evidence of parasites, for example fleas, are observed, and to properly treat this kind of condition, it is very important to know all about different kinds of dog skin problems.~When it comes to health problems for dogs, having severe skin irritation is one of the most common. Some of the symptoms of this will include scratching frequently, and there may even be some open wounds along with severe hair loss. There could also be evidence of a flea bite or other parasites which are observed, and since it is important to properly treat this condition, it’s imperative to understand everything concerning different dog skin problems.

A hot spot is an area which is a moist sore that usually will develop due to a cut or irritation, and when the area is very wet than bacteria may begin to multiply which is what causes an infection. This is why it is important to keep your canine away from any type of source of moisture, and this would include such things as wet grass, pools and baths.

Another very common condition is that of having ringworm, it can be signified by round patches which have hair loss. This type condition must be treated right away because it can spread among other dogs, and there are sometimes that will also spread to humans. In addition to prescribing medications, there are many special types of shampoos and dips available on the market.

Quite possibly one of the most common reasons for skin problems is due to allergies, and in many cases these are very difficult to detect and identify due to the fact that your pet may be allergic to just about anything in its environment. A very frequent reaction can come from being bit by a flea. This leads to frequent itching and scratching as well as biting on the infected area and is very uncomfortable.

There are many other types of allergies which may include such things as mites and grass and other types of substances, and although there currently is no cure for these, there are anti-histamines as well as sprays and ointments that can help to soothe the effects.

A few other reasons might include getting poor nutrition, there are different pet foods which may have ingredients that could create a reaction. Having a nutritious diet is very important in improving both their skin as well as the hair. There are numerous really good commercial pet foods, and some might have ingredients such as vegetables and fruits along with other important nutrients and supplements.

Proper grooming should be practiced at all times and this includes bathing as well as brushing your dog’s coat often. It is recommended not to use human shampoos as these are much harsher than those that are specially formulated for canines only. Brushing will help in your pet’s circulation and will help you spot check for any type of infections.

If you see wounds and lesions consistently then it is time for you to visit your veterinarian, especially if they last more than a few weeks. Your pet could very well have a serious medical condition and your vet will be able to diagnose and come up with a treatment program.

About the Author:

I’m a pet health authority who specializes in natural skin care for dogs. Click here for more information.

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More on food allergies and food intolerance in dogs

Posted on January 14, 2009 by holisticpetfood

Continuing this week’s theme of allergies in dogs, let me refer you to a great article by PetEducation.com, hosted by Drs Foster & Smith. Skin problems in dogs are caused by food allergies only about 10% of the time.  (The rest of the time, it’s something in their environment, like dust mites or another allergen).  But look at what they say about the “tip offs” that it most likely IS a food allergy.

• Ear problems, especially yeast infections


• Skin problems in a very young dog


• Skin problems that occur year round or begin in winter


• Skin problems that don’t respond to antihistamines or steroids

Read on:

The symptoms of food allergies are similar to those of most allergies seen in dogs and cats. The primary symptom is itchy skin. Symptoms may also include chronic or recurrent ear infections, hair loss, excessive scratching, hot spots, and skin infections that respond to antibiotics but reoccur after antibiotics are discontinued. There is evidence that dogs with food allergies may sometimes have an increased incidence of bowel movements. One study showed that non-allergic dogs have around 1.5 bowel movements per day where some dogs with food allergies may have 3 or more per day.

It is difficult to distinguish an animal suffering from food allergies from an animal suffering from atopy or other allergies based on physical signs. However, there are a few signs that always make me suspect food allergies. One of these, is a dog with recurrent ear problems, particularly yeast infections. Another, is a very young dog with moderate or severe skin problems. A third tip off, is if a dog suffers from allergies year-round or if the symptoms begin in the winter. And the final clue, is a dog that has very itchy skin but does not respond to antihistamines or steroid treatment.

You MUST check with a vet to rule out all kinds of other potential problems.  But if it looks like a food allergy, they have a standard approach.  You change the pet’s food per the vet’s recommendation and don’t give them anything else, no table scraps, no treats, nothing!  You can usually tell right away that it was a food allergy by the way the dog’s skin and overall health respond to the new food.

I would just add that if you steer away from the less expensive commercial foods and head towards the ultra premium foods, the slightly increased cost of the food can offset the veterinary expenses incurred when you run into a problem like a food allergy, such as we’ve been discussing here. 

Teresa Holladay
The Holistic Pet Food Blog
http://IsYourPetFoodSafe.com

Filed under: Holistic Pet Food