Skin Rashes on Dogs

The health problem of skin rashes is a serious one in dogs. Owners of dogs need to be careful while dealing with this problem. The problem of skin rashes are difficult to control and might trouble the affected dog for a long period. To know whether a dog is really affected, one should diagnose the skin to check if it looks flaky, red in color or is swollen in appearance. Generally, the dogs nibble on or scratch the affected part.

Rashes on Dogs Skin
The skin rashes are one of the commonly observed dog health problems. Let us have a look at the symptoms, causes and treatments to be used for skin rashes on dogs, which would further help in dog care.

Symptoms of Skin Rashes on Dogs: Itchy skin is the commonly observed symptom of rashes on dogs skin. Rashes with itchy skin are difficult to detect, since many of the dogs are just habituated to scratching the skin while others have a genuine skin rash problem. Ear infections that are chronic or recurrent in their occurrence is also one of the symptoms of skin rash. Some of the other symptoms include hair loss, frequent bowel movements, skin infection, etc.

Causes of Skin Rashes on Dogs: The primary causes of skin rashes in dogs are atopy, food allergies, environmental allergies and parasites such as ticks, fleas, lice and worms. Read more on fleas on dogs.

Atopy: It is the allergy to molds, pollens, dust mites, etc. exhibited by dogs which could either be genetic or acquired over time. The canine breeds, like, Terrier, Retriever, Setter, Chinese Shar-Pei, Dalmatian, etc. are likely to suffer from this allergy. The symptom shown by dogs in this case is itching around the feet, lower belly, chest and the face. Differentiating atopy from other causes of skin rash is difficult due to the similarity in their symptoms. Blood tests are thus conducted to determine the exact cause of skin rash.

Food Allergies: The food allergies also lead to the occurrence of skin rashes in dogs. Exposure to certain proteins or allergens lead to food allergies in dogs. A hypersensitive reaction to some of the proteins results into skin rashes on dogs. Read more on dog allergies.

Environmental allergies: The toxic environmental pollutants are also responsible for skin rashes on dogs. Some of the chemicals used for spraying in the house could result into the development of skin rash in dogs. The pollutants like toxic fumes emitted from chemicals could be one of the reasons behind skin rashes.

Treatment of Skin Rashes on Dogs:
The following treatments would help in providing relief from skin rashes in dogs.

Milk of Magnesia: It is a soothing substance which when applied on dogs skin with the help of a cotton ball provides relief from dry, itchy and irritated skin. Read more on dry skin in dogs.

Aloe Vera Cream: The aloe vera herb is known for its natural healing powers and could be applied to the dogs skin directly or in the form of creams or lotions.

Baking Soda: Using baking soda gives instant relief from itching. The soda is mixed in water before application to the skin.

Oatmeal Shampoo with Aloe: It is used for dogs which are prone to skin rashes. Oat does the work of keeping the coat healthy while aloe is beneficial in healing the skin.

The above treatments, thus, help in not only relieving skin rashes on dogs but also maintaining the overall dog health.

The skin rashes on dogs could be dealt with by means of the above mentioned treatments. One should, however, determine the specific causes of skin rashes and then proceed further.