There are many causes of skin problems in dog. Literally the causes are can from inside and outside of dog. The inside is like gen, race, and cell. And the outside is like food, weather, and fungal. Mostly the common causes of skin problems in dogs are of external factors.
The external factor can avoid by preventive action, but when the problem is from internal factors, there is more preventive action that you should do. The preventive internal factor need helps by vet. But when you face with external factor, you can do it by yourself the preventive action that you need to give to your dog. Here are 7 common causes of skin problems in dog.
- Food allergy
Well the symptom toward allergy is itchy skin. This itchy showed as body respond over allergen which triggered histamine to lock out. This symptom is not only showed as itchy skin but also some problems skin like redness and inflammation around the ear. Some redness is become bleeding when the dog scratching it too much. Not only bleeding the red area that scratching powerfully will become infection when it isn’t cure as soon as possible. The allergy symptom is usually sign with unsymmetrical itchy wounds. The food allergy is caused by the food which contained allergen like corn, grain, and chicken meat. To solve this you would stop and change the food. Some allergies force your dog to do diet hypoallergenic. This diet is for avoid your dog with ingredients which triggered the allergy. You can choose some food dog which allergic friendly or make the allergic friendly food dog by yourself.
- Ectoparasite infection
The ectoparasite that infected the skin is the parasite which eating blood with biting, piercing, and making cavities in the skin. This condition is makes body itchy and also make the inflammation. In the dog, we called it with pyoderma hotspot which caused by long time itchy that caused by infection from demodex mites that are accompanied by bacterial infection. You can bath your dog with medicine shampoo which contained ingredients to kill the parasite. Not only that, you can give your dog immune injection to avoid the problem. You also can apply anti-parasitic drugs into infected area.
- Fungal infection
The fungal infection is usually caused by dermatophyte mold. That’s why this fungal infection also called dermatophytosis. This infection is make special marks like ring. Dermatophytosis or ringworm is can also infection human. This infection become worst with bacterial infection cause itchy and make wound. This infection is caused by moist skin. You can bath your dog with medicine shampoo which contained ingredients to kill the parasite. Not only that, you can give your dog immune injection to avoid the problem. You also can apply anti-parasitic drugs into infected area.
- Hormonal problems
Unbalancing hormone inside the body can caused skin problems. Usually the unbalancing hormone dog showed hair fall until bald and also itchy. This bald is followed by skin tone changes, usually the color is black (hyperpigmentation). The hormone which contributed in this problem is estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol. Hypoadrenocorticism, hyperadrenocorticism or over medicine which contained excessive corticosteroids, hyperestrogens, hypoandrognes are hormone imbalance that cause skin problem. The only way to solve skin problem that caused by hormonal problem is using the hormone itself. Balancing the hormone needs for vet help literally. Before balancing the hormone you better check which one is hormone which too much or less much. The effort to balance the hormone also helps by manage of food nutrition that we give to the dog. The nutrition has to be balance to help the hormone movements. Don’t give the food that can imbalanced the hormone. It just make worst of the situation. You better consul with your vet to solve this hormone problem. The vet will has own strategy over this problem. Usually the vet is not only suggests for diet but also some medical tested to your dog.
- Folded skin
The race of folded skin like Bulldog, Chinese sharpei, Pug, and Bloodhound is high opportunity to had skin problem. In the folded skin will tend to more moist and wet. This condition is loved by bacteria and fungi to growth. So it is important for you to clean this area commonly. Clean with good and right way to avoid the dog from the skin problem. You have to stay keep in eye with this race of dog. Wipe the folded skin commonly using with tissue.
- Racial tend
Some kind of race dog has more sensitive skin than other race. The kind of dog which had that is Chinese sharpei, Labrador retriever, Shih tzu, Golden retruever, Wirehaired fox terrier, Dalmatian, and Boxer. You have to give them extra attention if you have this kind of dog in your home.
- Stress
Stress condition is also caused the skin problem. The stress dog usually over licking and bite his own skin and caused the wound. Stress is caused by over anxious by separate or feel lonely (separation anxiety). New environment, bad weather, heat period, breeding, and pregnancy are the common causes of stress. The stress condition can cause dropping immunity that make your dog is easy to infect of disease like fungi and bacteria. There are so many way to reduce the stress level of your dog. Not only by love him, you must treat him well. Touch him and take him to accompany your jogging will help him adaptation with new environment. It is good when your neighbor has dog too. You can invite your neighbor’s dog to plays with your dog in order to decrease of separation anxiety. Buy some toys for your dog also recommended too. Besides all of the things, you have to be careful when you bath him. The wrong way bath to your dog can also makes your dog stress too, moreover if your dog is new housemates which not too adapted by its new environment. This activity is so risky but also you need to clean him up. So just be careful with it. You can use warm water for firstly bath him. Swipe the water slowly into his body and don’t water it hard. When you water it hard and using cold water, it scares your dog and make his heartbeat up. Treat your dog slowly as you can
As mentioned before that causes of skin problems is from internal and external factor. The all problems basically can avoid by preventive action. The action also need vet help but you can do by yourself. Don’t put yourself to treat your dog when you don’t know or don’t have experiences in dog treatment. Don’t judge the causes of skin problem easily before you observe it mainly. Wrong perception about the causes of skin problem can make the problem worst. Perception can influence the election of medicine for your dog. So if you not sure, now know, and not experiences well in finding the causes of skin problem you better met the vet directly to keep your dog safety.