Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Dog Skin Problems

Did you know that dog skin problems add up to nearly half of vet’s visits? Skin problems are hard to diagnose in dogs so a visit to the vet is usually necessary. If you have an older dog, it’s important to have any lumps and bumps on your dog’s skin examined in case of tumors.

If your dog is constantly scratching, you need to find the cause. Treating the itch alone will not solve the problem and it will keep recurring until it is fixed. Leaving skin problems untreated can lead to other problems such as agression, personality changes and may affect your dog’s overall health in the long term.

Skin diseases in dogs can be of two types, autoimmune or immune mediated. Autoimmune skin diseases are caused mainly by allergies whereas immune mediated are caused by a weak immune system. The main symptoms of dog skin problems are inflammation, itching. Hair loss, lesions and lumps on the skin. In an attempt to relieve the aggravation, your dog will scratch, lick, roll on the ground or bite himself continuously.

Your vet will examine the dog’s skin with and ultra violet light and may take a scraping of skin for more accurate diagnosis. In some cases blood tests are used for difficult to diagnose cases.

Treatment will depend on the type of skin disease affecting your dog. Anti histamines are usually prescribed for allergic skin diseases. Anti funfal products, such as shampoo, are used for fungal skin diseases, for instance ringworm. Bacterial skin infections (pyoderma) will need antibiotics.

It makes sense to try and prevent dog skin problems in the first place. This can be done by making sure you dog has a good diet and by regularly bathing and grooming him. Here are a few natural treatments for mild skin problems…

Run some water through a bag containing colloidal oatmeal and use this to wash your dog.

Rub your dog’s skin with aloe vera gel after grooming

Mix some garlic with your dog’s food to keep fleas away.

For itchy skin and insect bites, add some baking soda to your dog’s bath.

For itchy feet, dissolve Epsom salts in some cool water.

Hopefully these suggestions will help. Don’t forget if the problem continues or becomes worse it’s important to visit the vet. If not treated properly, dog skin problems will only get worse and result in more serious health issues.