Conditions of the Dog's Skin, From Belly Rash to Sores and Scabs
Skin issues are one of the most prevalent reasons dogs visit the vet.
The causes of a dog's skin issue might range from external parasites such as fleas and mites to allergies and significant endocrine diseases.
Some skin disorders in dogs can be treated at home, but anycondition that worsens or persists for more than one or two weeks without improvement warrants a trip to the veterinarian.
Here are some symptoms of common skin issues in dogs and theirpotential causes.
Signs of common skin disorders in dogs
Determine what may be causing your dog's skin disease and how totreat it.
Rash (Commonly on the Belly)
A rash (redness or irritation) can appear on any area of your dog's skin. Still, the belly is the most prevalent location. These are common causes of a dog's belly rash:
-
Contact dermatitis reacts to irritating substances such as poison ivy, fertilizer, and lawn chemicals.
-
Insect stings
Allergies
If contact dermatitis is suspected, the afflicted skin should be washed to remove any remaining irritants.
No treatment is essential for a rash caused by insect bites that do not appear to harm your dog. The spots should disappear by themselves.
Give your dog a cold bath with a shampoocontaining colloidal oatmeal if an itchy rash caused by bug bites or allergiesis hurting him. If the inflammation persists, consult your veterinarian
Scabs
Skin crusting, or scabs, can be the underlying cause of a skin issue or the result of a temporary pustule (or pimple) that has popped and dried out. Dogs can get scabs because of the following:
-
Canine impetigo
-
Ectoparasites (mites and fleas)
Pyoderma (skin infection; wrinkled dog breeds can develop skin fold pyoderma)
Medicated shampoos or ointments, oral antibiotics, and anti parasitic medicine may be part of a treatment plan.
Red Spots
In the late spring and early summer, black fly bites can develop red blotches on a dog's tummy. Generally speaking, these flat, red spots are painless for dogs and should be left alone.
Spots caused by black fly bites may seem like ringworm, which does need treatment with either a topical or oral antifungal.
The dog will not mind the itching and swelling caused by blackfly bites on its abdomen if they develop abruptly and are accompanied by other bites.
However, ringworm can show up anywhere, may or may not annoy your dog, and typically begins in one spot rather than all over.
Red Bumpy Spots
Several factors can contribute to the appearance of red, raised pimples. Smaller pimples with crusts may result from folliculitis, a skin illness caused by bacteria or fungi. Your veterinarian will likely prescribe oral antibiotics and potentially medicated shampoos or ointments to address this condition.
Big Red Bump
If the bumps are more significant, flatter, and don't have a crust, they may be hives caused by an allergic reaction. Usually, an antihistamine and steroids are used to treat them. The swelling caused by an allergic reaction is generally not life-threatening, but it can block the airway, so you should call your vet right away.
Skin That's Red or Itchy
Redness and irritation are often the most common symptoms of allergies in dogs, along with itching. The best way to treat irritated skin is to find out what caused the allergic reaction, whether it was food, fleas, or something in their environment.
While the root cause is being found, you can give your dog temporary relief by using a gentle oatmeal dog shampoo or oatmeal bath to soothe and hydrate the skin.
Hot Spots
A hot spot is an area of wet, irritated skin and often has hair matted over it. A dog or cat licking or chewing an area too much can cause hotspots. When the dog licks too much, bacteria get into the hurt skin and cause a hot spot.
Hot spots happen more often in hot, humid climates, and they can sometimes show up after a dog has been in the water or been out in the rain or mud. Also, they happen more often in dogs with thick undercoats.
Simple hot spots can be treated by carefully clipping the are a to let the skin breathe and cleaning the area with a diluted chlorhexidine solution. In addition, you can keep your dog from getting hot spots by grooming it and drying it off after it swims or gets wet.
ApiDerm
Is your pet tired of an overly complicated 7-step skincare routine? We're not surprised. It's barking mad!
Allergies
Most of the time, a dog's feet, armpits, flank, ears, and groinitch because of allergies. A soothing shampoo for dogs with oatmeal can helpwith mild allergies or itching. Switching your dog to a sensitive-skin diet,which is often high in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and usually has fish asthe primary source of protein, can also help.
Apipet Skin
Natural solution to alergic reactions!
External Parasites
Fleas usually cause itching at the base of the tail, along theinner thighs, and on the stomach. Itching caused by fleas and mites (whichcause sarcoptic mange) will need to be treated with medications that targetthat type of parasite, like a flea preventative.
ApiTick
Say goodbye to those pawful pests once and for all with Apitick.
Loss of hair/bald spots
Dogs can lose hair, shed a lot, or get bald patches for many different reasons, such as:
Allergies
Fleas and mange mites are examples of ectoparasites (demodectic mange)
Cushing's illness
Most often seen in large breed dogs, pressure sores cause hair loss at bony pressure points like the elbow.
Genetics
Stress
Not enough food
Most causes of hair loss in dogs can only be found by taking thedog to the vet. If you think your large breed dog has pressure sores, makingsure he has a soft place to lie down can help prevent them.
Sores
Sores that don't seem to have a clear cause or that don't healproperly could be a sign of a severe problem like cancer or another disorderthat stops the wound from healing properly. Your vet should check on theseplaces and make sure they are clean.
Dark Spots
Hyperpigmentation, or dark spots, can be caused by long-terminflammation. If this is the case, the dark spots will go away (slowly) whenthe underlying condition is treated. Dark spots on a dog's skin can alsosignify a hormonal disorder or damage to the skin from the sun, an injury, orconstant rubbing.
See your vet to find out what's happening with the dark spots.