Have you ever heard that the eyes are the window to the soul? Doesn't this seem so true when it comes to our pets? But have you ever heard that the skin is the window to your pet's health? Just like us, your pet's skin is an organ that is affected by their overall health. Chronic skin issues can lead to restlessness and lower your pet's quality of life.
As veterinarians, we've seen our share of dogs and cats with skin issues. In fact, across the country, vets report about 25% of office visits start from owner worry about their pet's skin.
If your pet scratches and scratches, there's a good chance she's damaging her skin. From scrapes to cuts, constantly chewing and scratching can lead to infection, hair loss, and mental anguish.
Your Pet's Chronic Skin Conditions
If you've ever gotten poison ivy or hives, you know that incessant itching can drive you crazy. Getting to the bottom of what's causing your pet's itchy skin can help you stop that itch and heal their skin.
The Most Common Causes for Pet Skin Issues:
Allergies
Allergies are one of the most common reasons for itchy skin. Your pet's allergies start from an external or internal source.
Internal Sources
Food allergies can manifest as skin issues for dogs and cats. This is often caused by the protein in your pet's food or treats.
External Sources
Dogs can be allergic to pollen, dust, mites, dander, fleas, and grass. In fact, this time of year, we see a rise in dog hay fever. Flea allergies often cause dogs and cats to chew the base of their tails and lower backs. This can lead to baldness and cracked skin that is painful and exposed to further damage.
How You Can Help:
Make an appointment to help get to the bottom of your pet's allergies. We can help discover what your pet is allergic to and can guide you through a pet-focused elimination diet or use allergy tests to discover the culprit.
Fleas and Ticks
Fleas can be a serious sore spot for cats and dogs. Not only is it itchy and painful to continuously be bitten, but parasites can take a toll on your pet's mental state. Fleas can wake your dog or cat from their sleep and can make it near impossible for your pet to relax.
Ticks are both itchy and dangerous. Along with the soreness and possible infection related to tick bites, they can also carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease. All it takes is one tick attached too long for your pet to contract one of these diseases.
Both of these creepy-crawlies can also lead to sores and hot spots that require antibiotics to treat.
How You Can Help:
Your pet needs to be on flea and tick prevention all year round. Think of prescription flea and tick prevention as armor that works from the inside out, protecting your pet's peace of mind and warding off the danger of painful diseases.
An Unhealthy Coat
A dull coat or thinning hair can be a sign of poor nutrition. This can be a signal that your pup or cat needs a dietary change.
How You Can Help:
Omegas 3 and 6 can aid in your pet's skin and coat health. These can boost your pet's skin health and help them heal. We can recommend supplements or the right treats to manage skin and coat problems.
Those Itchy Ear Issues
What lovely ears your pet has! All the better to hear you with. Or at least you thought that, right? If you notice your dog or cat scratching her ears, there's a good chance she might be suffering from an ear infection or another common ear health issue.
Symptoms of an Ear infection
- Head shaking and ear flapping
- Stinky ears
- Scaly or flaky skin around the ears
- Ear discharge
- Constant scratching
- Redness or swelling
- Whining or crying while scratching the ear
- More attention paid to one ear over the other
What Causes Ear Infections?
Ear infections can be common for pets since they have deep and windy ear canals. This can lead to fluids getting trapped in the ear canal. Other causes of ear infections include:
- Yeast or fungi
- Moisture leading to an ear infection
- Bacteria
- Ear mites
- Allergies
- Thyroid issues
- Autoimmune diseases
- Excess wax
- Endocrine disorders
How You Can Help:
Your pet's ear issues require an appointment – the sooner, the better. Because there is such a wide range of causes for pet ear issues, home-diagnosis and treatment without our guidance can complicate and worsen ear issues.
We can diagnose your pet's ear health with a visual and tactile exam. We can even take a culture or biopsy and closer look with an otoscope to find if there is a deeper issue at hand. Your pet may even need an X-ray.
From wax impaction to mites to inner ear damage, we can help you help your dog or cat. We will find the right prescription and process to help your pet feel better.
From Head to Toe
We want to help you provide the best life for your best friend. Itchy skin and ears can make your pet feel miserable. Don't let your pet suffer any longer – let's work together to soothe her skin from head to toes…and ears to tails.
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