Dog Skin Care

A common bacterium generally causes skin infections. It can cause your dog’s hair to fall out and can cause your dog to be very itchy. The problem only worsens when your dog bites, scratches and chews on their skin making himself red and raw. There are several ways to diagnose a bacterial infection, the most accurate is to culture the skin. The culture is used for bacterial growth, and the lab will isolate and identify the bacteria.

Ringworm is a fungal infection that can affect people and animals. It is present in our environment. Treatment will vary depending on the clinical signs but may include creams, bathing and oral medications.

While not life-threatening allergies on dogs are uncomfortable, symptoms may include excessive licking, scratching, frequent sneezing, hairless and skin irritation. Allergies may be caused by food (usually the protein source), inhalants (things they breathe that are in the air), physical contact with an allergen in their environment, as well as the dog’s immune system overreacting. Your veterinarian can discuss treatment options available by determining the cause by performing a skin scraping, blood tests or skin testing.

Parasites that can cause skin disease are lice, fleas, ticks, ear mites and mange to name a few. Your veterinarian will do a physical exam and lab work such as skin scrapings and cytology. We have numerous medications to treat these parasites.

Many internal problems can cause hormonal skin disease with your dog, such as includes diseases of the pancreas, liver, adrenal or thyroid glands that control hormone balance. Your veterinarian may consult with a dermatology specialist to diagnose and treat some of these conditions.