Dog Skin Problem

Hot spots are the most common dog skin problem. They cause terrible discomfort and can be potentially serious for the dog and are very hard to treat. Unfortunately, hot spots are synonamous with summer time and warm weather comes something many dog owners dread like the plague - hot spots.

Hot spots are where the dog has licked incessantly and caused a bald spot with a wet and raw looking sore or skin lesion. These not only look terrible, but also cause the dog much irritation and pain and if infection sets in can cause serious complications. Death can result if the infection becomes serious enough that it has entered the blood stream.

This type of dog skin problem can appear anywhere on the dog's body and often seems to appear overnight. There are a variety of things that cause these hot spots. Often a dog will receive a small or insignificant scratch from romping and playing outdoors. When moisture is present from the dog swimming, being in the rain, having been given a bath, or rolling in wet grass, bacteria can infect the scratch or small wound. A bacterium invades the area and the hop spot has begun.

The hot spot develops rapidly once the area is infected with bacteria and a serious dog skin problem can develop rapidly within 24 hours. The infection goes into the deep layers of skin on the dog and severe itching and self-trauma develops.

The most common treatment for hot spots is to treat them with a topical antibiotic. The dog skin problem must be thoroughly cleansed and the antibiotic applied to the area. When treatment is first started, the antibiotic needs to be applied often - sometimes as often as every 2 hours. As inconvenient as this is, it is necessary in order to avoid a deeper or more extensive infection. When an extensive or deep area of infection has set in, the dog will often have to be treated with oral antibiotics and the area around the dog skin problem shaved. This involves a visit to the veterinarian and is not only inconvenient but also usually expensive.

Hot spots that cause dog skin problems usually take up to two weeks before the hot spot appears to be healing. Fortunately for the dog, relief is felt much sooner. When your dog first stops the licking and scratching, don't be fooled into thinking the hot spot is healed. Treatment needs to continue until the lesion is completely dried up and scabbed over.

During the hot summer months, keep your dog well groomed to avoid this dog skin problem. You will save your dog much pain and discomfort and yourself a lot of inconvenience when you catch and treat this type of dog skin problem early on.

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Article Source: Ezine Articles - expert: Debra Proctor

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Your dog skin problem is driving you nuts! Your dog won't stop scratching, gnawing, licking, and biting. However, stop and think for a moment. If his behavior is driving you nuts, how must your poor dog be feeling?

By identifying the reason for your dog's itching and scratching, you are one step closer to getting relief for him. Here are the six main reasons for your dog skin problem:

Infectious - bacterial, fungal, and yeast are skin and coat pathogens. Fungi cause circular patches of hair loss that usually do not itch. Yeast infections cause greasy, and odor causing sores.

Neurogenic - no medical reason for the dog skin problem. Incessant licking characterizes this dog skin problem which is basically, a nervous habit of licking and chewing. This is often brought on by dogs that arent getting the proper exercise or attention they need and they bite, chew, and lick themselves as a nervous energy outlet.

Allergenic - an allergic reaction to numerous things; food ingredients, synthetic and natural fibers, medications and pharmaceutical products, plant material and even dust. All other causes must be ruled out before this diagnosis is used.

Environmental - itching brought on by what the dog is exposed to in his environment; swimming, digging, romping through fields. If the dog is sensitive to grasses or gets scrapes and cut, the wound often stays moist, bacteria sets in and causes an infection. This is most often referred to as a "hot spot."

Nutritional - due to imbalanced diet without proper nutrition. This dog skin problem is often caused by the owner feeding the dog an inferior dog food. Just because a brand of dog food states, "Complete and Balanced" doesn't mean it is a good source of nutrition for your dog. Owners will often opt for cheaper dog food and feel secure that they are feeding their dog a good diet because they fall for false advertising. Remember, false advertising is just as prevalent when it comes to pet products as it is in human products.

Parasitic - fleas, ticks, chiggers, deer flies, and gnats are the most common parasites that cause your dog's skin problem. Repeated exposure to these parasites can cause sensitivity and eventually infection. Cheyletiella mites, often referred to as "walking dandruff" and Sarcoptic mites which are called scabies or red mange, are much more serious. These mites cause very intense itching and scratching, hair loss and inflamed skin.

Each of these six reasons for your dog's skin problem needs to be evaluated and considered when deciding how to treat your dog's itching and scratching. By identifying the source of your dog skin problem, he can be treated and cured. Then, all will be happy - you and your best friend.

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Article Source: Ezine Articles - expert: Debra Proctor

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A Chinese herbal remedy for flea allergies, inhalant allergies, skin and coat problems.

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Your guide to diagnosing, treating and quickly curing a variety of dog skin problems

Which Of These Dog Skin Problems Do You Want
To Quickly And Easily Cure?

Loss of fur

Constant chewing and gnawing on one spot

Incessant licking

Dry, Flaky skin

Constant Scratching

Red Spots

Inflammation

Dandruff

Infections

Your dog, just like you, will go through different stages of aging. It is often difficult to tell one stage from the next but it is important to be on the lookout for signs of aging in your dog so you can give him the proper care, treatment, and love he deserves. In this article, we will cover what constitutes old age in dogs, signs of old age, and how to keep your older dog as healthy as possible.

In humans, 55-plus is considered to be the senior age category. With dogs, it is based on the size of the dog. Old age is usually determined by size with smaller dogs tending to live longer. Large dogs begin to show their age at 8 or 9 years of age, with middle-sized dogs (50 lbs) showing age at about 10 years. Small dogs and toy breeds generally live longer and don't show age until around 12 years or so. The good news is that just as the human life span has increased, so has your dog's. In the 1930s, the average life expectancy for dogs was 7 years and it is now 12 years. Today, it is not uncommon for some dogs to live up to 14 or 15 years of age.

Increasing Your Dog's Life and Health -

You can't keep your dog from aging, just as we can't keep ourselves from aging, but there are things that you can do to increase the life and health of your beloved dog. These include annual checkups by your dog's vet. As well as getting your dog's yearly rabies vaccination, this will protect you dog from diseases such as hepatitis, septospirosis, parvovirus, kennel cough and distemper. At these annual checkups, make sure you dog is checked for heartworms and intestinal parasites and keep fleas and ticks controlled at home. As your dog ages, his immune system becomes weaker and cannot fight off germs and parasites as well as a younger dog.

Other ways to keep your aging dog healthy is to control his diet in order to keep his weight down.

As your dog ages, he is naturally less active and doesn't need to consume as many calories. So, limit calories and keep up a good exercise program. Good nutrition is critical for the health of your dog. Make sure you avoid cheap or generic dog food that can be harmful to your dog and lack proper nutrition. Your dog may seem happy being fat, well-fed and babied, but he will live longer and have a life that is enjoyable if he is kept in shape by regular exercise.

Periodontal disease is next to obesity as the most common problem with aging dogs that vets see. It is important to keep your dog's teeth clean to prevent gum disease.

Keeping your dog strong and healthy dog will help him age later than a dog that is stressed by disease or environment early in his life. Spaying and neutering your dog before six months of age usually adds to your dog's life expectancy.

Signs of Aging -

How can you tell your dog is aging? One of the first signs of aging is when your dog starts to slow down. They just aren't as active and playful as they used to be and take more frequent naps. It takes them longer to get up from a lying position and they go slowly up steps one at a time. You will begin to notice that your aging dog can no longer tolerate extreme temperatures. They no longer enjoy lying out in full sunshine but rather seek out cooler shady spots to relax. Immune system is less able to fight off attacks

Signs that indicate that your dog is aging include being stiff after waking. This is a normal part of aging and you just need to allow your dog time to slowly wake up and walk off the stiffness. You might also notice some hearing loss and changes in their skin and coat. Wounds heal more slowly, they acquire allergies or their current allergies worsen. Oftentimes, your dog will start getting benign tumors that appear in their mouth or on their extremities.

Special Care for Your Older Dog -

There are many ways in which you can care for your older dog that will make him more comfortable.

- Because you dog will tend to be stiff, allow time in the mornings for your dog to leisurely walk about to loosen up.

- Make sure he has a good bed that has the proper support and is a comfortable size for him.

- Brush his coat more often to stimulate the oil glands which in turn will help his drying skin.

- Be patient and understand that his kidneys may be getting weaker and he will tend to have some "accidents" in the house. This is out of his control so be diligent in letting him have more time outside.

- Above all, spend time with him. He has been a loyal friend and deserves to be treated well.

By recognizing the signs of aging in your dog and taking care of your dog's needs, you can extend your dog's life. With the proper care, attention, and treatment, your dog can live a long, healthy and happy life.

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Does your dog sit and shake his head for no apparent reason? If so, there is a good chance that he is having some sort of ear problem, but to know how to give your pet relief, you need to know the cause of the problem.

The most common signs of ear problems in dogs are head shaking, constant scratching at the ears, redness that you can see on some portion of the ear, odor or discharge coming from the ears. Your dog can have ear problems that originate on the pinnae, the outer ear that you can see, or the external, middle, or inner ear canals. Here are the main causes of outer and inner ear problems of dogs.

The outer ear of a dog is referred to as the Pinna. Diseases that affect only the pinnae are:

Neoplasia - the process of abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells.

Eosinophilic panniculitis - a diseases that involves the inflammation of subcutaneous fatty and muscle tissue.

Breed-related dermatoses - diseases that are specific to each breed

Scabies mange - disease caused by sarcoptic mites. This can often appear to be an allergic reaction.

Demodectic mange - caused by demodex mites. Causes much less itching and self-mutilation than sarcoptic mites.

Fly bite dermatitis - biting flies attack the skin of the pinna or ear flap causing the dog to itch and scratch which results in bumps and scabs.

Ringworm - caused by a contagious fungal infection of the skin. It is not caused by a worm.

Diseases that involve the ear canals are often caused because of allergies that the dog has including food allergies. They can also be caused due to:

Ear mites - tiny, infectious organisms that resemble microscopic ticks. With the naked eye, these can barely be seen but appear as small white dots.

Foreign bodies - the most common foreign body that causes problems are barbed grass seeds. These cause irritation and make the dog extremely uncomfortable.

Mass in the dog's ear - these can be benign or malignant masses. Many times deafness is the only sign that there is a mass in the dog's ear.

Skin disorders - inflammation due to allergies or hormonal imbalances.

Sometimes your dog will have ear canal problems because of predisposing factors such:

Stenotic ears - where the ear canal is particularly narrow or folded which is common in breeds like the Shar-peis.

Excessive Cerumenous glands - the function of these glands is to secrete earwax. They are located in the skin of the ear canals can also cause problems. Labrador Retrievers and some breeds of Spaniels generally have this problem and it leads to extra moisture in the ear canal which is the perfect environment for the growth of germs.

Other causes in ear canal problems could be excessive hair in the ear canal, swimming, damage to the canal due to epithelial migration, or contact sensitivity where they have a bad reaction to medication.

Whether your dog has outer, external, middle, or inner canal ear problems, being able to identify the cause is your first step toward wellness and relief for your dog.
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