Dealing With Your Pet's Skin Problems
By Betty Sleep
Many people jump to the wrong conclusion when they see Fido scratching his ear. Fleas! But that’s not necessarily the problem. More and more, we are seeing dogs and cats as well, with skin disorders. Many of these disorders are related to their diet. One of the prime dietary culprits is identified as corn, referred to in dogs as a “hot” food.
Corn as a primary ingredient in your pet food is not a good thing. Corn is largely filler, with the exception of the small, white internal area, where corn gluten meal comes from. If it is one of the first three ingredients, it might be wise to look closer into the make-up of your pets diet.
Those concerned about corn content, often switch to a lamb or lamb and rice chow. But what they don’t always realise, is that these foods may contain lamb and rice, but may also not be free of corn. You need to read the ingredient list on the bag. Corn may be lower on the list, but it’s often still there. So if you’re determined to get your pet off corn entirely, look for a chow that has only rice and lamb, or whatever other ingredients, you are prepared to accept.
Sometimes skin problems in dogs are relatively simple to cure. A dog that is kept indoors too much, may develop dry, flaking skin. And while diet may be a part of it, so can the dry heat inside your home. If you have a fenced yard, make sure they get out for a good run every day. If the weather is nice in winter, it does them no harm at all to play in the snow. Unless of course, it is a toy breed, whose internal thermostat cannot handle rapid temperature changes.
If you are feeding a good, well balanced chow, you often don’t need to supplement with vitamins or other extras. But I have found with the Golden Retrievers, that a slight case of dandruff or shedding hair after the winter, is often helped along by adding hard boiled eggs or small balls of raw hamburg (regular grind because they need the fat) to their diet. You need to be careful to feed the hamburg as soon as it is thawed, or get it fresh, because of the concern regarding salmonella. But it is an old trick of many breeders, and still widely used.
Another tip, good for dogs and cats both, is supplementing with Omega Fatty Acids. The capsules are available at your vets, health stores, and sometimes even pharmacies. You can empty a capsule over their food, or it is sometimes available in a spray/pump bottle to squirt on their dinner. In the case of dogs with a really dry coat, you might also try a teaspoon of corn oil, twice a week. Odd as it may seem, when corn is blamed for causing skin problems, it is a great supplement to add shine and health to your pet’s coat.
There are now many holistic or natural formula chows and canned food on the market. Some of them are very good, and some are also mainly fillers. Owners need to check into what is in the bag before they buy. Most companies have a customer service phone number on the package. If not, write them at the address given on the bag or box. Ask for pamphlet information, and if it is a technician on the other end, investigate what is in the formula, and where their proteins, etc are derived from. Last winter we ran into an epidemic of really poor coats on all our dogs, from an older canine formula that I had switched to in the Fall. They lost some needed weight, but their coats were dull, shedding, and generally ratty looking. To clean up their systems, they were put on a holistic chow for two months. Some of the ingredients were quite interesting, which is why you would benefit from speaking to a food company rep. This particular brand contained yucca, which is purported to reduce the smell of ...er, the processed product your dog leaves behind them.
Dogs do have allergies just like people. They can be to foods, sometimes household cleaners, or as many owners have found out: to flea bites. A severe itching/dermatitis problem requires immediate treatment, often involving prednisone to reduce the irritation. The pet is weaned off this gradually, and while this is happening, you can be introducing a new diet, if that is what your vet has recommended. If the condition appears to be more serious than a simple skin disorder, your vet may want to check into such things as Cushing Syndrome and other systemic problems.
Mites are one thing seldom suspected by owners. On cats in particular, the evidence appears on the dorsal crest, along the spine and between the shoulders. These small, pimple like eruptions, are not the result of scratching by the pet. They couldn’t possible reach them. But you will need a skin scraping by the vet, to properly diagnose any skin eruption without an obvious origin.
Fleas of course, are the prime culprits. But we are fortunate now to have a wide range of preventative products to use. And lately, they are discovering that many of these, have benefits for other conditions. Revolution for example, is finding widespread use for things like chyletiella mites. Program, originally designed to prevent a flea’s egg shell from hardening, has also been found to destroy the fabric/structure of many fungii such as ringworm.
Most pets don’t need veterinary attention when they scratch. They might like a little attention, and a hand with the itchy parts, but don’t panic when Fluffy applies their foot to their ear. (Most humans are just jealous that they can’t do it themselves.) But do seek a vet’s opinion if your animal develops open sores, scraped areas, excessive shedding, dry skin or dandruff. Sometimes it only needs a bath...which you will both enjoy!
About the Author:
I am an obedience instructor, kennel owner, and ten year breeder/exhibitor of Golden Retriever dogs. Over the years I have experienced the best and worst of pet buying and selling, and responsibility/irresponsibility on the part of both breeders and buyers.
That, combined with my other hobby of breeding Birman cats, which I also show, and have placed in several countries, gives me a fairly comprehensive overview of pet care, ownership, training, feeding, and health issues.
I have worked with animals for 30 years, and been a freelance writer for 25 of those, contributing to the fields of fiction, non fiction, historical research, humour, statistal data, childrens works, in a number of medias including television, radio and the Internet.
Currently, I am a service provider on www.elance.com, having filled assignments in editing a health calendar, a 19 page website, creating an ad campaign, and designing logos/web pages. I am also a contributing author for Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into History, release date: Sept.20, 2001.
For the last three years, I have been a contractor/host for Talk City Inc; where I was the forum Manager of Health and Wellness, and a topical conference host on a variety of subjects including pet care.
Writing is a hobby and a passion, and works well with my at home activities, here in Canada...when I get a chance between dog walks and litter scooping :-)
Article courtesy of Suite101.com.
