Dog Skin Problem - Tips For Correctly Identifying The Causes

When your dog starts his endless routine of scratching, licking and biting, it drives you nuts and more often than not, you assume his dog skin problem is because of fleas. This is natural. Fleas are very often the cause of this type of behavior in your dog. But unless you can positively identify that the problem is a flea infestation, you are making a wrong assumption that is bad for your dog's health. Listed below are the six major reasons for your dog's behavior so you can learn to correctly identify the problem and save your dog and yourself some misery.

1. Nutritional
Symptoms - hair loss, skin irritation, itching, scratching, general unhealthy appearance
Causes - being fed an inferior dog food
Treatment - feeding your dog quality food that has as the first ingredient beef, poultry or lamb

2. Environmental
Symptoms - oozy sore that your dog won't stop licking or biting
Causes - small scratch or wound that stays moist and is invaded by bacteria causing an infection
Treatment - aggressive treatment by a vet that involves clipping and shaving the hair around the wound and antibiotics

3. Neurogenic
Symptoms - obsessive, persistent licking of one particular spot
Causes - boredom, separation anxiety, being confined
Treatment - behavior modification by a dog behaviorist

4. Allergic
Symptoms - overall scratching and biting
Causes - diverse; food, fibers, medications, plants, dust
Treatment - medicated baths, oral antihistamines, ointments

5. Parasitic
Symptoms - scratching, licking biting, bald patches
Causes - fleas, ticks, chiggers, deer flies, gnats, mites
Treatment - Needs to be diagnosed by vet and treated accordingly

6. Infectious
Symptoms - circular bald patches without scratching, greasy, odorous sores
Causes - various fungi, bacteria, and yeast organisms
Treatment - depends on which cause is diagnosed. Fatty acid supplements help prevent these problems.

Learning to identify your dog's skin problem as one of these six main causes, nutritional, environmental, parasitic, neurogenic, allergic, or infectious is your first step to getting your dog help. Some of these conditions are not only irritating to your dog and you, but can be very serious. Identify your dog's problem and seek the proper treatment.
For more detailed information on how to identify your dog skin problem, go to http://www.dogskinproblem.info for more articles on symptoms, causes and treatment.
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