Common Dog Skin Problems and Their Causes

What can be better than enjoying pleasant times with your furry friend, your beloved pup? His friendly and active presence may help you combat all the stress and tiredness of the day. But it seems like a nightmare when you notice any skin issues in your pet. Your adorable canine may develop skin problems even if he looks healthy and sounds. The unpleasant truth is, skin problems can affect dogs irrespective of their breed or age and are a common issue among canines. Being a loving and responsible owner, you obviously feel heartbroken seeing your loyal pet in suffering and discomfort despite all your earnest efforts, right? 

Well, to help your cherished dog retain his shiny and lustrous fur, you may need to introduce dog supplements for skin along with proper grooming and nutritious food. They include all essential vitamins to keep his skin and coat in the best condition and improve his immune system to fight off any imminent coat issues. 

Common Dog Skin Issues and Their Causes

It becomes easy to treat any symptom of a potentially fatal disease when you recognize them, right? It is more imperative you have precise knowledge about the common problems that can cause harm to the skin of your beloved pooch when there are almost 150 types of skin disorders out there! Sounds awful, right? Don't worry. We have come up with some common problems and their probable causes. Thus you can easily recognize them and get your pet treated immediately if any signs appear. 

Atopic Dermatitis

It is one of the most common issues and induces hypersensitivity in dogs when they come in contact with environmental allergens. Is your pup scratching or licking his abdomen, ears, paw, butt, or armpit excessively? These signs indicate he may have got affected with atopy that may lead to redness and severe inflammation. Atopy can attack your pet at any age but can be a common issue among the dogs aging between one to three. Unfortunately, it needs a long-term medication session to treat this problem. 

Causes

Atopy is an outcome of getting exposed to environmental allergens like mud, moisture, pollens, or mold for an extended period. Dogs having sensitivity issues are more prone to this problem as they already have skin barrier disorder, and so the allergens can easily penetrate their skin. 

Pyoderma

Have you ever noticed pimples-like bumps or pustules on your dog's abdomen or paws? The lesions are elevated, red, and pus-filled. These are the symptoms of pyoderma in canines that come with dry patches, fur loss, circular crusts, and inflammation. It requires long-term treatment, including antibiotics, to treat this disorder.  

Causes

Bacterial infections can induce pyoderma in canines. It is often a secondary infection and can affect the pet if you keep any wound untreated, or the skin gets damaged because of severe moisture. The dog is more prone to this disorder if the immune system gets suppressed, or the normal bacteria in the skin are changed. 

Mange

Is the sudden fur loss of your pup making you feel anxious? It may be the outcome of mange, a severe coat problem in dogs that accompanies redness, sores and lesions, and crusty skin. Demodectic mange, the non-contagious one between the two types of mange, affects canines most often, causes bald patches, redness, and swelling. Canine scabies is contagious, spreads fast, and causes excessive scratching and itchiness in your dog. You may need to use medicated shampoo containing benzoyl peroxide following your vet's advice. 

Causes

Any malfunction in the immune system of the pet may spur the growth of Demodex mites and cause demodectic mange. Your pet may also get affected by sarcoptic mange if he comes in contact with other infected pets, wildlife, or humans! 

Hot Spots

Hot spots, also called acute moist dermatitis, are a bacterial infection and one of the most common skin disorders in canines, especially in the summer. They appear in discrete areas as red patches and cause inflammation. These sores spread fast and can cause much trouble for your pup. He licks, chews, and scratches his coat continuously, and soon the condition deteriorates by turning the sores into red, hot, and severe lesions. 

Your vet may recommend topical treatment, such as ointment, to prevent hot spots.

Causes

From a minor cut to flea bite or skin allergies to anxiety, anything can turn into deadly hot spots when the pet licks or scratches the wound continuously and eventually result in secondary bacterial infection.  

Food Allergies

Have you noticed your pup having irritation on his ears or bottom? Though rare, itchiness in your dog's skin can be an outcome of having any element in his food allergic to the pet. He can catch nutritional allergies if you don't make any changes to his diet for a long time. 

Causes

Nutritional allergies often occur when the canine's immune function misidentifies the proteins of his diet as an intruder. Proteins like chicken, beef, pork, eggs, or fishes can cause food allergies in your pet. 

How to Combat Skin Problems in Dogs

You can avoid or fight off the skin issues in your dog by taking proper measures:

• Ensure a balanced diet 
• Make him wear a buster collar if he starts chewing his coat continuously
• Bathe him using a medicated shampoo 
• Ensure proper and periodic grooming
• Take parasite preventive measures
• Introduce coat supplements