Recognizing Dog Skin Conditions – How To Find Out If Your Dog Needs Skin Care

Dog skin conditions can be problematic to diagnose and even more problematic to resolve.  Yet, they are of crucial importance as they are irritating to your dog and can make him look less than desirable.

Skin conditions in dogs can range from small hot spots to their entire coat falling out and their skin turning black. They can be caused by anything from fleas to allergies and once your dog has a skin problem, you’ll have to work diligently to get rid of it.

If your dog is itching or you notice patches of bare skin, get him to the vet right away to start the process of figuring out what is causing the problem.  As I found out with my little Pomeranian, figuring out what causes a skin condition is a process of elimination.

The first thing your Vet will probably do is look for fleas, since fleas are a common cause of dog skin conditions and they are easy to diagnose and  fairly easily treated it’s in your best interest to rule this out first.   IF that is the case, then your Vet will recommend a treatment program that will kill the eggs as well as the adults.  Be aware, though that you will need to treat the dogs bedding and, possibly, your whole house if this is the case.

If fleas are not the culprit, then you might explore the possibility that it is allergies. While the thought of allergies typically brings to mind sneezing and running eyes, it can actually be a cause of skin conditions as well.  One common type of allergy that affects dogs skin is a food allergy.  Dogs can become allergic to something in their food – wheat, corn, dairy, chicken and soy are common things that cause allergies in dogs.

In order to rule out a food allergy, you must systematically remove the ingredients that you feel might be causing it.  For example, if you think the dog is allergic to wheat, then switch to a food that has no wheat in it – if the skin condition goes away after a few months then you have your answer.  Of course, this can be rather time consuming and if you want to cut some corners you can buy foods that are non-allergenic and have most of the offending ingredients removed.

Yeast infections, or even bacterial infections can be the cause of skin conditions in dogs as well. A yeast infection is very itchy and has a greasy appearance and bad odor.  A bacterial infection might look like bumps on the skin.  Your Vet can do tests to determine if this is the cause.

Dog skin conditions can take time and patience to remedy but it is well worth it for the overall health and good looks of your dog.  In order to stop a skin problem from getting too far, take your dog to the Veterinarian at the first sign of any skin condition.

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