facial irritation

Question
hi my 1 yr old pug gets irritated facial skin during the summer (her face gets pimply looking bumps) i know that you have to wash there faces constantly but is there anythin else i can do to help this?

Answer
Hello Alata!

Clean it daily.  Gently washing your pet's face with soap and a washcloth will remove surface bacteria and help break down material that may be plugging the oil glands. To be most effective, the washcloth should be "a little warmer than a babys bath, but not scalding".  Scrub gently, then rinse well with warm water to remove any soap. You can use any mild cleansing soap, or you can buy an antibacterial pet shampoo at a pet store. Dont use human deodorant soaps, which can be irritating.

Add some heat. Antoher way to helpopen plugged glands is by holding a hot pack to the area.  Vets recommend wetting a washcloth with hot (not scalding) water. Then wring itout and hold it on the affected area for about five minutes or until the cloth is cool. Do this once a day until the acne goes away.

Reach for echinacea.  Given orally, this infection-battling herb, which is commonly sold in health food stores, may act like a mild antibiotic, stopping acne from the inside  out. Echinacea is usually sold in tablet or liquid form. Vets recommend giving one-half the human dose to a large dog, one-quarter the human dose to a medium-size dog and one-eighth the human dose to a small dog. But don't give echinacea to cats without first checking with your ve3t. Some cats have trouble digesting it.

Put calendula on your calendar.  A concentrated tincture made from matigolds, calndula may help quell skin infections and speed healing. Vets recommend mixing six drops of the tincture in an ounce of warm water. Using a clean cotton ball, apply the solution to the acne twice a day.

Raid the planter. Applying a thin layer of gel from aloe wera plant will help ease discomfort cause by a painful acne. If you don't have an aloe vera plant, you can buy the gel at most health food stores.

Don't swap medicines. Drugs made for people are unlikely
to be helpful when given to pets. Using any acne products formulated for people would probably just worsen the problem.

Avoid the squeeze.When a serious acne outbrerak is making your pet uncomfortable, you may be tempted to squeeze the pimples yourself. Don't do it. Squeezing pimples can be painful and in some cases will cause infected material to spread beneath the skin, causing a deeper infection.

Look at the big picture. While most outbreaks of acne will stick around for a few days and then disappear, sometimes it's a constant problem. It may be that there's something in your pet's environment-a certin type of flea collar, for example, or the presence of household pesticides- that's causing the problem. Try substituting an herbal flea collar for the chemical kind.

Go tot the source. As in people, acne in pets may be caused by hormonal surges or inbalances. If it's an ongoing problem, you may want to have your pet neutered. That can a lot to help.

Alos, make sure before using any of this info that you call your vet to check it over and make sure it is alright, because every dog is different.

I hope this is helpful and please keep me updated! Sending wagging tails your way! ...Nikki...