Your adorable dog holds a special place in your heart and offers you some unforgettable and pleasant moments to cherish. But seeing the pet suffering from issues like skin diseases is like going through an awful experience as ensuring his comfort has always been your topmost priority, right? Unfortunately, skin problems are quite common in canines and can cause severe discomfort to your cherished pet. There are over 150 types of skin disorders out there and sometimes appear as the sign of some underlying health issues. The unpleasant truth is any of them can attack your furry friend anytime, inducing further complications and suffering if they remain untreated!
Feeding a balanced diet along with proper grooming and dog skin and coat supplement can be a great help in keeping his skin and fur in the best conditions. Again, when you know what is causing your pet to suffer, you can take necessary measures to combat and prevent the issues from becoming severe.
Causes behind Skin Issues in Dogs
To help you out fighting off the skin issues, we have summarized here some common culprits that are behind the sufferings in your beloved pet.
Environmental Allergens
Environmental allergens are a common cause of inducing epidemic issues called “Atopy” in your pet. Your dog may develop itchiness all over the body whenever he comes in contact with the allergens like mud, pollen, or mildew, and the problem can be severe, causing frequent scratching, hair loss in patches, redness, or lesions. The allergens are microscopic and can get penetrated through the skin of the canines having sensitivity issues as most of them have skin barrier problems genetically. Thus the allergy gets intense, and over time, causes infection and dermatitis in dogs.
The sad truth is, your pet needs to go through a long term treatment to fight off this disease, including eliminating the allergens from his epidermis, treat his skin barrier, or monitor the swelling as per the advice of your vet.
Nutritional Allergens
Yes, it’s true. Though rare, your dog can get allergies because of some of the food, specifically the proteins you give. Is your pup frequently scratching the skin or developing inflammation? Have you noticed him suffering from digestive problems or vomiting? The most probable cause of these symptoms is the proteins like pork, eggs, beef, lamb, or fish you are feeding him are allergic to your pup and require immediate consultation with your vet.
The vet may advise you to go through a process of elimination of 8-12 weeks to find out the allergen in his diet. Once you find the culprit, you need to avoid it.
Infections
Another very painful yet a common cause of skin issues in dogs is infections. Infections induce when the skin of the pet gets affected by yeast, fungi, or bacteria. Usually, these organisms don’t cause any harm to your pet but can cause infections if the normal condition of the skin changes or any immune issue occurs. These infections can also appear as a secondary outcome of another skin problem when the pet scratches or licks the affected areas excessively.
Due to bacterial infections, your pet may suffer from redness or severe inflammation that couples with discolored discharge. If your pet gets infected by yeast, you may notice a musty odor, flaky skin, hyperpigmentation, itchiness, ear infection, or redness. When the dog gets affected by a fungal infection like ringworm, you may notice the discoloration of the infected areas accompanied by excessive scratching, hair loss, and crusty coat.
Parasites
Parasites are another common cause of itching and irritations in your pet. You may think your pup is free from any parasites, but the fact is, he can get them from anywhere, ranging from the environment to your home! You may notice fleas as black spots and immediately go away, leaving ‘flea dirt’ behind. Ticks stick to one place in his skin and live on your dog by sucking his blood! Besides ticks and fleas, your pet may also get affected by microscopic parasites like lice. Well, getting rid of these parasites is a bit difficult, and requires regular grooming and using medicated shampoos along with cleaning his bed periodically.
Illness
We often overlook any underlying diseases as a cause of coat issues, but it is a very significant aspect to treat epidermic problems from the root. For example, if your pup has metabolic or thyroid disorders, his coat condition can deteriorate. You may notice severe hair loss, and the skin may get darkened in areas like the chest and legs, accompanied by other symptoms, like bowel problems as a sign of any underlying illness.
Your vet may recommend a blood test to determine the cause and prescribe medicines accordingly.
Poor Care
Don’t misunderstand assuming that you are not taking proper care of your beloved pet! The fact is, despite all your earnest efforts, the food you are supplying to the pup may lack the nutrients he requires, or you may need to introduce a coat supplement to improve his health condition.
If you notice dryness, itchiness, fur loss, or digestive issues, it’s time to revise his diet and grooming and give him coat supplements. These supplements contain all essential nutrients to repair his fur, boost the immune system, and help him maintain the lustrous hair you always cherish!
Image Source:
https://pixabay.com/photos/dogue-de-bordeaux-puppy-dogs-sweet-1047521/
