Dog Skin Problems, What to Look For

Dog owners love their animals and want them to be healthy and happy. You provide fun toys and quality food for them. You provide them with necessary preventative care for heart worms, fleas, and ticks at regular check-ups. Regular check-ups will keep away one of the most common issues for dogs, skin problems. Dog skin problems can effect a mixed breed mutt just as easily as a pure bred so everyone needs to be on the watch.

The appearance of your dog’s coat can actually give away indications of their overall health. It is important to pay attention to your family pet’s skin to catch any growing problems early. While some can be simple to deal with others can become quite serious and even fatal if left untreated. Dog skin problems fall into several different categories.

The first is immune disorders. These skin issues are a result of problems with your dog’s immune system. This means your dog may be opened up to being effected by reoccurring skin conditions, such as some types of mange and other disorders. This category also includes dogs with allergies affecting their skin known as canine atopic dermatitis. While it would be ideal to have your dog avoid the allergen that is affecting them that is usually just not possible. There are a range of drugs and steroids available that will work to stop your dog’s immune systems inappropriate response to the offending allergen. However you may also find that shampoos can be of great help to a dog with skin allergies. Read dog shampoo reviews to determine what the best shampoo for you and your pooch are.

Second would be infectious skin diseases. These dog skin problems include parasitic, bacterial, fungal, and viral skin infections. Tick and flea infestations fall in this category. Ringworm, most common in puppies, is a fungal skin problem in this category.

A third category is hereditary skin diseases. Some dogs are just born with problems. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome for example. This disease involves failures in connective tissue specifically there is a problem with how collagen is produced. The dog may very easily bruise and have very poor healing of their skin if injured. Joint issues are also common with this disorder. Because of poor connective tissue sprains and pulls are more likely. Puppy strangles, a debilitating condition that appears usually around 6 weeks, also fits in this category.

Internal diseases is the last area. Some internal diseases express their symptoms through dog skin problems. This is yet another reason to carefully watch and have your dog’s skin conditions diagnosed. What may seem like a small irritation could in fact be a symptom of a much larger problem. Hormonal problems are prime offenders. This may be a range of different diseases or even tumors located on ovaries or testicles.

Remember spotting a problem early will save you and your dog a lot of stress. Be on the look out for persistent, non-stop scratching and any areas that appear particularly sore. They may be red or look swollen. Hair loss in areas where the skin is scaly, hard and rough, or oozing from the skin is a give away there is trouble.

A vet will guide you to what is best for your pup if they develop a skin condition. They may have an allergen that requires a special shampoo. Dog shampoo reviews can guide you toward the right one. And if they do require medication your vet can provide that as well.