Almost half of our visits to the vet are because of dog skin problems. It’s hard to diagnose skin problems in dogs which is why we need a vet’s opinion. If your dog is older, it’s even more important to get any lumps on the skin checked out as they may turn out to be cancerous.
All dogs scratch, but if your dog scratches continuously there must be an underlying cause. It’s not enough to treat the itching alone because the problem will keep on recurring. 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. Symptoms of skin diseases are itching, inflammation, lumps, lesions and hair loss. Your dog will lick scratch and bite himself, or roll around on the ground to try and stop the discomfort.
To diagnose which skin disease is troubling your dog, your vet will examine the skin surface using a UV light and may take a skin scraping for greater accuracy. In some cases blood tests are used for difficult to diagnose cases.
The type of skin disease affecting your dog will dictate which treatment is used. 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.
Dog skin problems can be partly prevented by a healthy diet and by washing and grooming your dog regularly. 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.
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