Skin diseases affect dogs too, and they are often hard to treat because the dog won’t stop scratching. Usually these conditions have a parasitic, infectious, allergic or even fungal origin. Depending on the cause, the treatment will differ.
One way to tell whether your dog has some kind of skin disease is to check whether it scratches a lot. Combined with hair loss in certain areas, ulcers or open wounds that won’t heal, darkened skin or dermatitis, this can help you determine that your dog has a skin problem. In that case, you should contact your trusted vet as soon as possible so they can diagnose what’s wrong and recommend a treatment.
Dermatitis in dogs
Dermatitis is quite common in dogs, but it has several causes. One is atopic dermatitis, caused by hypersensitivity to mites or dust. It’s a seasonal condition that only needs treatment when a flare-up occurs.
There is also allergic dermatitis. This appears when your dog is bitten by a flea and its skin reacts to the insect’s saliva. Wounds, hair loss and itching are typical of this type of dermatitis — a single flea bite is more than enough to trigger the problem.
Another type is malassezia dermatitis. It’s usually linked to otitis (ear infection), so if your dog suffers from that, it’s quite likely to develop malassezia dermatitis at some point. As well as itching and flaky lesions, a bad smell can also be an indicator.
Mange and seborrhoea
Mange is a very common disease in dogs. It’s usually caused by mites, leads to hair loss and intense itching, and is highly contagious. Seborrhoea, meanwhile, is similar to dandruff. The problem is that it causes a bad smell and is an incurable condition — it can be treated and kept under control, but it will require considerable effort on your part.
Pyoderma
Pyoderma is a deep skin infection that can appear as a complication of other conditions. Scratching and excessive licking can bring it on. Treatment is based on thoroughly disinfecting the skin and giving antibiotics; it’s very effective and clears up quickly if carried out following the vet’s instructions.
There are many other skin diseases in dogs that can cause problems, such as folliculitis and pododermatitis, among others. Here we’ve covered the most important ones so you can stay alert if you notice unusual symptoms in your pet. Solving them as early as possible is very important to guarantee your furry companion’s wellbeing.
