Can A Pet Dander Cause You To Get Eczema
Pet dander, or flakes of dead skin cells, is a common trigger for eczema and related conditions, like asthma. Proteins in pet saliva or urine also can set off eczema symptoms. The condition most often appears in babies and young children.
There are many natural, safe alternatives made to treat your dogs eczema. For example, this hot spot cream for dogs, Emilys Furry Friend Skin Sootheris the perfect cream to use on dog dermatitis. It naturally soothes itchy spots and can provide relief to all types of red, hot, angry skin problems your pet may have.
Symptoms Of Eczema In Dogs
Eczema may develop at any time during the year, but is much more prevalent during the late summer, that´s from the first of July ´til the last of October.
The disease usually starts with scratching and biting at the skin. The small areas first affected spread into large patches and may even extend over the whole body surface.
The favorite location of the primary lesions are the neck, back of the ears, the chest at the armpits, the belly, and the back just ahead of the tail.
As the scratching continues the skin becomes red, abrasions are caused by the nails or teeth, and the hair falls out over the patches. In some cases a moist viscid discharge exudes from the surface, while in others scales and scabs are found.
Small pimples may appear in the affected areas or scattered over the entire body. As the disease progresses, the skin becomes thickened and thrown into folds. A distinct odor always escapes from a dog suffering from eczema.
In the earlier stages the affected parts are very tender and painful to touch.
***Want to know the underlying causes of your dogs health problems that your vet doesnt even know about? Read Heal Your Dog Naturally.***
Hydrogen Peroxide Baking Soda And Dishwashing Liquid For Deodorizing
Aside from the redness, swelling, sneezing, and other symptoms a skunk encounter can create for your dog, is the offensive smell. A de-skunking remedy Khuly suggests is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dishwashing liquid, which she says works on skunked fur and everything the skunked fur has contact with. Mix four cups of hydrogen peroxide with one-third cup baking soda and a small squirt of dishwashing liquid, and apply it liberally to your pets coat, she says. Rinse well after about five minutes and repeat if necessary.
While its not the most glamorous topic, this solution also works well for stinky anal glands, Khuly says.
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Dare To Ditch The Dermatitis
Dermatitis, while uncomfortable and frustrating, is by no means unconquerable. The key to soothing your dogs itching and scratching is to stay vigilant with their treatment. Improper care could result in your dog scratching skin raw. Unfortunately, atopic dermatitis rarely goes away. However, frequent check-ups and fastidious care will keep your dog happy and healthy for years to come.
Dangers Of Conventional Treatment
Whats the solution when your dogs itching and scratching is a problem? A trip to the veterinarian will likely leave you with a conventional medication. Buyer beware. While many conventional allergy medications often promise quick results, are they worth it? These drugs come with a laundry list of potential adverse reactions that dog owners may not be aware of.
First, its important to understand how conventional allergy medications work.
Allergies are how the body responds to a foreign invader. When the body sees a foreign element as a threat, the immune system reacts. Thats a good thing. Your dogs immune system is supposed to temporarily react. Then you work to relieve the allergy symptoms.
Allergy medications are immunosuppressants. This means theyre designed to suppress the bodys response. Yes, these drugs can inhibit allergic reactions. But, their immune-suppressing properties can also cause a slew of other problems. For instance, they can cause dogs to be at a greater risk of developing severe infections. And thats not all
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Is Skin Atrophy In Dogs The Same As Dermatitis
Skin atrophy occurs when dermal thickness reduces. In plain language, this means the skin begins to thin. While this is not exactly the same thing as dermatitis, skin atrophy can occur alongside dermatitis. Why?
Well, if your vet prescribed topical steroids to treat your furry friends condition, overusing the cream may cause the skin to thin. While steroids are an effective treatment for eczema and dermatitis, prolonged use can leave skin fragile and more prone to damage.
Delicate skin is certainly not ideal for any dog with skin woes. Dogs with eczema or other irritation conditions tend to gnaw and scratch often. If their skin is thin, the dog is more likely to injure themselves when they scratch! Steroid-induced skin atrophy is one reason why you may want to seek natural alternatives for your dogs dermatitis.
What Causes Eczema In Dogs
Although the causes of canine eczema are often unknown the condition is often more common in certain breeds. For example Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds seem to be more prone to developing the skin infection.
With German Shepherds the eczema will normally start to develop on the dogs rump with the primary cause thought to be fleas with the initial irritation also possibly due to the anal glands becoming impacted. In relation to Golden Retrievers the most commonly affected area is under the ear on the side of the dogs face. Other breeds that are more common to the skin condition are Chinese breeds .
Although as previously discussed the primary cause of canine eczema is thought to be due to dogs being highly sensitive to flea bites it is also thought that food allergies and vitamin deficiency could be a cause. Eczema is also more common in warmer weather with some experts believing that this could be due to the higher proportion of mites occurring in warmer temperatures.
To help the vet come to an accurate diagnosis it is very important that a good picture is built up to exactly what the affected dog does in an average day or week. For example a dog that has developed a bad case of eczema may love to swim in ponds, lakes or rivers or run through bushy areas where thorns are likely to be found.
As with all dog and puppy health problems this condition should be treated quickly and accurately diagnosed .
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Natural Remedies For Your Itchy Dog
As a child, you were probably told that scratching an itch would only make it worse. And its true
Scratching irritates mast cells, which produce histamine during inflammatory and allergic reactions. And these histamines are what make you itch! Thats why scratching intensifies the problem its a vicious cycle.
To make matters worse, dogs have ten times as many mast cells in their skin as you do. And theyre spread all over a dogs body. That means your dog experiences a lot more itching with any kind of allergic response.
Its too bad that dogs arent very amenable to the same kind of advice our mothers gave us.
The good news is that there are many readily available natural topical products that will do the job well. In fact, you may have many of these itch fixes in your home.
What Is Lip Fold Dermatitis In Dogs
Dogs with floppy loose lips that have longer-than-usual contact with saliva have a tendency to develop lip fold dermatitis. Any area on a dogs body where it is dark, moisture can build up, air is unable to access the area freely, and there may or may not be hair in that spot is susceptible to lip fold dermatitis.
Derma means skin and -itis means inflammation, so when it affects the dogs lip fold, it is usually an inflammatory result of excess saliva and/or food that was allowed to form in the fold where bacteria grew and the end result is a big smelly odor and irritation for the dog.
Dermatitis can occur on other parts of a dogs body including the face, lips, neck, vulva, and tail folds. A breed such as a Shar-Pei, for example, is prone to face fold dermatitis since the breed has wrinkled, loose skin of the face .
Wherever a pocket of flesh, in this case, a lip fold, is pendulous or allows for fluid, food, and debris to gather, you have a situation ripe for this condition.
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How Is Dermatitis Diagnosed In Dogs
Some causes of dog dermatitis can be diagnosed by the areas affected and whether a single pet or several pets in a household have the symptoms.
Tests we can carry out during afree consultation are:
- Flea comb: Flea dirt or live fleas will indicate a flea infestation
- Tape strips: Where we use sellotape to collect a small sample of skin cells and surface bacteria which we can examine under a microscope. This will often show yeasts and bacteria if present.
- Skin scrapes: This is where we scrape the top surface of the skin to examine under a microscope. This is used to detect mites which live in the skin layer.
- Hair plucks: These will allow us to detect some parasitic and fungal infections.
- Woods lamp: A UV light is used to detect some types of fungal infection .
- Blood tests: These can be used for dogs with allergic dermatitis to find out what they are allergic to. This can sometimes be helpful to avoid the triggers of allergies.
Tests we may need to carry out under sedation are:
- Skin biopsy: Sometimes a full-thickness sample of skin is required to find certain types of mites and to detect certain skin conditions which cause hair loss.
- Skin scrapes: Of sensitive areas such as around the eyes or paws.
Symptoms Of Belly Rash
Rashes on your dogs belly can present in a few ways. Perhaps the most common is pyoderma, which is characterized by pimple-like lesions dry, scaly, crusty skin hair loss and itchiness.
Your dogs skin may also appear red and inflamed, weepy, or scabbed. Yeast infections can result in a yeasty smell, and fungal infections like ringworm often have a distinct, circular pattern to the lesions.
Find out more about the causes of dry skin on dogs
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How Is Eczema Different In Dogs And Humans
While eczema generally occurs all over the body in humans, in dogs the individual outbreaks are typically localized to the head and neck. This is because these areas are easily reached by scratching paws, which can create a stimulant for the hot spots to open up. Also, your dogs fur can make treating eczema difficult as their protective coat often retains oils, dust, and dirt more efficiently and can also pick up pollen and other outdoors allergens very easily.
What Are The Symptoms Of Dog Eczema
Eczema symptoms in canines can vary depending on whether the condition is dry or wet eczema. The symptoms of eczema can often resemble other conditions symptoms, such as the mange or normal allergies. For this reason, it is important to get the advice of your veterinarian as they can determine the cause and tell you what the condition is. Eczema will usually worsen as your dog licks, chews and bites the affected. We have created a list of some of the possible symptoms that are associated with eczema in dogs.
- Scratching, chewing, licking and biting of the skin
- Severe itchiness and irritation
- Secondary infection
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What Causes Atopic Dermatitis In Dogs
Atopic dermatitis generally presents as red, inflamed, itchy skin, as seen on this Pit Bull. @heeeyitstina
Canine atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease. In simple terms, it causes your dogs immune system to overreact to allergens. Even normally harmless allergens like dust, house mites, and grass can cause problems. Because atopic dermatitis is a chronic disease, it wont ever disappear, and symptoms will flare up periodically.
The skin works as an outer layer of protection against allergens. But when your dog experiences dermatitis, the skin breaks down. Excessive scratching and skin injuries can trigger more severe reactions. Sadly, the bodys natural immune response makes things even worse.
How To Remedy Your Dogs Atopic Dermatitis
There are all sorts of treatments for atopic dermatitis: colloidal oatmeal baths, prescription medications, essential oils, medicated shampoos, anti-inflammatory drugs some dogs even undergo allergen specific immunotherapy.
We hear from people again and again that have tried everything with no lasting results or relief for their dog until they try our all-natural products, that is. Skin Soother and Wrinkle Balm are both specially formulated with unique proprieties to treat dogs suffering from atopic dermatitis, as well as many other skin conditions.
Wrinkle Balm is designed to be gentle enough to use on the face and other sensitive areas, while Skin Soother is a much stronger formula to combat tougher issues in less sensitive regions. Combined with products like our Skin and Coat Supplement chews and Itchy Dog Shampoo, weve got a full arsenal of natural solutions for your dogs atopic dermatitis!
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How To Treat Your Dogs Hot Spots At Home
If the dog’s hot spot is small, non-painful, recognized early, and uncomplicated, it may be possible to begin treatment at home with over-the-counter products such as topical sprays, medicated shampoos, herbal therapies, and more. The important thing is to ensure that itâs a pet-safe product, in which case it never hurts to call your veterinarian for approval. Whatever you do, do not use human topical products, as they may be toxic to dogs when licked and ingested. For example, zinc oxide, which is often found in human skin ointments, can be toxic when ingested.
Here are some at-home treatment basics:
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If the area is small and non-painful, carefully and gently clip the fur that is covering the area â this allows air and medication to reach the wound.
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Keep your pet from licking the area. You guessed it, get out that cone of shame.
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Apply a warm, moist compress to the area three times daily for five to 10 minutes to keep the area clean, calm the tissues, and encourage good circulation. Allow the area to fully dry before applying anything topically.
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Use only pet-safe, veterinary-approved, over-the-counter treatments. As always, it is best to consult with your veterinarian prior to starting any home treatment.
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Do not place any bandages or wraps to cover the area â you want the area to âbreathe.â
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Alleviate the itching or irritation that started the whole thing in the first place â get to the bottom of the source. Otherwise, youâll be faced with a losing battle.
What Are Hot Spots On Dogs
Hot spots, also known as acute moist dermatitis, are painful, red areas of infected skin that appear to be irritated and are sometimes raised.
Hot spots on dogs can occur anywhere on the body, but they are commonly found on the face, neck, limbs or hips. The size and appearance of the lesions can vary slightly in each location, but most will look similar regardless of where they are.
These spots can appear quickly, usually with some degree of hair loss, and they become much larger in a matter of days.
Hot spots on dogs can be relatively minor and heal quickly, but they do have the potential to cause more serious issues, such as widespread infection or deeper skin ulcerations.
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Diagnosing Eczema In Dogs
To help your veterinarian develop and accurate diagnosis it is extremely important to give them a good picture of your dogs condition, lifestyle, living arrangements and any medical problems. For example, a dog that loves to swim in the sea on a regular basis may start to develop eczema. This information is vital to a correct diagnoses and is important for a vet to know.
Prevention Of Dermatitis In Dogs
There are ways to prevent dermatitis in dogs and caring for your pet including adapting their diet, and similar to humans, avoiding the use of cleaning or wash products that could cause irritation to their fur:
- Regular use of prescription parasite control
- Feed good quality food without artificial food colourings and flavourings
- Prompt veterinary treatment for itching to prevent secondary infections
- Avoiding contact with strong detergents /cleaners which may cause skin reactions
- Avoid buying puppies from dogs with skin conditions, as allergies are often inherited.
If you are concerned about your pets skin, please contact your localAnimal Trust surgeryorbook a free consultation online.
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What Is The Cost Of Treating Atopic Dermatitis In Dogs
The cost of treating atopic dermatitis depends on the severity of the disease and the types of treatment required. Some dogs respond well to a daily antihistamine, which might not be as costly as other prescription medications, allergy injections, treatments for secondary infections, and frequent visits to the veterinarian. At that point, costs can average a couple of hundred dollars every month.
For example, Cytopoint, an injection designed to help control itching in dogs with skin allergies, is a prescription-based medication with a cost that varies on factors such as your veterinarian, geographic location, and required dosage. On average, a vial can cost between $35 to more than $130. For dogs larger than 80 pounds, more than one vial will be needed, thus increasing the cost.