Dog Skin Conditions: Causes & Treatments

If you’ve ever had an itch that won’t go away, you’ll know how dog skin conditions can affect your dog’s physical and mental wellbeing. Itches can be painful and they can lead to dry, oozy, or flaky skin and even hair loss.

Not to mention how they’re all-consuming, take on the role of centre of the universe, cause sleepless nights and fatigue…

If your pup (or you) has been in this boat, you may be familiar with the trial-and-error process that follows… Skin lotions/concoctions, medicines, dietary overhauls and more. Often without success, resulting in a deepening fear of itching and pain as well as increased distress.

The only thing your dog can do is itch and scratch. They can’t even get relief by talking to you about it. Luckily, you can still give them the right answers, and we’ll show you how.

What causes dog skin conditions?

Just like people, dogs are prone to skin conditions caused by several factors. These can be temporary or chronic and can cause lesions and infection. Most dog skin conditions don’t get better without the help of medicine or lifestyle changes to food and products.

Here are some things that can cause skin problems in dogs:

• Food allergies (read things that can poison your pet)
• Environmental allergies
• Stress (such as separation anxiety in pets)
• Hormone imbalances (pet foods can contain hormone treated protein)
• Parasites (read about routine pet care for your dog or cat)

Dog skin problems can sometimes spread to humans. The result can be that the whole family itches and scratches together. If your pup starts itching, consult your vet as the first line of defence.

Your vet’s diagnosis is important because they’re medical experts and they know your dog’s history. Their recommendations for fixing the issue will very likely come from vast experience.

Dog skin conditions: A success story

Last July, one-year-old Kelvin, a Labrador cross Huntaway was surrendered to HUHA no-kill shelter in New Zealand. He’s had skin conditions since he was a puppy; his family had tried nearly everything without success.

As if the emotional and financial toll wasn’t enough, vets advised resorting to euthanasia as the final step. Instead, the family surrendered the sore and worn-out Kelvin to HUHA. Here’s what Kelvin looked like when the shelter welcomed him in July.

Thanks to its vast experience with dog skin conditions, HUHA acted quickly in taking lots of well-informed steps to ensure Kelvin’s recovery. Most of the measures are the same ones Kelvin’s family had already tried, with the addition of two new changes. Namely his diet and his shampoo.

One month later

Kelvin suffers from dog allergies that caused his skin to break out and caused his fur to fall out. But by August, just one month later, Kelvin had new fur instead of bare skin. His skin health was on the up and up and his mood was great too.  

Three months later

By October Kelvin had made a full recovery and was looking like one of the healthiest and proudest pets you’ll see.

If you or your pup have had your own itch, you’ll know there are about a million shampoos and diets out there. Even with professional help, sometimes it can be hard to find the right one. So how do you succeed? It’s simple, you follow the path of success.

Dog skin conditions and treatments

HUHA founder Carolyn Press-Mckenzie is an animal rehabilitator, trainer, and vet nurse of 35 years. She’s solved skin problems in thousands of animals. She and her team rehabilitate animals to their optimum physical and mental state before rehoming them.

As you can imagine, she sees dogs ailing under the burden of skin conditions every day.

Kelvin’s original family tried their best to get him back into shape with hypoallergenic diets, expensive medication, and endless visits to the vet. What they hadn’t known about is two healthy pet watchwords: Whoop – Itch & Ouch lotion and shampoo and Addiction Pet Foods.

They’re made over the Tasman in New Zealand and can be ordered online. Both are cruelty free, hormone free and chemical free.

Of course, these are only two of the amazing products out there that could help your dog with its skin condition. There are plenty more available both here in Australia and overseas. We’ve heard good things about Green Pet’s Skin Allergy Prescription Pack (which can also be tailored for cats), Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin dry dog food and Paw Blackmores Coat Skin And Nails Chews too.

Just remember: Every pet is an individual, with its own particular physical composition and needs, living in its own unique environment.

The moral of the story is to keep at it – eventually you are very likely to find a solution!

Pet insurance

Having dog insurance can save you oodles of dollars on all kinds of non-routine vet visits. Pet insurance makes pet health care easy on your pocket so you can devote your attention to your dog’s best interests. And a healthy and happy dog makes for a healthy and happy household, which is priceless!