Natural Pet Health

Minor injuries and skin conditions in pets

Cuts, scrapes, bites and stings, ringworm, flea-bite dermatitis and many other similar injuries and conditions affect cats and dogs fairly commonly. Though minor, these can cause a lot of pain and discomfort for your pet. Treating these problems quickly, effectively and naturally will save your pet from numerous side-effects, shorten healing and recovery time as well as prevent more serious complications like infection.

As any vet will tell you, one of the most important and first steps in addressing a wound, injury or skin condition is to keep it clean and the sooner that this is done following injury or trauma, the more beneficial the intervention will be. Broken or irritated skin is vulnerable to infection and contamination.

The coat of long-haired breeds like the Pekingese and Shih Tzu get tangled to such an extent that sometimes there is no alternative but to strip the coat down to the skin with clippers. Even while grooming other breeds you are likely to notice that some hair becomes damaged, tangled and matted. These may be some damaged hair, burrs that are difficult to pull off and dandruff or mats that become difficult to get rid of. Some homemade recipes for coat conditioners can help solve these problems and can save you some expense or a trip to the veterinarian.

What are some of the most common skin and coat problems in domestic pets?

Skin and coat problems are very common among domestic pets and appear to be on the increase. They include:

* Abscesses
* Skin odors
* Eczema
* Allergic dermatitis
* Contact dermatitis
* Dandruff
* Hair loss
* Warts
* Puppy acne
* Seborrhea

What are the causes of skin and coat problems?

Toxins are routinely eliminated through the skin, and skin and coat problems can often indicate a number of underlying concerns including toxin overload, anxiety, thyroid problems and a compromised immune system.

Other causes of skin and coat problems include:

Being the largest and the most exposed organ of the body, pet skin is likely to be affected with mild to severe conditions. One of the major dog skin problems arise from allergies. Allergies can cause canine or feline acne. Allergies may arise from contact with an allergen or from food that does not suit your pet.

Before starting treatment for any type of allergy it is of paramount importance that you establish the cause of allergy. It is erroneous to assume that only new foods cause allergies and consequent itching. The truth is that any food can cause an allergic reaction in dogs – new or old. The commonly known skin condition of ‘hot spots’ can develop if your dog becomes allergic to his routine diet that he is no longer able to digest.

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.