Your Dog's Biggest Concern: Skin Problems

Our dogs are part of our family. We make an effort to keep them healthy and happy. You brought them into your home and created a warm environment. You always provide preventative care to avoid heart worms, fleas, and ticks. Make certain they aren't caught by one of the most common dog issues, skin problems. Skin problems do not single out one breed, all dogs are susceptible.

The appearance of your dog's coat can actually give away indications of their overall health. It is important to pay attention to your family pet's skin to catch any growing problems early. While some can be simple to deal with others can become quite serious and even fatal if left untreated. Dog skin problems fall into several different categories.

The first is immune disorders. These skin issues are a result of problems with your dog's immune system. This means your dog may be opened up to being effected by reoccurring skin conditions, such as some types of mange and other disorders. This category also includes dogs with allergies affecting their skin known as canine atopic dermatitis. While it would be ideal to have your dog avoid the allergen that is affecting them that is usually just not possible. There are a range of drugs and steroids available that will work to stop your dog's immune systems inappropriate response to the offending allergen. However you may also find that shampoos can be of great help to a dog with skin allergies. Read dog shampoo reviews to determine what the best shampoo for you and your pooch are.

Second would be infectious skin diseases. These dog skin problems include parasitic, bacterial, fungal, and viral skin infections. Tick and flea infestations fall in this category. Ringworm, most common in puppies, is a fungal skin problem in this category.

A third category is hereditary skin diseases. Some dogs are just born with problems. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome for example. This disease involves failures in connective tissue specifically there is a problem with how collagen is produced. The dog may very easily bruise and have very poor healing of their skin if injured. Joint issues are also common with this disorder. Because of poor connective tissue sprains and pulls are more likely. Puppy strangles, a debilitating condition that appears usually around 6 weeks, also fits in this category.

Internal diseases is the last area. Some internal diseases express their symptoms through dog skin problems. This is yet another reason to carefully watch and have your dog's skin conditions diagnosed. What may seem like a small irritation could in fact be a symptom of a much larger problem. Hormonal problems are prime offenders. This may be a range of different diseases or even tumors located on ovaries or testicles.

Remember spotting a problem early will save you and your dog a lot of stress. Be on the look out for persistent, non-stop scratching and any areas that appear particularly sore. They may be red or look swollen. Hair loss in areas where the skin is scaly, hard and rough, or oozing from the skin is a give away there is trouble.

Make an appointment for your dog to see the vet if you believe they have a skin condition. A vet may recommend a medication or you may just have to search out dog shampoo reviews to locate a shampoo to resolve your dog's itch.



Category: 2 comments

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks

Troy Flores said...

Skin problems in dogs are more prevalent than we thought. Some are easily treatable, while some skin problems can require more intensive medical management. For new pet parents, I would really recommend you to read this very informative article about skin problems in dogs: http://dogsaholic.com/care/dog-skin-problems.html

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