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Is Dry Skin on Dogs Serious?

how to treat dog dry skin

 

Dry skin on dogs is one of the most common skin conditions that vets are called about but is it really a serious condition? I would normally ask pet owners if their dog had been scratching for a while and then noticed that their dog has started to have skin flakes in places that are particularly itchy.

One of the possibilities is that your dog may have allergies. As you know if your dog has allergies it can cause pretty much anyone of the symptoms that are associated.

The first thing you should do though is to rule out any serious health conditions. Unfortunately there isn’t really any reliable way to do this. Another thing you can do is to ask your vet if they think it’s funny that your pooch keeps scratching. Obviously if the itchy skin is due to serious health problems then having your dog seen by a vet is the immediate thing to do.

If your dog is itching for no apparent reason and especially if it is becoming constantly itchy you should consider whether there are any environmental reasons that could be causing your dog to be scratching. Is your dog scratching for fungal or bacterial infection? Have you noticed that the bedding area of your dog is slightly greasy or wetter than normal? Are there any other areas of your dog’s body that appear to be overly dry? If you think that your dog is suffering from a bacterial infection you may also want to check for any sores on your dog. A normally healthy dog should have pink skin on the stomach and inside of the legs. On the other hand if your dog is steadily scratching and showing signs of pain and inflammation you should take your dog to the vet the soonest possible time.

The best way to determine if dry skin on dogs is indeed due to allergies is to take your dog to be examined by a vet. If the skin is leathery and feels greasy to the touch or if the patch of skin looks extremely dry and is breaking away then you may be dealing with a particularly agitated dog. It is a very common occurrence for dogs to develop dry skin in their masters from a very young age. It is very possible for the skin to become dry when they become star-crossed lovers.

Just like us human beings, every dog will at one time or another suffer from dry skin. However, it is very rare for dogs to suffer from it for prolonged periods of time. When dry skin on dogs first becomes a problem it is usually due to discomfort and it can be very uncomfortable for the dog. The solution for this problem is to simply bathe the dog more often, especially if the weather is warm, and if the dog likes to lay on granite flooring; all of this can cause the dog to have a dry skin reaction to the above cause. Usually the solution to this problem is to stimulate the dog’s skin to produce enough oil for the dog to keep its skin in a healthy condition.

If your dog is scratching for no apparent reason continue to encourage it to groom itself. This will in turn lead to the solution for dry skin on dogs being much more severe and frequent. The dog in this situation is obviously scratching its own skin in a desperate attempt to find relief. This principal may well apply to you and actually helping the dog to become normally accustomed to bathing in the home environment and hence stop knotting totally.