Dog skin problems may not seem worth worry, but in reality, they often develop complications. The term that is generally used for skin problems of dogs is eczema. It is used to refer to sore, swollen skin. But pinpointing the actual cause of eczema is not easy and sometimes even impossible.
Dog skin problems are chiefly caused by soreness or dermatitis that leads to itch and irritation. Naturally, the dog, feeling uncomfortable scratches the swelled skin with its teeth and claws, thus causing hair loss and worse inflammation. Hence, this kind of skin disease of dogs is called itch-scratch-itch cycle. This may also cause rawness of skin, which will thus be an easy prey to bacterial infection.
There are a few definite symptoms of this kind of eczema:
o Scratching
o Rashes
o Reddened skin
o Loss of hair
o Body parts wet from licking (in white dogs, the infected parts grow brown by coming in constant contact with the saliva)
o Black and rough stuff in the fur
o Dryness of skin
o Worms attracted by the fur
o Infected spots, dandruff and mats
As you must have understood by now, the most effective way to avoid dog-skin problems is to keep your pet hygienic and clean. Regular bath and cleansing is necessary to keep the fur as well as the skin of your dog totally dirt free.
Many people still believe that grooming a dog is strictly optional and needed only for cosmetic reasons. Don't pay heed to them. Good grooming is mandatory if you want your pet to be healthy. It is a useful way to test the presence of fleas, ticks, and other signs of diseases, that can cause skin problem to your dog.
You must be wondering now about how many times to give your dog a bath. First of all, it's obvious that if your dig was playing outdoors or gets into something dirty, he needs a bath at once. Otherwise you have to decide upon the number of times you should bathe it, according to the texture of its fur.
If your pet has a smooth coat like a Dalmatian or a Whippet, it requires bath only twice a year. The same rule prevails if it's a Golden Retriever or Saint Bernard.
If the fur of your dog is long like a Bearded Collie or a Maltese, it faces greater risks of entanglement and other dog skin problems. He needs at least once in a month bath schedule to stay fit.
On the other hand, a wirehaired dog like the Schnauzer or Norfolk Terrier, will require a month at the interval of 3-4 months.
Finally, if your dog has cute, curly fur as a Poodle or a Curly-Coated Retriever then be sure to face entanglement and knots to occur frequently. For these dogs, a bath becomes necessary every 6-8 weeks to keep them away from skin problems.
Muscle Atrophy In The Older Dog: It is natural that every mammal's muscles grow weaker and smaller with advancing age. But still, there are two muscle disorders on dogs, which initially look like normal weakness but are actually poorly comprehended complex problems.
The first disease is often termed as polymyositis, which causes inflammation of one or more muscles in the body. The chief symptom is that the dog feels weak at its leg muscles after a period of physical exercise and may fall down. After a time, it will seem to get better only to reveal in a while that it is not and would thus fall down again.
This disease generally affects dogs during late middle and early old age. The root cause may be various but apparently deficiency in the dog's immunity system is primary. Treatment with corticosteroids has proved to be effective. Although sometimes the muscles of the esophagus are affected and swallowing becomes difficult, they are successful to an extent.
The second disorder that occurs mainly in older dogs is muscular dystrophy. It is very similar to the muscular dystrophy that we see in human beings. Affected animals become inflexible in its movements as the muscles go on becoming smaller in size and weaker in strength. The cause of this disease is yet to be discovered and thus, the only treatment possible is to sooth the patient, trying to make him comfortable and is often based on the specie concerned.
