Solutions for Dog Skin Problems

Itch, scratch, itch – first you notice a small bare patch on your dog’s coat, then it gets bigger,  The stray shown in the picture was covered in sores.  The more your dog scratches, the worse it gets.   What’s going on? 

If your dog has a painful area of inflammation, he isn’t likely to leave it alone.   Before long the skin is infected as well.   The first thing to do is to establish the cause.   Is it fleas?  Some dogs are more bothered by them than others and quickly develop dermatitis as a result.   You can comb through your dog’s coat but even so you might miss them.  The best flea check is to put a white sheet in the bed and check for black dots.  If there are fleas about you will see flea eggs and droppings, they are tiny black specks.  A sure sign that your pet is feeding blood sucking parasites.    There are many flea treatments on the market and the spot-on are easy to administer and very effective.   Follow the instructions on the packet carefully and don’t use cat medication on dogs or vice versa.  Consult your vet if you are in doubt and get advice.

The areas of irritation must be kept clean and soothed till they heal.   Clipping the hair round the sore place is a good idea.  It can be very painful though and your dog might not like this at all.   Better not to make a fuss and do it another day when it’s feeling easier.    We bathe broken skin with a mild antispetic solution or, if it’s not too bad, we wash with a mild non-perfumed anti-bacterial solution.    Applying a soft, cool, compress as frequently as you can manage, is usually appreciated and helps take the heat out of the irritation.  We have found aloe vera gel to be very effective at curing skin irritations, you can buy it from any health shop.   It doesn’t make the dog wince and the redness subsides. 

Vitamin E is another stand by here, it promotes healing.   You can buy this at supermarkets – we just split open a capsule onto the brokenl skin.    The main thing to remember is that if the irritation is caused by fleas, you will have to treat the house as well as the dog.  Otherwise all will be well until the zillions of eggs lurking in skirting boards, dog beds and blankets, hatch out and it all starts over.    Hoovering is one of the best ways of getting rid of these pesky creatures.   There are also many household flea-rid sprays and foggers.   Keep them at bay by wiping the bed down with a herbal solution – make it yourself by immersing aromatic herbs in water and putting in sunlight for a few days.   Lavender, rosemary, thyme, lemon-grass are all good.  Tea – tree oil, which you can buy ready made, is excellent for keeping fleas at bay.   These herbal remedies won’t solve a big flea infestation on their own but they are helpful in prevention when you have it sorted.