Natural Pet Health

The simplest and best way in which you can determine if your pet is healthy or not, is to examine the skin. Feline acne and cat dandruff are common occurrences in cats that have underlying medical causes that can be potentially harmful. They can even cause other symptoms like feline hair loss.

Most of the cat and dog skin problems arise from simple contact allergies. But some can occur due to immune mediated disorders. Irrespective of the actual cause of the skin or coat problem symptoms like itching and aberrations are common in almost all skin diseases.

Itching diseases in dogs can be classified under some general categories.

Bacterial skin infections

Staphylococci are the most common bacteria that cause bacterial infections in dogs. Although not infectious, the condition causes excessive itching. This infection can occur anywhere on the dog’s body but occurs mostly on the trunk. The infection results in initial pustules that appear on the skin as small yellow spots. Later these redden and ulcerate and cause discomfort and damage. At an even later stage these ulcers develop into dry crusts and result in excessive loss of hair around the lesions.

Fungal Skin Infections

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Is your Pet Getting the Nutrients it needs for a Healthy Coat and Skin?

Did you know that skin and coat problems in pets aren’t just limited to the presence of fleas and ticks? Oftentimes, pet owners notice that while their dog or cat exhibits symptoms of pest infestation such as excessive scratching, there are not fleas or ticks in sight – or hiding.

A pet’s skin or coat irritation can be due to many different causes, from environmental factors to diet related deficiencies!

Recently, the American Veterinary Medical Association published a study that proved the importance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids in promoting healthy skin and coats in pets. The results showed that animals with skin and coat problems were often lacking a source for fatty acids in their diet, and once they were administered Omega rich supplements, their coats and skin showed significant improvements within seven weeks.

Both cats and dogs strongly rely on Omega fatty acids for many different reasons including neurology, joint health and especially, skin and coat health. If your pet exhibits dry, flaky skin or an overly coarse coat, feeding them a nutritional supplement to provide more fatty acids can be a big help.

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Dog skin problems manifest in different ways as compared to cat skin problems. A typical description of a dog with skin problems would read as under:

* Itchy skin and eruptions.
* Inflammation in the ears and toes.
* Excessive licking.
* Intense itching near the anus and genitals.

Though these symptoms can appear anywhere the commonly affected areas are the lower back, nose and mouth. Ulcerative skin diseases known as lupus are the most dangerous autoimmune skin diseases that affect dogs, other pets and even humans.

Autoimmune related skin diseases are mostly caused by allergies. These allergies occur as a reaction in a dog due to certain food items, pollutants, chemicals, dust, pollen and other substances that are normally harmless.

The affected organ responds to the allergen and the autoimmune reaction of the body causes certain symptoms. This reaction of the autoimmune system that is triggered to expel the foreign substance gives the condition the name - autoimmune disorders.

Another common cause of autoimmune skin disorders is unrestrained use of vaccinations, overdose of cortisone and commercial diets. Together these factors result in weakening the autoimmune system and increase vulnerability.

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As in humans, skin is the largest organ in your pet’s body too. But unlike humans your pet’s skin is concealed by a coat that hides any changes that may be occurring beneath it. And though humans easily detect small changes that may occur on the skin, certain pet skin ailments can only be detected by understanding pet behavior.

Excessive itching and scratching is the first give-away symptom that can help you to understand that there is something wrong with your pet. Most of the times, it is this behavior that turns minor problems like cat dandruff and feline acne into serious skin problems like excessive feline hair loss and eczema.

Dogs run an increased risk and dog skin problems are among the most common health disorders that dog owners have to deal with.

A healthy skin and coat is a good indicator of the overall health of your dog. And you may have noticed that the first thing that veterinarians while examining pets is to run their hands over the coat of the pet. The skilled hands of the veterinarians can detect infections and distortions on the skin better than we can.

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While moving your hand over your dog’s coat you might occasionally feel a bump under the skin. Chances are that if you have been able to locate one, a veterinarian will be able to find a few more since he is skilled and trained.

Dog skin problems like bumps in the skin is as common an occurrence as feline acne and feline hair loss. Even though these conditions are common, they should not be treated carelessly. Such problems should not be considered as minor conditions of pet hair and coat disorders like canine and cat dandruff.

But spotting a bump on your dog need not be a cause of panic also. In most cases, bumps turn out to be harmless mass of fatty tissue. Such non-cancerous lumps like cysts, warts, infected hair follicles and swellings filled with blood can cause discomfort to the dog. But they are localized skin problems that have little impact on the overall health of the dog.

There are many reasons why these bumps appear on dog skin. Sebaceous cysts form due to plugged oil glands under the skin. Cysts that are a combination of dead cells, sweat or clear fluid often disappear on their own.

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Pets are lovely creatures to have at home. They are fun to play with and provide useful company to humans. However, health concerns can pose lot of challenges to pet owners. Although skin and coat problems in pets appear harmless they can be instrumental in producing complications that may be difficult to handle later. Cats, for example are know to develop feline hair loss and cat dandruff that can sometimes lead to bacterial infections.

Dogs also suffer from issues like acne, hair loss and dandruff. In fact they can contract many more skin and hair related diseases. And therefore any veterinarian will tell you that the most common complaint that he hears from dog owners is excessive itching and scratching due to some skin infection or another.

But dogs are also known to ‘create’ skin problems for themselves. They itch and scratch excessively out of boredom, depression or separation anxiety and create lesions and wounds that get gory at a later stage.

Usually dog skin problems start with moist eczema or moist dermatitis. These basic inflammatory conditions are easily curable. However, you need to know certain solutions to be able to provide quick relief to your pet before you can take him to a specialist. Ideally some form of treatment should start as soon as you notice any skin condition. Ignored or delayed treatment can lead to serious and infectious skin disorders.

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Alopecia or hair loss is associated with an overwhelming majority of skin disorders in pets. Practically all domesticated animals face hair loss problems but cats and dogs are among the most seriously affected. Most common conditions like feline hair loss are due to feline acne and feline dandruff.

Dogs on the other hand loose hair due to many more reasons. The multiplicity of reasons behind canine hair loss makes it difficult for the specialist to sift normal hair loss from that associated with a major ailment.

The most common cause of dog skin problems like alopecia is allergic reactions. These can occur due to:

* Contact with environmental irritants.
* Contact with chemical detergents, paints, nickel and other chemical or textile fibers.
* Exposure to inhalants, deodorants and room fresheners.
* Inhaling pollen, house dust mites.
* Drug enforced allergies.
* Allergies due something in the diet.

Hair loss is also a prominent symptom of medical conditions like Cushings disease, hypothyroidism and Tail gland hyperplasia.

The underlying cause behind Cushing’s disease is the increase of corticosteroids in the body. This may be due to an abnormal but natural process in the body or rampant use of synthetic steroids. It is a fatal disease and needs prompt attention.

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As a pet owner, you probably revel in showing off the great looks of your pet. You like to boast about the tricks that they can perform. You are probably also very proud of the fact that your pet is clean, hygienic and has a great skin and fur.

But this source of pride can cause serious concerns if proper care is not taken to maintain good skin health.
Feline acne and feline hair loss are common occurrences in cats. Dogs, on the other hand, face more skin and hair related problems that can occur due to multiple conditions.

The dog skin problems that a pet owner can face are almost unlimited. Skin problems can be caused due to a variety of reasons. The final diagnosis of the problem can only happen keeping the other symptoms in mind.

Generally speaking, there are dog skin problems that can be caused by excessive itching. On the other hand, itching can be a behavioral symptom caused by an internal condition.

Dog skin problems can occur due to external or internal reasons.

External causes and symptoms

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If you read a book on health issues of cats and dogs, you will probably be surprised at the number of skin problems that these pets face. Such books have detailed chapters on common problems like feline acne, feline hair loss, feline dandruff and other issues on dog