Pet Skin Doctor
Archive for August, 2009
Ferrets are a fun, low-maintenance pet, but they still require good grooming. Owners should pay special attention to a ferret’s skin, which can be susceptible to infection. Fleas are just as attracted to ferrets as they are to other household pets. As a preventative measure, you should bathe your ferret with pH-balanced shampoo. Bear in mind, however, that over-bathing your pet could result in dry, itchy skin.
Begin by drawing a hot bath roughly equivalent to the temperature of a hot tub. Protect your ferret’s ears during the bathing process as any excess water can cause infection. Rinse the animal thoroughly, leaving no shampoo behind. Dry lightly with a towel. If you practice meticulous ferret skin care, your pet will live a longer, happier life.
Atopy or Canine Atopic Dermatitis is the second most common form of skin allergy in dogs. Second to flea allergy dermatitis. It occurs when hypersensitive dogs come into contact with common allergens in the environment, resulting in skin inflammation and chronic itching that usually recurs seasonally.
Managing dog atopy is possible but usually requires lifelong therapy. Begining a treatment depends on the severity of the problem and the length of the dog’s allergy season. Avoidance of the offending allergen is the most effective form of control of the disease but this is often impossible. Management includes anti-inflammatory drugs, skin therapy, antibiotics or antifungals for skin infections, shampoos and hyposensitisation. It is also very important for any dog with atopy to be on a year-round, comprehensive flea control program as these dogs tend to be more sensitive to the bites of fleas as well.
Dogs, like their owners, need to stay cool on hot summer days. As the owner however, it’s easy to tell when you’re becoming too hot. A visible sweat secretes out of our skin and glands. For dogs, it’s not that simple. They can become overheated more quickly than their owners. Although dogs do secrete “perspiration” from their paws, it does not cool them down properly. Dogs use panting to remove excess heat from their bodies. Panting can also be caused by anxiety, fear or excitement. Although panting is normal, excessive panting can mean a deeper problem, such as heat exhaustion or stoke.
It’s important to watch carefully for signs of overheating. An overheated dog may appear weak, unresponsive and confused. Areas around the mouth may also appear bright red. Soon, the dog may collapse, seizure and/or become commatose. If your dog starts to show any of these signs during a hot day in the sun, try cooling your pet with cool water and wet towels during the drive to the vet. Too much sun can cause dog skin conditions including skin cancer. Monitor your dog’s sun exposure. You can apply specialized sunscreen to prevent future sun burns or cancer. Remember, if you feel too hot, chances are your pet is feeling it worse.
More and more people are trying to quit smoking. This could be due to the price of tobacco, the sake of their children and/or health benefits for themselves. For yet one more reason to quit; smoking can harm your pets. The dangers of smoking to your pet do not stop at inhaling the secondhand smoke. The smoke particles also attach to your animals coat, later becoming ingested while grooming themselves.
Secondhand smoke can cause nose cancer, lung cancer, breathing problems and asthma. Pets can even be allergic to smoke from cigarettes, causing your pet itchy skin. Be sure to place cigarette and cigar butts away from where a pet can reach them. Also, take precautions while using nicotine replacement patches or gums. Ingestion of patches, gums or butts can cause death to your pets! Be courteous to others, including pets, and smoke outside. This reduces the exposure. Seriously consider quitting smoking completely. Quitting will reduce the health effects placed on both you and your pet.
Obesity in our pets is a growing problem in today’s world. Many dogs are becoming overweight because food portions grow larger but they get exercised less often, while cats tend to become obese due to their new indoor lifestyle. Contrary to popular belief, pets do not start gaining weight due to being neutered or spayed. A neutered pet will stay at a normal weight if fed and exercised appropriately. The obesity problem is not only evident it cats and dogs, but also ferrets, rabbits and horses. Pet food manufacturers are selling “cheap and tasty”, it’s full of high calories instead of nutritional based food.
It’s fairly easy to tell if your pet is at an ideal weight just by looking at him or her. You could also perform a feel test. You should be able to feel your pet’s ribs without pressing hard. There should also be a visible weight line. Similar to their human counterparts, health problems exist in pet’s that are overweight. Suffering from high blood pressure, heart disease, breathing complications, back and joint pain, diabetes, hip dysplasia and poor pet skin conditions are not uncommon. Overweight pets typically have very dry, itchy skin. If you believe your pet is becoming obese, precautions should be taken immediately. Most importantly, daily exercise and food control will keep your pet feeling and looking healthy!
Proper cat skin care starts from the inside. Grooming and bathing have very little to do with healthy skin and a shiny coat or fur. One of the leading causes of cat skin and coat problems is lack of their needed nutrients, and though easily cared for in most cases, it is often overlooked.
Cat skin care from the inside out means feeding your feline a balanced diet through it’s daily food intake or a food supplement containing the greatly needed essential fatty acids. Not only will this aid in a shiny coat for your cat but a healthy coat and skin as well.
Ferret Skin Problems – Basal Cell Tumors
Basal cell tumors are the most common skin tumors that ferrets have. They can appear anywhere on the ferret and look much like a wart. The good news is that normally these are benign tumors, however most veterinarians do recommend they be removed so the ferret does not scratch them constantly and infect the skin.
If they should scratch at it and it does become a ferret skin problem you will need to treat it before infection resides. A topical skin therapy lotion will help with the healing process, but you will need to keep the ferret from scratching at it as much as possible before it heals. Again the best treatment for this type of tumor is surgery as long as the risk of infection from scratching posses more of a threat than the surgery itself.
Blood Donation Dogs Must Be Free of Skin Problems
Popping up in today’s world are animal blood banks. Many pet owners are willing to save their dog at nearly any cost and sometimes this includes a blood transfusion. In many cases a blood transfusion is used to save a dogs life! Blood can be used to treat illnesses such as chronic anemia, clotting disorders and bone marrow diseases. Blood can also be used to save a dog after deadly events, such as being hit by a car or ingesting rat poison. Previously, to obtain blood for patients, veterinarians would use their own dogs, or staff’s dogs.
Each blood bank or vet clinic has their own regulations on age and weight of donating dogs and on how often the dog can donate. Since dogs have over 30 different types of blood, a dog would typically have to be a universal blood type to donate. They must be free of dog skin problems, fleas and diseases to be eligible to donate, as well as be up to date on all vaccines and heartworm preventive. The dog must be friendly and able to sit still for at least 10 minutes. Since sedation cannot be used during donation, the dog must not have a problem with people or examination procedures. No dog is ever forced to donate! If the dog is unwilling to cooperate, blood banks do not precede with the donation. If, however the dog is able to donate, he is considered a hero to many!
Since dog’s skin problems are often caused by allergies or parasites, you will want to first rule these out as being your dog’s cause for his irritated or dry skin. Look for fleas, flea feces, or other parasites hiding on your dog. Also look for raised bumps, swelling, open sores or red patches. If you see any of the above mentioned then you have discovered an issue more severe than dry skin. Start by taking your dog to the vet.
If however, you determine your dog indeed has dry skin then it’s time to find the cause and cure it! Bathing too frequently can cause a dog dry skin as well as poor nutrition. You may think you are feeding your dog appropriately by following the directions on the dog food bag, but you need to verify that the dog food contains fatty acids. Fatty acids are essential to healthy skin and if the food doesn’t contain them then your dog’s skin issues are likely due to dryness. You can look for a better brand of dog food (be sure to transition your dog to the new food) or you can simply add food supplement to his current dog chow.
It’s somewhat ironic that the “dog days of summer” can be some of the most miserable in the life of a cat. Long-haired cats are especially susceptible to hot spots, also known as acute moist dermatitis, which occurs frequently during the muggy summer months. The condition is sometimes mistaken for other, potentially more harmful issues, so you should always check with a vet. Symptoms include raw lesions on the face, chest or hips.
The good news is that cat hot spots are easily treatable. First of all, try to isolate the cause of the irritation – mites, fleas, allergies, poor grooming habits, etc. Once the cause has been eliminated or corrected, you can apply a topical skin therapy cream to the sight of the problem. Rub liberal amounts of cream over the lesions and allow time for them to heal.