What causes skin problems in dogs?
Oh, that's a big, big question about what causes skin problems in dogs. Well, the number one big category is allergies. That's going to be a catch-all for flea allergies, seasonal allergies, food allergies—all can cause skin problems in dogs. Then there's a subset of genetic abnormalities that can be bred into dogs. We know certain dog breeds can actually have like zinc deficiency, dermatitis, so that's a particular type of, you know, hormonal imbalance. Well, there are other hormonal diseases that will cause skin issues like thyroid disease can cause skin problems. Cushing's disease is another hormonal disease causing skin conditions. Let's see, we have autoimmune diseases, so you know, your immune system just starts to attack some abnormal place in the skin and will present with an immune-mediated disease. Those are some of the big categories that I can think of right now for what can cause your dog to have skin diseases.
Dr. Noel Lucas
Blue Oasis Pet Hospital
Are dermatology issues painful for dogs?
Yeah, skin diseases can be painful for sure. The skin is the largest organ of the body. We kind of forget that it is, but it is. So diseases that affect the skin, that traumatize the skin, ulcerate the skin, tumors that affect the skin can actually be very painful to your dog.
What are some signs and symptoms that my dog may have a skin condition?
Well, the number one reason that a pet owner would bring their dog in to see us for a skin-related disease would be just scratching or licking themselves. So licking their feet, shaking their head for ear infections, maybe some infections that are seen as redness, pustules, hair loss, itching, and excessive licking are going to get you in to see us more than anything.
What kind of tests do you perform to diagnose skin conditions?
So we have a little barrage of diagnostic tests that we can do on skin. One of the most common that we're going to do is called a skin cytology. So we're either going to take a little swab or maybe a little scraping of the skin with a slide, or even press a piece of tape up to the skin. We're going to look at what's growing on the surface of the skin under the microscope. We can do skin scrapings for mites. We didn't talk about mites causing skin disease, but they can. So we can scrape into the skin and actually take a skin scraping, and that's another diagnostic test we can do. We love to do cultures, so a culture of the skin to see what kind of organism is growing on the skin and also what antibiotics we can use to treat it. We also can do skin biopsies, so take little pieces of skin and send it off to the pathologist to get a diagnosis, especially with immune-mediated skin diseases or tumors of the skin. And then finally, we have just trying to think, cytologies, scrapings, oh, culture like we talked about bacterial cultures, but we also have fungal cultures that we can do on the skin to look for fungal organisms that are growing within the skin. So there's a lot of diagnostic tests and don't forget blood tests too. If the dog has a hormonal imbalance like thyroid or Cushing's disease, we're going to often do some blood work to uncover that underlying disease that's affecting the skin.
What is the most common skin disease in dogs?
Yeah, so the most common skin disease that your dog is potentially going to suffer from would be allergies. By far, the number one category of dog dermatologic diseases that veterinarians see, which is going to usually present, I call it with my big five: foot licking, head shaking, face rubbing, belly scratching, and booty scooting. So they don't have to have all five to have allergies, but those are the big five hot zones of dogs for allergies. With flea allergies, they may have some of the big five, but they're going to be itching and scooting around their bottom and really chewing at their thighs and their rump area around the base of their tail. We can have food allergy dermatitis, which sometimes just presents as recurrent ear infections, sometimes foot licking, but just early age, lots of licking and chewing and scratching at their ears. Immune-mediated disorders usually start out as, or maybe around their noses, around their lips, around their eyes, sometimes around paw pads, or even just generalized on the skin, and they'll get kind of almost like raised blisters or thick scales or crusts in those areas. Hormonal diseases like thyroid or Cushing's disease, secondary skin infections are more common, and just hair loss, like they just start to get a thin truncal hair, which is the hair just on the body, not on the head or the legs. They'll just get a thinning of their hair coat like male pattern baldness almost of the dog. So we'll look more for a hormone imbalance with those kids and then that's why you bring them in. They're itching, scratching, or you're noticing hair loss, or there's some crusting or blisters, something's abnormal, or you find a skin tumor that we need to look at. So skin disease, again, largest organ in the body, so if it gets affected with infections, it makes your dog really incredibly uncomfortable. You can tell, especially if they sleep in your bed or they're you know around you on the couch by watching TV, and all they're doing is licking their feet or they're scratching. It can get to the point where they introduce secondary infections. Those infections can really get deep in the skin and cause oozing, odor, and just non-stop itch can cause sleeplessness, irritability, aggressive disorders in dogs, and just ruins that bond that you have with your dog because if they're stinky and itchy and uncomfortable and they're around you, you might not want to be interacting with them as much or have them as close to you because they're a little stinky, and that erodes that human-animal bond. So we want to see your pet, we want to make them feel better so we can get them the relief that they need and also get that relationship that you might be losing with them back.
What's the difference between atopic dermatitis and contact dermatitis?
So atopic dermatitis, we call it atopy, very, very common. It's environmental allergies or we call them seasonal allergies. They're allergic to something that they're inhaling or coming into contact with in the environment, usually grasses, weeds, tree pollens. Inside it might be house dust mites, certain like cottons and feathers, so it's just sort of things within the environment that they're allergic to. Probably the most common allergy in people as well is the seasonal allergy sufferer. You and I get hay fever-like symptoms, stuffy nose, runny eyes; dogs get itchy skin, itchy feet, itchy faces, itchy bellies. So that's atopic dermatitis. Contact dermatitis, pretty darn rare, we don't see it very often, but a contact dermatitis might be something incredibly caustic to the skin, which means damaging or irritating. Heavy cleaners at high concentrations that your dog walks through, maybe gets onto the surfaces of their skin, causes intense irritation, redness, blistering. We've had dogs that have unfortunately come into really concentrated kennel concentrated ingredients and have had irritability on their skin. It's super rare but it's coming into contact with something that's incredibly irritating to the skin. That's contact dermatitis.
Are skin conditions in dogs curable?
Yeah, so a curable skin condition that would be probably seen a lot during the summertime would be flea allergy dermatitis. So dog gets fleas, gets bit by fleas, causes an intense allergic reaction to the fleas, gets really itchy, gets secondary infections, can come in looking like a hot mess. We can give that dog some relief through medications, good flea control, completely curable, you think we look great, dog feels awesome, curable. Unfortunately, a lot of skin conditions in dogs, sort of like allergies, aren't usually curable. Unfortunately, they're often going to get maybe more intense as they grow into their allergies over time. We will see dogs usually presenting with skin allergies or seasonal allergies, usually between the ages of one and three. That's the most common age group to come in with their first allergic symptoms, ear infections, itchy feet, and then they just kind of get worse as they get older. Immune-mediated diseases, we can treat or manage those, usually not curable, but long-term management is really good. Skin tumors, we didn't talk a whole lot about skin tumors, but skin tumors are a pretty common part of dog dermatology. Those can be curable, especially if we just excise them or remove them. And then mites, fungal diseases, skin infections, all if we get them diagnosed correctly, those are all curable diseases oftentimes. So dog dermatology, big topic, lots to talk about. So if you feel that your dog is suffering from anything going on in its skin and you just want to have it looked at and talk to your veterinarian, we'd love to see you here at Blue Oasis Pet Hospital. Thanks so much.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (615) 975-2583 , or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram
Dog Dermatology - FAQs 1
Dr. Noel Lucas
Blue Oasis Pet Hospital
What is dog dermatitis?
Dog dermatitis, where "itis" means inflammation and "derm" refers to the skin, is simply inflammation and itchiness of the skin.
What is food allergy dermatitis and how is it treated?
Food allergy dermatitis is your pet's allergic reaction to food, presenting with itchiness of the skin. It often manifests as recurrent ear infections, especially in dogs under the age of one. These dogs may have persistent itchiness of their face, ears, or general bodies. If good flea prevention is in place, food allergies can be identified as the cause of this itchiness.
What about fleas?
Flea allergy dermatitis is incredibly itchy. Fleas bite your dog, causing an allergic reaction in the skin, typically around the base of the back, tail area, bottom, and inner thighs. This leads to intense itchiness, causing dogs to chew, lick, and create red, inflamed skin or hot spots. It's crucial to get your dog treated as they suffer significantly from flea allergy dermatitis.
What is contact dermatitis?
Contact dermatitis is irritation caused by something making contact with the skin, such as chemicals. While common yard chemicals are usually safe, concentrated solutions like bleach or detergents can cause a red, intense dermal reaction, possibly blistering and painful trauma to the skin.
Are skin conditions transmissible to other dogs and people?
Most dog skin conditions are not transmissible to other dogs or people. However, contagious elements like fleas, mites, and certain fungal infections can be passed between dogs and potentially to humans. For example, sarcoptic mange mites can cause allergic reactions in humans. Ringworm, though rare, can also be transmitted from dogs to humans. These conditions are diagnosable and treatable with veterinary assistance.
Why is my dog so itchy and chewing on her skin and is that really stressful for dogs?
Itchiness in dogs is as irritating as it is for humans with conditions like poison ivy. It causes dogs to lose sleep and can make the condition worse with constant licking, chewing, and scratching, leading to hot spots—red, moist, and infected areas on the skin. These issues are common and manageable with veterinary care. If your dog is itchy, see a veterinarian to help them get relief and sleep better.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (615) 975-2583 , or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram
Dog Dermatology - FAQs 2
Dr. Noel Lucas
Blue Oasis Pet Hospital
What are some common allergies in dogs?
We happen to be in the south, we're in Nashville, so we actually have a lot of allergies in our dog patients, especially starting in spring and lasting almost all the way into winter. The most common being a seasonal allergy, so lots of blooming trees start in the spring, grasses start to pop out. We'll start to see a lot of environmental allergies, usually starting in the ages of one to three-year-old dogs. That's probably the most common.
With good flea control, we don't see flea allergy dermatitis as much, but we absolutely will see that. If your dog is not on any flea prevention, they get bit by a flea, it's incredibly allergenic reactive to this dog's skin. They'll start to itch, maybe have secondary infections that will start. Those are the top two. We will see some other types of skin reactions in dogs like food allergy dermatitis, where your dog's actually allergic to the food that they're eating. You really do need to partner with a veterinarian to sort of determine if your dog truly has food allergies, and if they do, what is the food that they should eat. We get told all the time that a pet owner has figured out that their dog has a chicken allergy or a different type of food allergy. That may be true, but it actually may be that you just switched foods and it was just actually another ingredient in the dog food that was actually causing them allergies, or they actually might have a chicken allergy, and then that's a case of avoiding that's fine, but food allergies are not as common as seasonal allergies are.
Then we have immune-mediated diseases of the skin and hormonal diseases as well, so those are kind of big categories of skin dermatitis. So if your dog has anxiety or stress, it doesn't follow that naturally they'll start to have itchy skin, but the opposite can be said. If your dog has itchy skin, will it create anxiety or stress? That's yes. So the first is, well, my dog has anxiety or stress, will it have itchy skin? No, but if it has itchy skin, will it cause anxiety and stress? The answer is yes. That's what I have to say about that.
Can grooming products cause allergies in dogs?
Grooming products, I mean, there's just so many on the market that you can select from, so the vast majority are safe. They're designed for animals. They're pH balanced. They're often safe to use for your dog. We will have some dog owners that will go to the groomer and say, hey, my dog had maybe an allergic reaction to a shampoo that the groomer used. That's really, really uncommon. Usually it's already an allergy that the dog has and it's just maybe unmasked by going to the groomer, having their hair clipped, and now you're seeing it more, but I mean, there's always those outliers, but it's not common for your dog to have allergies to things that are available for grooming. Well, picking just a good, we call it a gentle, mild shampoo, like an oatmeal shampoo or a hypoallergenic shampoo, something that's labeled for dogs, does not have any flea or tick insecticides in it. You don't want to, you want to stay away from those if your dog is sensitive to, and I just think they're old anyway, you should probably not use them at all, but just good gentle shampoos.
Can you over bathe your dog?
There's a wives' tale out there that you can actually over bathe your dog, like don't bathe them too much, you can over bathe them. That's actually not true. If you use a dog-specific shampoo that's designed for a dog's skin, don't use your own shampoo, like your Suave or your Pantene, or don't use baby shampoo. You think naturally common-sense baby shampoo would be more mild or gentle on dog skin, it's actually not, it's not pH balanced, can be incredibly drying, so if you're using those products that are made for people over and over on your dog's skin, you will actually potentially dry them out and make their skin unhealthy, but if you're using a dog-appropriate shampoo, you can actually bathe your dog as often as you really like, every day, every other day, not that you want to, but you can actually bathe your dog's skin quite often. In fact, the itchier your dog is, or the more dermatitis they have on their skin, we actually will start recommending that they get bathed more, reduce those allergens, wash stuff off of their skin, keep their skin hydrated, so doing just some good home bathing. Most dog owners, on average, are gonna wash their dog or scrub them up about once a month, I would say is pretty average for most dog pet owners. Not all dogs need that much bathing, but I would say on average, if you have a dog, you're probably going to give them a bath about once a month, and just a good over-the-counter, good smelling dog shampoo is totally fine.
Are there any natural over-the-counter products or supplements that you use for dog skin?
Mm-hmm, so there's some really good over-the-counter dog skin products available. If you're looking for something that's going to keep their skin kind of, we call it the keratin lockdown, and keep their skin hydrated and keep that barrier really protected, omega fatty, omega-3 fatty acids, so like fish oils are actually a really great source of antioxidants for the skin and can help really hydrate the skin from the inside out, so there's some really good products that we recommend. One of them is called Nutramax Wellactin, another is Bayer Freeform Fatty Acids. Those are good over-the-counter supplements for dog skin. If I'm thinking topical stuff, I don't know that I have a whole lot of that are non-prescription topicals for dogs for skin. Most of it is omega-3 fatty acids, good sources, that's a good all-around holistic supplement for your dog's skin.
So if you have more questions or you have some products that you actually have at home that you're interested in asking your veterinarian about, if they're good or safe for your dog and skin, or some shampoos or other products and sprays that you found over-the-counter, please, please partner with your veterinarian, bring them on in, bring your products in, we'd love to help your dog. We're here anytime you need us, Blue Oasis Pet Hospital, hope to see you.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (615) 975-2583 , or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram
Dog Dermatology - FAQs 3
Dr. Noel Lucas
Blue Oasis Pet Hospital
What is dog dermatology?
Dog dermatology, big topic. It's the study of the skin of dogs. So that's dog dermatology in a nutshell. Your skin.
Can all veterinarians diagnose skin conditions in my dog?
That's a great question. So veterinarians are very, very well trained in dog dermatology. We spend a lot of time in school talking about your dog's skin and how to diagnose diseases related to the skin. But there are always those cases that are a little bit more challenging for us. We may have not seen it or they're not responding to the treatments that we think they should be responding to. So in those cases, your veterinarian may recommend that your pet is referred to a dog dermatologist. So they are basically like us, but they've gone on and done residency and been board certified in dermatology. And yes, we do have a wonderful amount of veterinary dermatologists out there to help us.
When do I need to see my veterinarian about a skin condition?
Well, if it's bothering your pet or bothering you, then that's the time that you need to reach out to your veterinarian. So lumps and bumps, hair falling out, itchiness, head shaking, just anything that really is bothering your pet or you've just been petting them and repeatedly touching a spot that's really bothering you that's maybe a nodule. Just get them in, have it seen, give yourself some peace of mind or get that pet seen to reduce some itchiness that it might have.
Why are recheck exams important?
Ah, recheck exams. So oftentimes we get your pet in, we diagnose a problem and then we are able to help your pet and they feel so much better and you're like, do I really need to come back for that recheck that we recommend sometimes in two to four weeks? The answer is yes, because if your dog has a skin condition and maybe has a skin infection and we've treated it, maybe it's not all the way gone but you think it is. We run the risk of it coming back right away if we stop treatment too early or maybe they have an ear infection and you think that ear is doing a lot better but we look down in it, maybe we'll swab and the infection's still there but you think it's done and so you stop treatment. Well, in a few more weeks that infection will just come right on back. Or maybe we get your pet feeling a lot better and it's got chronic allergies and now you think, okay, I'm done, I don't need to do anything more, it's cured and then we stop treatment and all those symptoms come right back. So it helps us just kind of make sure that we've cleared any infections that they have and also make sure that we have a plan moving forward of how we need to deal with if the itch comes back or just preventative care measures that we might want to implement. And sometimes we don't always talk about that at that first appointment but we start talking about that at that second recheck appointment. So it's really important, just partner with your veterinarian. They have your pet's best interest at mind. We want to make them have really happy, healthy lives. So please go to your doctor, do those rechecks. They are really important.
If you still have other questions and you'd like to reach out to us, you can call us directly at (615) 975-2583 , or you can email us at [email protected]. But please do reach out, and we'll get back to you as fast as we can. Don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, Instagram