While moving your hand over your dog’s coat you might occasionally feel a bump under the skin. Chances are that if you have been able to locate one, a veterinarian will be able to find a few more since he is skilled and trained. Dog skin problems like bumps in the skin is as common an occurrence as feline acne and feline hair loss. Even though these conditions are common, they should not be treated carelessly. Such problems should not be considered as minor conditions of pet hair and coat disorders like canine and cat dandruff.

But spotting a bump on your dog need not be a cause of panic also. In most cases, bumps turn out to be harmless mass of fatty tissue. Such non-cancerous lumps like cysts, warts, infected hair follicles and swellings filled with blood can cause discomfort to the dog. But they are localized skin problems that have little impact on the overall health of the dog.

There are many reasons why these bumps appear on dog skin. Sebaceous cysts form due to plugged oil glands under the skin. Cysts that are a combination of dead cells, sweat or clear fluid often disappear on their own.

Cats can have latent problems that are not always apparent if you are not a trained person. It is a good policy to keep yourself informed and educated about your pet and the problems that they may face. Information and knowledge can help in dealing with issues when and if they do occur.

Before you bring a cat home the first thing that you should do is to get the animal checked by a veterinarian. Many cats can have cat skin problems. Some infections like parasite infestations are contagious and can be passed on to other cats in your home. Some infections can even pass on to humans.

One of the common skin conditions in cats is feline acne. It usually appears like ringworm but is actually a skin and hair problem in cats. The symptoms of feline acne can mimic those of ringworm and therefore a trained hand is required to assess the exact condition that exists. Feline acne is commonly called chin acne as it almost always occurs on the chin and lips.

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.

Being the largest and the most exposed organ of the body, pet skin is likely to be affected with mild to severe conditions. One of the major dog skin problems arise from allergies. Allergies can cause canine or feline acne. Allergies may arise from contact with an allergen or from food that does not suit your pet.

Before starting treatment for any type of allergy it is of paramount importance that you establish the cause of allergy. It is erroneous to assume that only new foods cause allergies and consequent itching. The truth is that any food can cause an allergic reaction in dogs – new or old. The commonly known skin condition of ‘hot spots’ can develop if your dog becomes allergic to his routine diet that he is no longer able to digest.

Food allergy often forms a typical distribution pattern and your veterinarian is the best guide in this matter. You can suspect food allergy in your dog in conditions where:

* there has been poor response to treatment for mange
* there is little or no improvement on administration of steroidal treatment
* the dog has not previously experienced any seasonal allergies

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.

In this article “Dog Hot Spots: How to get rid of them fast”, I’ll explore the causes of dog hot spots and suggest how you can get rid of them.

Symptoms

Does your dog have the following symptoms?

· Licking, biting and chewing a spot on the skin endlessly.
· The spot suddenly increases in a matter of hours, sometimes with pus inside.
· The sore may sometimes ooze pus or blood out.
· The hot spot loses hair.
· The sore smells funny.
· Your usually friendly hairball best friend is now bad tempered and growls at you when you accidentally touch him/her.

If your dog has these symptoms and if the spot seems to breed other spots like it, then your dog may be experiencing what veterinarians call pyotraumatic dermatitis, or hot spots. A dog hot spot is a very annoying skin lesion that can grow rapidly if left untreated. These infuriating nuisances on your little pooch are not only making him or her suffer, it can also make your doggie friend look like he or she has a contagious disease.

Causes

Here are 3 of the main causes of a dog hot spot:

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.

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.

The condition of the skin and coat is an indicator of the general health of your pet. Other than specific skin conditions like cat dandruff and feline acne or serious immune mediated cat and dog skin problems, internal health issues also reflect on the skin and coat of your pet.

Most of these health conditions lead to canine and feline hair loss. The situation is more challenging if you have a canine pet since most reeds shed hair naturally to a large extent during certain times of the year. Natural hair loss combined with hair loss due to ailments can pose a major problem for pet owners. Cleaning floors, carpets and furniture can become a more arduous task than it already is. Vacuum cleaners are the obvious choice for house cleaning but many times it has been noticed that the cat and dog hair do not get completely sucked up by the machine. Some useful tips for removing pet hair can save you time and money.

With a vacuum cleaner.

Dog skin problems seldom give rise to emergent situations. If you are regular in pet care and look for changes in skin and coat for dog or cat dandruff, canine or feline acnel, skin lumps and lesions there is every reason to believe that you will have enough time at hand to consult your veterinarian about it.

Emergency situations like noisy breathing, panting or gasping for breath, excessive bleeding, a blue tongue, ingesting poison, cessation of urination and labor contractions for a long period without actual delivery of puppies are not associated with skin problems. They are also almost never caused by skin related issues.

But that does not mean that caring for your pet’s skin is not a requirement. On the contrary, the skin and coat of a pet is the best indicator of any underlying menace that may be brewing inside. And given that your dog cannot communicate minor discomfort to you, the skin proves to be the best indicator and an early warning for things to come.