General Pet is your source for advice and information for a happy and healthy pet.
Author: Janie Knetzer Article source: http://www.articlealley.com/. Used with author's permission.
Whether you've noticed your pup scratching more often than usual, or you have a dog that's always had skin problems, it is important to take a good look the issue and treat not only the symptoms, but the root cause.
Dog skin problems have a variety of different causes, and when you figure out which one is causing your pet's itches and irritations, you'll be well on your way towards solving the problem for good.
Probably the most common dog skin condition is irritation caused by fleas or other parasites. Despite being completely treatable, far more dogs have fleas than you might believe. Fleas and other similar parasites can definitely get out of hand when they are treated incorrectly. When you are spot treating your pooch, give yourself a reminder stating when the next dose needs to be.
A single round of flea removal will certainly lessen the intensity of the problem, but remember that you can only be sure that they are gone after a full run of treatment. Don't risk them coming back by only giving your dog one round of treatment.
Fleas and other parasites are a situational issue when it comes to dog skin problems. What happens if the condition is chronic, or worse, even permanent? While a vet can run a few tests and let you know what might be going on with your dog, you can often tell what is going just be watching closely.
First think about what kind of dog skin condition your dog might have. If your dog is chewing her skin excessively and you find a thick, odorous brown film on the skin or inside the ears, "yeast" is most likely the problem. If your dog has small red raised bumps on her skin, it could also be a bacterial infection.
Some examples of the most common causes of dog skin conditions are environmental and/or poor diet. It can be difficult to pinpoint where allergies stem from. However with a little observation as well as fine tuning the diet, most skin conditions can be corrected.
Dog skin problems can be evidenced by chewing or overly-vigorous scratching at the skin. Allergies are the most severe when the immune system is low. Scratching, chewing and rubbing of the face are often allergy symptoms that also indicate that a dog is not receiving everything he needs nutritionally.
A dog's digestive tract has a very important role in keeping the dog healthy, and it could be that the digestive tract isn't serving her as well as it should. Do you solely keep your dog on a diet of kibble? If so, her digestive tract can be working overtime to provide her body with the digestive enzymes that her body lacks. Because the pancreas can only make so many enzymes, it will be weakened and thus weaken her entire immune system.
Dogs are omnivorous and part of the enzymes they use should come from their food. Unfortunately the enzymes they would get from eating things like meat or vegetables are destroyed if the food is heated, something that happens when kibble is processed. One easy solution to this problem is to make sure that your dog gets the enzymes she needs. While some people do this by switching over to a raw diet of meats and vegetables, you can just as easily do this by placing your dog on a premium dog food and adding a "live" enzyme to his daily diet.
A purely kibble diet can actually reduce your pet's ability to bounce back quickly from things like surgery and illness, while a premium dog food will get her back into shape in no time at all. Many people have seen their pet's health improve exponentially when they start paying more attention to what they are feeding them. Check to see if the food that feed your dog is a premium food. Meat (not meat byproducts) should be the first ingredient. Although all kibbles pretty much look the same, they are not. For a dog to function at high efficiency, diet is critical.
Dogs that are fed "Live" digestive enzymes regularly are healthy and full of life. A healthy diet slows the aging process and allows owners quality time with their best friend. Enzymes for dogs can be purchased in tablet or powder form. Most dogs eat these amazing proteins willingly when sprinkled on top of their food or given in the form of a treat.
Adding digestive enzymes to your dog's diet can go a long way towards making sure that she has a healthy happy life.
For more information on enzymes for dogs, visit http://www.old-dog-treats-and-rawhide.com/dog-enzymes.html
Your dog's food and nutritional value: http://www.old-dog-treats-and-rawhide.com/dog-food-comparison.html
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