Skin Infections in Dogs

They are one best friend who will never leave your side no matter what, who will listen to all your complaints without a word, who will bear all your brunt and who will love you unconditionally. They are the dogs. They truly are a man's best friend. Everyone wants a dog; to guard their house at night, to give them company and for many other reasons. But are you aware of the fact that if you do not take proper care of your dogs, they might suffer from certain skin diseases? These diseases, if not treated on time, may even be fatal for your dog. So if you are worried whether the tiny rash that your dog has on his leg is any infection or not, then just read further about the skin infections in dogs.

Why Dogs have Skin Infections?

The dog's fur is one of the main reason why they suffer from skin infections. Whenever they get wet, the fur prevents the moisture from drying up and also blocks air flow. Thus, their skin becomes more prone to various infections. Besides this, whenever they have a small cut on their body, dogs tends to bite it or lick it. This might cause their skin to break and bacteria starts accumulating on the wound.

Common Infections

Your dog, due to the above reasons, might suffer from various infections which might be fungal, bacterial, parasitic, allergic or even hormonal. For your convenience, some of the common infections have been listed below, as per their causes.

Pyodermas
The main cause for bacterial infection is usually the Staphylococci or the Staph Bacteria. They are most common bacteria present when a dog suffers from bacterial infection. Humans are however, not at the risk of suffering from this bacterial infection. The signs that a dog suffering from this kind of bacterial infection shows are,

• Itchiness
• Yellow pustules
• Red and ulcerated skin
• Loss of hair
• Odor

The whole body of the dog might be infected, but usually, it's the trunk part which is more prone to this bacterial disease. The pyoderma may also occur between the toes and on the calluses of the elbows of the dog. In young puppies, it usually occurs in the abdominal areas.

The treatment of this infection are:

• Removal of the hair from around the effected area and bathing the dog with antibiotic shampoos such as benzoyl peroxide.
• Dry the dog properly and then apply an antibiotic ointment on the effected area.
• Cover the area with bandages or apply a collar in that area so that your dog does not lick that area and infect it more.
• Some of these bacterial infections might require corrective surgeries.
• Continue the antibiotics and make follow-up visits to the veterinarian.

Ringworm
Fungal infections in dogs are mainly due to two kinds of fungi - Microsporum and Trichophyton. The signs commonly associated with this infection are hair loss in circular patches. Crusty and dry appearance at the center of the patch is also observed. The head and the legs of the dogs are mainly effected by these fungi. But, if the disease is not treated, they might spread to the whole body. The treatment includes removing the hair around the effected area and washing it off with a fungicidal shampoo. Dry up the dog properly. These fungal diseases are contagious to humans specially children, so be careful. Keep the dogs away from children and adults and do wash your hands after treating the dog.

Allergies
Itchy skin, nasal and eye discharges, sneezing, improper digestion or skin lesions are some of the common signs of dog allergies. The causes are:

• Hypersensitivity reaction to the allergy causing substance or the 'allergens'.
• Most common of the allergy infection is the 'flea saliva'.
• Single flea from an allergic dog can cause these allergic infections.
• Cold winter seasons are the time when this kind of infection usually occurs in dogs.

The treatments are:

• Allergies are mainly controlled and very few are cured.
• Vets usually use antihistamines and corticosteroids to reduce the itching.
• Hyposensitization or immunotherapy is another procedure to control the allergies in dogs.

Thus in this way you can treat the allergy causing infections in dogs.

Parasitic Infection
The main causes of it are dog fleas, ear mites, ticks and lice. The signs that a dog with parasitic skin infection usually shows are:

• Itching, hair loss and crusty skin.
• Usually they occur on the ears, the front legs, chest and the abdomen region.

So how would you treat these kinds of parasitic infections in dogs?

• Clip the area which has been affected and wash it with an antiseptic.
• Ear mites in the ears can be treated by cleaning the ear when the dog is sedated. Let your veterinarian carry out the dog ear infection treatments. Follow this by using special solutions to kill the mites.
• You can also use sprays, shampoos, flea collars, powders, etc. to treat parasites like lice, ticks and fleas.

Hormonal Infections
These infections are usually hard to diagnose. Hormones are produced by the thyroid gland, the adrenal glands, the pituitary gland, the testicles and the ovaries. If excess or less hormone secretion takes place, then you might notice a change in the skin and hair coat of your dog. The skin usually becomes thicker or thinner, as per the hormone secretion. Color of the skin or fur of the dog may also undergo a change. Hormonal infections are more serious than other skin infections. Hypothyroidism may be diagnosed through proper blood test, but others maybe difficult to diagnose and treat.

If your dog is showing any of these signs, then take him to the veterinarian immediately. If these skin infections are ignored, they might prove fatal and treating the health condition is important to save your loyal friend.