Skin Disorders In Dogs – Breeds Likely To Get Them And The Symptoms

The thing about having a pet dog is that though it is a blessing on the one hand, it also brings some problems along on the other hand. One of the things that concern all dog owners is skin disorders that dogs tend to have. This could be in the form of itches they scratch, dubious looking patches on the skin and more.

Skin Disorders In Dogs – Breeds Likely To Get Them And The Symptoms

Here are some factors that cause skin related problems in dogs:

Fleas: These small but really nasty creatures can cause itching in dogs and the saliva left by the fleas can result in allergies. What is more, the cure that provide relief to dogs from fleas could also be the cause of some problems.

Fungal Growth and Parasites: Things like parasites, ringworm can cause inflamed skin, loss of hair and also scaly patches. These need to be looked after to prevent them from spreading.

Allergies Related to Seasons: There is a good chance that your pet will have some reactions to the greenery that grows in summer or in spring and also due to allergies caused by weeds, pollen, mold, grass or dust mites.

Food: Sometimes the food that your pet eats can also cause skin problems. Things like soy, corn wheat or even food coloring can be the culprit.

Skin Infection: In dogs the skin disorder can be primary and also secondary. The yeast or bacteria related infections on skin could come about due to some other disorder that they have.

Grooming Related Things: Some things like shampoo or other things that you use for grooming the dog can also be the cause of problems.

Boredom: Sometime a dog could cause problems of the skin by licking itself due to boredom or due to stress.

Problems Related to Metabolism: Sometimes such problems can also result in the coat getting discolored or diluted.

Symptoms of Skin Related Problems in Dogs:

How do you find out if your dog has any skin related problems? Here are some things to watch out for:

Chewing or Scratching or Licking: The dog will tend to do one or all things mentioned here when the skin starts irritating it.

Appearance of Scabs: When you see scabs on the skin, this could be an indication of irregularities or mange in the immune system.

Inflammation: In case you notice that the skin of your pet is inflamed, this could be taken as a sign of skin problems.

Loss of Hair: This is another thing that will indicate that there is a problem.

Rashes: Like humans, dogs also can have rashes when they are having skin problems

Blood or Pus: The dog can have painful or red looking skin that has some pus within. Puppies are prone to infections of the skin pores or even acne. You can also check for inter digital cysts between paws.

Discoloration or Swelling: You will see painful swelling in puppies or even the occurrence of lumps on the skin.

Skin problems and treatments:

Hormone related skin problems: This could be due to improper balance in hormone levels.

Alopecia or black skin disease:  This is a term that generally refers to hair loss due to hormone problems. There is also increase in pigmentation. Though the specific reasons are not known, it could be due to genetic factors, weight problem and imbalance in hormones. Usually treated by maintaining weight.

Autoimmune Diseases: Sometimes damage to the immune system of the dog could result in Phemigus that usually manifests in the form of crusting of the skin. Under this category you have foliaceus that will have crust, scales and itchiness. The other one is Erythematosus which can cause skin lesions on the head, footpad and face. Vetegans cause groups of pustules that form bigger patches oozing pus. One more is vulgaris that is pretty serious and could cause ulcers to set in the skin causing deep blisters and skin that is crusted. Treatment for these need to be done in consultation with veterinary doctor.

Ringworm: This can be transmitted easily and needs to be treated as soon as it appears. You will need to talk to the vet about the treatment once it is identified.

Here are some skin disorders related to parasites:

Mange: This could be due to tiny mites. Some types of mange include:

Sarcoptic Mange: This can be transferred from one dog to another and is also known as canine scabies. It will need to be treated with shampoos, dips and other therapies.
Demodectic Mange: This could be passed from the mother dog to the puppies while cuddling and manifests in the form of bald patches. Most of these get remedied by themselves.

Normally dogs that are light colored or dilute colored are more prone to skin related infections and loss of hair.