Can You Handle These Four Common Skin Problems In Dogs?
Excerpt : Dogs are susceptible to various skin problems -- which can be frustrating for owners who want to see Fido comfortable and happy. Does your dog have a skin problem, and if so, how do you fix it?
Dogs are susceptible to various skin problems -- which can be frustrating for owners who want to see Fido comfortable and happy. Does your dog have a skin problem, and if so, how do you fix it?
That depends on the symptoms you see. Of course, the most common sign of a possible skin problem in your dog is constant, excessive itching. Other symptoms include fur loss, either localized in a certain location or spread across the dog’s entire body. More severe cases may involve redness in the skin, changes in skin pigmentation or even open sores that your dog constantly licks.
No particular symptom necessarily proves your four-footed friend has a certain type of skin disorder, and you’ll need to investigate other areas before you draw conclusions. While it’s common and helpful for veterinarians
Buy this Photographic Print
Also see :
Dogs are Heroes
Heroism and courage are probably the most profound traits that endear dogs so deeply into the hearts and minds of mankind. Every day, humans all over...read more
Dogs - Thoughts For Naming Puppies
Tips in naming your puppies
So, you finally deiced to get a puppy. You spent many hours
talking to dog breeders and surfed the Internet...read more
|
to diagnose skin problems, it’s also essential for dog owners like you to familiarize yourself with typical canine skin problems, so you can react quickly and keep his discomfort to a minimum.
Fleas, Lice and Ticks
One of the most common problems in dogs is the presence of fleas, lice and ticks, which are parasites that live on the surface of the skin and feed on the dog’s blood. These parasites’ saliva causes skin irritation and results in intense scratching.
Lice and ticks can be detected visually when you check your dog’s fur, while fleas are hard to spot with the naked eye. However, fleas cause red pimple marks on the skin and also can be spotted through the black, gritty trail of “dirt” they leave on a dog’s belly.
While you can remove ticks and lice with tweezers --
Buy this Art Print
applying alcohol to relax the tick’s grip before doing so -- you can also adopt more general methods. For instance, you can give your dog a dip with special tick shampoo to eliminate ticks. Flea sprays or flea powder can also be applied to the dog to kill parasites. But all these require persistence and it may be a while before you see results.
One of the best methods to keep your dog comfortable is to prevent ticks from living off your dog in the first place through the use of a spot-on product, such as FrontLine or BioSpot. To apply these chemicals, you drip a small amount onto the back of your dog’s neck once a month. The chemical spreads throughout the dog’s skin and kills parasites -- including the eggs and larvae. When regularly treated, your dog becomes an unattractive
Buy this Art Print
host.
Mange
Mange is a skin problem caused by mites that burrow underneath the dog’s skin, causing intense and even agonizing itching. Bald spots or inflamed red skin are common symptoms of mange. Two types of mange exist in dogs: sarcoptic mange and demodectic mange, depending on the kind of mite involved.
Most dogs carry the mites involved in demodectic mange or demodex. However, these mites usually do not cause itching except when they suddenly multiply into huge numbers. This may happen in young puppies, or in dogs with decreased natural body defenses, sometimes from stress.
On the other hand, Sacroptic mange or scabies causes intense itching in the dog as the mites burrow under the skin and even lay their eggs there. This causes large red spots on the dog’s skin, and
Buy this Art Print
sometimes fur loss on the ears and elbows. Scabies can infect humans as well and cause itchiness, although infection in humans usually disappears by itself after a while. However, it is still important for people to seek treatment if they get infected.
Treatment for mange requires patience and time, as eliminating them or lowering the mite population takes a while to take effect. The best way to kill the mites is to soak your dog in a lime and sulfur medicated dip for 10 to 15 minutes a few times in a week. The dip should not be washed off, but left to dry on your dog’s skin and fur. During this time, it’s best to watch your dog closely and prevent him from licking himself dry. As a further precaution, you can feed him a raw egg to line his stomach before dipping him in the solution. This way, even
Buy this Art Print
if he does lick himself, the solution won’t be absorbed on an empty stomach.
When fighting mange, it’s also important to support your dog with the highest quality diet you can find, to improve his immune system. Healing from mange will take a lot of his internal resources. You might consider looking into the raw diet for dogs and avoiding any corn or rice-based products for the time being.
About the Author: Blake Kritzberg is proprietor of Poodle-oo: Fashion for Toy Dogs. Stop by for toy dog couture and home decor, free toy dog postcards and the Toy Dog Blog.
http://www.poodle-oo.com/
Source: www.isnare.com
More Dogs Articles
Dogs Differences Between Breeds
The Naming Game
If "fashionistas" are obsessed with brand names, some dog lovers
are hooked on dog breeds. This is because purebred dogs...
Exercise - Why Dogs Need It
A dog whose exercise needs are met may rest more calmly at home
and be less fretful when left alone. The modern dog-management
mantra of "A good...
Buy this Art Print
For Dog Lovers Like You and Me
|
sitemap
copyright yourdoginfo.com 2006
|
Recently Added Dogs Articles
Diabetes Mellitus in Dogs and Cats
All consumed food is eventually converted to sugar, the energy
source for every organ in the body and for every cell in every
organ. If too much...read more
Dog Training: How To Understand Your Dog's Mood
Make you puppy training easier and more fun by understanding that your puppy is trying to communicate with you in other ways than barking...read more
Dogs In The Cartoons
America loves dogs in films and on television. We also seem to love dogs in the pages of the Sunday funnies and in animation. To list all of the...read more
How to Make a Smooth Move with your Pet - Moving with Dogs
Often when we move, we're so busy with packing and preparing for
the move that we forget to give proper attention to our pets.
But we shouldn't....read more
Like Our Human Friends Can Us Dogs Have Allergies?
Humor magazines have had fun with the way some dog owners resemble their dogs but, whether or not the dogs look like their owners, dogs do suffer...read more
.gif)
Dog Food - Which Diet is Best for Dogs?
Why The Food You Give Your Dog Matters! If you're like most dog owners, you probably assume that commerical dog foods with brand names that are...read more
Hollywood - Gone To The Dogs?
There is no question that people in America love dogs. One look at popular culture in our country will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that...read more
Manifestation or Infestation ... Stop feeding the stray dogs!
To manifest a positve world, you must eliminate your fears, doubts, and negative thoughts. This article provides insight into the positive,...read more
Pet Nutrition Basics for Dogs & Cats
Good Nutrition is just as essential for your pet’s health as it is for your own health. Your pet needs a balanced diet to help keep him healthy....read more
Quality Dog Food Is Essential For The Health Of Dogs
Dog food is very important for the health of dogs. It is easy to overlook it, but it is essential to pick the right dog food for your pet dog....read more
Some News About Dogs
- Dogs rescued from puppy mill up for adoption
Dogs rescued from puppy mill up for adoption
- Dogs kill six deer in China zoo
Beijing, Sep 10 : Four dogs - "well-fed and trained to kill" - hunted down and killed six protected deer in a zoo in China's Yunnan province, officials said Friday.
- Dogs, owners enjoy the plunge
Dogs led their owners into the pool at Indian Foothills Park Tuesday, Sept. 7. This was the 4th year for Doggie Plunge and 46 dogs had come through the gate within the first 45 minutes.
- Dogs rescued last month looking for adoptive homes today at shelter meet-and-greet
Dogs rescued last month looking for adoptive homes today at shelter meet-and-greet
- Dogs near death recovering
Six neglected dogs seized from a Delray Beach home are thriving in a local shelter. Now they need new homes.
- Dogs kill six deer at Chinese zoo
KUNMING, China, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Officials at a Chinese zoo said six protected deer were killed by a group of four dogs apparently helped into the facility by humans. China - Deer - Kunming - Hunting - Asia
- Dogs sniff coke in deo roll-ons
Sniffer dogs detected 25kg of cocaine in a man's luggage even though it was hidden in 801 still-functional deodorant roll-ons.
- Dogs of Oxford's homeless scrub up nicely
DOGS belonging to Oxford’s homeless have been transformed into pampered pooches.
- Dogs Descend on Cincinnati for International Bacon Day
ST. LOUIS , Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- At last, dogs had a day to celebrate their passion for bacon! On Saturday, Sept. 4 , in observance of International Bacon Day , four-legged, pork-loving maniacs attended the Beggin'® Bacon Bash and declared their obsession for bacon. To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr ...
- 2 Dogs Rescued From Puppy Mill Still Need Homes
After more than 100 dogs were rescued from their deceased owner's home and brought to Broward County, most have been adopted -- but two still need new homes.
|
