Help for dogs and cats with flea allergies or flea bite dermatitis. Dr. Colleen Smith discusses natural treatments to rid your pet of fleas. To view other pet health videos, visit www.holisticpetinfo.com

What are some of the most common skin and coat problems in domestic pets?

Skin and coat problems are very common among domestic pets and appear to be on the increase. They include:

* Abscesses
* Skin odors
* Eczema
* Allergic dermatitis
* Contact dermatitis
* Dandruff
* Hair loss
* Warts
* Puppy acne
* Seborrhea

What are the causes of skin and coat problems?

Toxins are routinely eliminated through the skin, and skin and coat problems can often indicate a number of underlying concerns including toxin overload, anxiety, thyroid problems and a compromised immune system.

Other causes of skin and coat problems include:

* bacterial and fungal infections;
* fleas (some pets develop a hypersensitivity to fleabites)
* dietary allergies
* allergies to certain irritants (e.g. commercial pet shampoos)

What is Skin and Coat Tonic?

PetAlive Skin and Coat Tonic contains a combination of especially selected herbs, nutrients and biochemic tissue salts known for their tonic and healing effect on the skin and hair.

Whether your pet has a chronic or acute skin condition or whether he just needs a bit of a help after a bout of illness, PetAlive Skin and Coat Tonic will quickly help to restore shine and health, as well as healing most chronic and acute skin conditions.

The most common allergic skin disease in the dog develops when certain dogs become hypersensitive to flea bites. The allergic agent is contained in the saliva or mouth parts of the flea and is injected into the dog when the flea feeds. The disease usually occurs during the warm months and is commonly called summer eczema.

The disease begins near the tail-head of the rump of the dog. The animal will scratch or rub this area intensely, causing the hair to fall out and often ulcerating the skin. In severe cases the hair loss can become more generalized and involve large areas of the body.

Although the disease occurs more commonly in the summer months, many dogs will show signs constantly throughout the year. The flea can complete its life cycle in the home environment and thus can cause constant irritation to hypersensitive dogs.

Therapy is aimed at flea control on the dog, on other pets, and in the dog’s environment. In addition, specific therapy can be instituted to control the signs and affected dogs. Cortisone-type drugs will relieve the symptoms of the allergic reaction. Injections of flea allergy extracts have also been useful in helping certain dogs with their flea allergy.

Breast cancer constitutes almost all of glandular feline cancers and up to 80 to 96% of all malignant tumors in cats. It is also the third most common form of cancer in cats after lymphoid and skin cancers. Although breast cancer in cats is not breed specific, Siamese and Japanese breeds are more vulnerable than others. Obesity too seems to be a high risk factor. Spayed cats, however, carry a significantly reduced risk of developing mammary tumors.

Mammary tumors may either be floating or attached to the skin or the underlying muscles and are commonly found in the front set of mammary glands. Swelling, pain or infection in the glands and fever are among the most common symptoms that may indicate prevalence of mammary tumors.

Unless your cat has developed a mammary gland hyperplasia, diagnosis is a simple affair as a mass arising out of the glands can be felt or seen around the nipples. The stage to which breast cancer has advanced is normally established with the aid of laboratory examinations, chest X-Rays or other tests that may be essential. Bilateral radical surgery, which is the removal of both the mammary chains, is the most recommended treatment for mammary tumors. Follow up of the surgery requires a consultation with a veterinarian oncologist as chemotherapeutic drugs require proper administration and regular monitoring of side effects.

Cheyletiella dermatitis is commonly known as cat dandruff. Even though the itch caused by cheyletiella dermatitis is mild in nature, it compels the cat to scratch, which can lead to substantial feline hair loss.

Out of the three common species of cheyletiella mites, Cheyletiella blakei affects cats the most. This external mite lives on the outer layers of the cat’s skin and can be observed as white specks moving around scales. This gives the disease, cheyletiella dermatitis, its name ‘walking dandruff’. The back of the cat is most affected but the cheyletiella dermatitis may also appear around the head and neck.

Signs of cheyletiella dermatitis include formation of scales (dandruff), large number of mites moving on the skin, mild irritation, crusts and small papules. A good combing using a flea comb will help in detecting the infestation. In some cases a sample of skin scrapings may be needed for confirmation through microscopic examination. During self grooming cats may ingest mites. As mites are passed on undigested through stool they can sometimes be seen in the feces also.

There are a lot of diseases that dogs are prone to and one of them is the infamous itching problem known as dog dermatitis. Dermatitis is basically the general term used to describe transient or chronic itching in dogs that causes not only their coats to become flaky, scaly, and painful but can also affect the overall health of the dog entirely.

Since dermatitis is a general term, there are different types of the disease which could either be transient (short-term and can be treated) or chronic (long term and can be fatal to the dog) in nature. If you’ve noticed your own dog scratching and biting off bits of his or her fur incessantly, it could be a case of canine dermatitis, which means you should take him or her to your local veterinarian for medications and treatments to cure the skin disease.

Causes

To better understand the nature of dog dermatitis, it is important that you know what factors can cause this skin disease in many dogs. In truth, the causes can vary from mere sunburns and flea bites to actual skin cancers and diseases for dogs. In most cases, the most common causes of dog dermatitis include allergies, irritating substances, seborrhea, reactions to drugs or toxins, fungi, bacterial, and parasitical infections, bad reactions to certain kinds of food, and the like. Another factor could be the dog’s breed as some are more prone to such skin infections.

Of all the body organs, the skin is not only the biggest but also the most problematic organ of the cat’s body. Most medical conditions demonstrate symptoms that relate to skin and coat. In addition external factors like physical trauma and parasites can also affect the skin in a significant manner.
Like dog skin problems, cats can also suffer from skin disorders that are self limiting and chronic conditions that require treatment over a protracted period of time.

Pruritus: The Itchy Cat

Itching brings forth almost an amazing array of changes in a cat’s skin. Constant itching can make it impossible for the veterinarian to ascertain whether the skin condition has caused the itching or whether the excessive itching has caused the skin lesions. Besides itching, pruritus causes symptoms like symmetrical feline hair loss, damage to skin due to intense scratching and Miliary dermatitis. Miliary dermatitis relates to appearance of multiple crusty lesions that are greasy and filled with cat dandruff. It can also lead to Eosinophilic granuloma complex, a condition where linear inflamed crusts are accompanied by oozing red areas near the chin and the trunk.

As in humans, skin is the largest organ in your pet’s body too. But unlike humans your pet’s skin is concealed by a coat that hides any changes that may be occurring beneath it. And though humans easily detect small changes that may occur on the skin, certain pet skin ailments can only be detected by understanding pet behavior.

Excessive itching and scratching is the first give-away symptom that can help you to understand that there is something wrong with your pet. Most of the times, it is this behavior that turns minor problems like cat dandruff and feline acne into serious skin problems like excessive feline hair loss and eczema.

Dogs run an increased risk and dog skin problems are among the most common health disorders that dog owners have to deal with.

A healthy skin and coat is a good indicator of the overall health of your dog. And you may have noticed that the first thing that veterinarians while examining pets is to run their hands over the coat of the pet. The skilled hands of the veterinarians can detect infections and distortions on the skin better than we can. They can notice infestation of parasites and many other disorders that may lead them to the final source of the problem.

Recent studies reveal that the food that you feed to your pets has a significant role to play in the development and progress of cancer in dogs as well as feline cancer .

You should feed animal proteins to the dog and avoid proteins sourced from grain and plants. Plant based protein causes more harm than good even to healthy dogs. If your dog is suffering from cancer, plant protein can promote the growth of cancer cells rather than restrict it. Feeding raw meat is a better option as commercial foods may not be prepared properly. Raw beef, chicken, turkey, fish, lamb, goat and pork are natural foods for dogs and they supply the necessary proteins and fats that help in strengthening the immune system.

Some foods like sugar, for example, may actually promote development of cancer in dogs. Pets get energy from fats and proteins. The carbohydrates derived from grains provide no benefit to them. Grain is broken down in sugar, which in turn causes a multitude of problems including yeast infection, allergic dermatitis, stomach upsets and cancer. For a dog suffering from cancer all carbohydrates should be sourced from foods that have a minimal effect on blood sugar levels.

Flea Prevention: Chemicals & Natural Remedies Which Work Best?

What are the best flea medications out there and are there any natural remedies that work? What natural ways can you use to prevent them altogether; before they spread throughout your dog’s environment and your home?

These are very common questions that just about every dog owner asks when trying to keep their pets and homes flea-free.

Fleas are like roaches – they have been around for a very long time. There doesnt seem to be a way to eliminate permanently. Every year, with every new season, the fleas like to come around for a long, annoying stay. And if you live in the tropical areas then they pretty much stay year-round.

So What Can You Do About It?

Your options to counter the flea problem vary. Here are the most common ways to deal with them:

1) Veterinary prescribed flea medications
2) Over the counter flea spot treatments
3) Insecticide dip
4) Flea collar
5) Flea-fighting shampoo
6) Flea powder