Pet Skin Doctor
Pet Skin Information
Archive for October, 2009
Pet supplements do work, depending on what the supplement is used for and how it is manufactured. Fatty acids will help coats look better and fish oil can reduce inflammation, according to a study published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research. Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E also reduce inflammation and help aging dogs with memory problems.
Dog dry skin may be a sign of any number of problems, including allergies, so the underlying cause needs to be found. However, many case testimonials exist from pet owners who have had excellent results using a dog food supplement to produce a healthier skin and coat for their four-legged friends.
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Once you’ve noticed red or inflamation on your pet’s skin, you need to keep an eye on what may be causing it. Is you dog or cat scratching, biting, chewing or constantly licking the area? There are many health problems associated with the symptoms presented on your pet’s skin and coat. One of these problems is indeed pet skin allergies.
How do pet skin allergies manifest themselves? Since your pet could be allergic to it’s environment, it’s food or fleas, the signs may be about the same, but the location of the irritation may help you diagnose the problem. Environmental allergies will often have your dog chewing his side, back, or belly creating the bald inflamed patches of skin. Food allergies will most likely have your pet chewing at the center of paws, shaking his head often and scratching wildly at his whiskers. Flea Allergies can look like a rash, hot spots, or small red scabs and welts. Your pet may act obsessive with chewing and itching even if no fleas are living in his fur. Please understand that fleas may not be present, your pet’s reactions can be ignited by only one fleabite if he has flea allergies.
We’ve been asked many times what breeds of dog don’t shed, mostly by people who love animals but have a sensitivity to them. Now, there’s no such thing as a dog that doesn’t shed at all, but we’ve prepared a basic list of dogs that shed very little. These include both small and large breed dogs; Shih Tzus, Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese West Highland White Terrier, Dachshund, Bichon Frise, Miniature Poodle, Italian Greyhound, Border Terrier, Havanese Miniature Schnauzer, Silky Terrier, Welsh Terrier, Boston Terrier, Chinese Crested, Australian Terrier or Lhasa Apso.
Keep in mind, that just because these dogs may shed very little, doesn’t mean they aren’t just as prone to dog skin problems or health issues. When considering adopting a new puppy or dog into your family, please also consider the breed’s personality and potential health risks. There are many general responsibilities that come with the ownership of a dog, but you may not want to take on certain, more time consuming and/or expensive ones. For instance, Boxers are prone to Boxer cardiomyopathy (BCM), a defect that shows no symptoms until an affected animal collapses. Some experts estimate that nearly 50 percent of the breed has this condition.
If your cat is showing symptoms of having an allergy, your primary concern should be proper diagnosis. Since symptoms of an allergy include skin conditions that are often symptoms of other cat health problems, it’s important to begin documenting your cat’s behavior and schedule a visit to your vet.
Cat skin allergies are difficult to diagnose and even after diagnosis, “treatment” is more typically prevention then cure depending on the allergen. Your vet will be able to provide the tests sometimes necessary in proper diagnoses of your cat’s problem should it go that far. These tests can be expensive and time consuming so it’s best to avoid them if possible.
We realize camping season may be over for most of the nation, but having spent the last few months hearing canine camping horror stories, I thought we would summarize some of them for the benefit of others next season. I personally believe that one of the most important things you can do while camping with your dog is to take his kennel. Second most important thing is watching and keeping your dog from eating ANYTHING (or everything, in the case of my rottie!)
The pet skin doctor had two major pet cases this season. One was a skin infection the dog most likely picked up while rubbing around in leaves, dirt and grass at the camp site and the other was a nasty parasite likely to have been injested. The dog loves to eat dirt! Bothe of these dogs were camping with very responsible pet owners in states other than where they resided.
If you have done some research on dog dermatitis, you may have found many different technical terms, theories and/or case studies. Since dermatitis covers a very broad range of dog skin issues, you should start with narrowing down the list by comparing the potentials with your pet’s particular symptoms.
Some types of dog dermatitis only affect the shine of the dog’s coat, but others can cause far worse damage to his health. Some of the most common types of dog dermatitis include flea, atopic, contact, and moist dermatitis. Flea – A dog can experience an allergic reaction to just one flea bite. Atopic – Your dog may be allergic to something in his environment, such as grass. The most common symptom is red, irritated skin due to your dog’s constant itching and scratching. Contact dermatitis is brought on by contact with various materials that the dog is allergic to. Moist - Characterized by the sudden development of raw, moist areas of skin. The raw areas of skin are caused by your dog scratching and licking constantly. This enables bacteria to invade the spot and worsen the infection.
Dog Skin Conditions from Cushing’s Disease
Thursday, October 1, 2009
posted by PetSkinDoctor @ 2:51 PM
Cushing’s Syndrome is a disease of the endocrine system or hormonal disease. Whether it’s from a tumor or cortisone drugs; high levels of cortisol will cause Cushing’s. Cushing disease in typically shown in middle aged dogs. Cushing’s disease is neither gender nor breed specific. A pet will not appear drastically ill when Cushing’s hit them, but rather the symptoms may creep up slowly. A lot of the symptoms can be attributed to old age and may be dismissed as such. A blood test can be done to diagnosis Cushing’s disease.
Symptoms of this disease vary from dog to dog. The two most common symptoms are an increased thirst followed by increase urination. Unfortunately, this may lead to accidents inside the house. A bulging abdominal area is the next most common symptom. Next most common, dog skin conditions, is loss of hair and thinning of skin. There are a variety of treatments available that can be discussed with your vet to decide what is best for your individuals pet. Early detection and treatment may allow your dog to live longer and more happy.
If your cat is showing any of the following symptoms listed here then she has a skin problem which may actually be caused by an allergy. Dry, flaky skin, red, irritated looking skin (called skin lesions), loss of hair, a dry, dull-looking coat, lumps or bumps on or under the skin, red patches on the skin, round raw lesions on the head, hips and chest (called cat hot spots), scaly patches or scabs on the skin, or your cat may scratch or lick her skin excessively (called pruritis).
Did you know some cat breeds are more prone to cat skin problems? An Abyssinian cat is prone to ear inflammation, hair loss or skin injury due to anxiety and excessive grooming. A Siamese cat may have a reaction to food, less than normal amount of hair, white hair in a specific area, and/or smooth white patches of skin. A Persian cat is more prone to prasite infestation (dandruff), fungal infection, dermatitis (redness) in the folds of the skin or crusty skin.