Summery :
- General information
- Things
- Cause
- Symptoms and Complications
- Diagnosis
- Therapy
- Prevention
1- General information
Dermatitis in dogs is a fairly common condition that can be annoying for the animal and sometimes significantly affect its quality of life.
The causes of dermatitis in dogs are varied; in fact, it can be due to the action of parasites , infectious agents or an environmental or food allergy.
The typical symptom is itching .
A correct diagnosis requires several tests, the aim of which is also to identify the causes of the disorder.
Treatment varies depending on the cause of the dermatitis.
This article is dedicated to clarifying what canine dermatitis is, what the causes and symptoms are, what the tests are to diagnose it and what the treatments are on a case-by-case basis.
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2- Things
Dermatitis in dogs is a fairly common and annoying disorder , which in some cases profoundly compromises the animal’s quality of life; furthermore, it increases the risk of secondary skin infections .
3- Cause
Dermatitis in dogs has various causes .
It may be due to parasites , such as fleas , mites or ticks .
It could be due to an infection , bacterial or fungal .
Finally, it can be the consequence of an allergy to environmental factors (e.g. pollen , grass, dust mites , etc.) or to foods .
Atopic Dermatitis in Dogs
One of the most common forms of dermatitis in dogs is atopic dermatitis , a condition that affects between 15 and 35% of dogs .
This is a dermatitis of an allergic nature , the onset of which depends on a genetic alteration such that the immune system responds abnormally to a given allergen.
Allergic dermatitis in dogs is a chronic disorder for which there is no curative therapy .
Dog Dermatitis: Is It Contagious?
Allergic dermatitis and most infectious dermatitis affecting dogs are not contagious , that is, they cannot be transmitted to other animals (not even dogs) or to humans.
The only exceptions are:
- Fungal dermatitis known as ringworm . Ringworm is a fungal infection that is transmitted to dogs and also to humans through spores. In dogs, ringworm appears as an inflamed, crusty patch; in humans, however, as a circular, red rash that causes itching.
- Flea Infestations . If you have a flea infestation , all pets that live with the infested animal should be treated.
Fleas can also bite humans (on the feet or ankles ); however, they cannot infest humans. - Harvest mite dermatitis . Harvest mites are small, bright orange mites that are only present in late summer. They cause an itchy rash
. They can also affect humans when an animal that carries them comes into contact with the owner.
4- Symptoms and Complications
How does dermatitis manifest itself in dogs?
A dog suffering from a form of dermatitis typically presents itching in one or more areas of the body.
Due to the itching, the animal tends to scratch itself and this can in turn lead to:
- Redness ;
- Scratches ;
- Crusting ;
- Hair loss .
Depending on the cause, dermatitis can also manifest itself with spots , patches , greasy or scaly skin , crusts on the body and thickening/darkening of the skin (the latter alteration develops especially in hairless areas).
In addition, the dog suffering from dermatitis exhibits a series of typical behaviors, such as:
- Rubbing your back on the carpet;
- Chewing on the paws (if these are the areas affected by dermatitis);
- Tendency to continuously lick the affected area (so much so that the fur shows easily recognizable saliva stains).
Dermatitis in Dogs: Which Areas Are Most Affected?
Dog dermatitis mainly affects:
There are forms of dermatitis that can also affect: muzzle, bottom, back and sides of the body.
Complications
A dog that continually scratches and licks a certain area of the body because of itching can get scratches or, worse, wounds. If not protected and cared for, these wounds can become infected , further worsening the dog’s health.
Owners of dogs with dermatitis must pay close attention to the areas that bother the animal the most, to detect any skin lesions that could develop secondary infections in advance .
5- Diagnosis
How to understand if the dog has dermatitis?
The diagnosis of dermatitis in dogs typically begins with the collection of physical and behavioral symptoms manifested by the animal (in this case, the dog’s owner plays a fundamental role), the anamnesis and the objective examination .
Subsequently, it continues with more specific tests, which also vary depending on what emerged from previous investigations.
Among the tests that are practicable and useful for understanding the causes of dermatitis in dogs, we highlight:
- Flea comb . It is a tool used to diagnose the presence of fleas.
- Skin strip . It is a special adhesive tape that allows you to take a sample of surface cells to observe under the microscope. This type of examination allows you to identify infections by bacteria or yeasts .
- Skin scraping . This involves scraping the surface layers of the skin and examining them under a microscope. This test allows the presence of mites on the skin to be identified.
- Hair sampling . Followed by laboratory analysis, hair sampling can help diagnose parasitic and fungal infections.
- Wood’s lamp . It is a lamp with UV rays that are not dangerous for the animal’s health and can be useful in the diagnosis of fungal infections , such as ringworm.
- Blood tests . These are essential to discover any allergies .
Rarely, your veterinarian may also perform tests that require sedation of the animal, such as:
- Skin biopsy . It involves taking a cell sample of greater thickness than in the previous cases, whose analysis in the laboratory allows the identification of certain mite diseases and other dermatitis responsible for hair loss.
- Scraping of the skin in sensitive areas such as the eyes .
Therapy
How to treat Dermatitis in Dogs?
There are various treatments for dog dermatitis ; the therapeutic choice depends on the cause of the disorder.
Parasitic Dermatitis: How to Treat It
There are different treatments available for the treatment of tick , flea or mite parasitic infections .
These therapies can last from 1 to 3 months and also require the disinfection of the environments where the animal usually lives (including the kennel , etc.) since these are parasites whose life cycle also takes place outside the animal.
Some of these work better than others, since over time fleas, for example, have developed a resistance to certain anti-parasitic preparations; it must also be said, however, that if the right product is used, the treatment has a high probability of success.
Finally, it must be remembered that, in the presence of a flea infestation, all pets living with the first infested animal must be treated .
Infectious Dermatitis: How to Treat It
In the case of infectious dermatitis that affect the superficial layers of the skin , medicated shampoos that act against the pathogen responsible for the infection are often sufficient . Initially, treatment with these shampoos involves 2 washes per week; in a second phase, 1 wash is sufficient.
In the case of infectious dermatitis affecting the deeper layers of the skin , however, prolonged oral and/or topical antibiotic therapy (6 to 8 weeks) is required.
Allergic Dermatitis: How to Treat It
Canine allergic dermatitis is a chronic condition, for which there is no cure .
However, there are various strategies to keep the disorder under control.
First of all, it is essential to avoid the animal’s exposure to the allergen as much as possible ; secondly, antihistamines and immunomodulatory drugs are available , which allow to control itching, the main symptom of canine allergic dermatitis .
Control allergen exposure
Controlling exposure to the allergen means not only preventing the dog from coming into contact with what triggers the allergic reaction , but also regularly cleaning the environment in which it lives, protecting food from possible contamination , cleaning the animal’s paws every time it comes back from a walk, etc.
It is, therefore, a set of precautions to be implemented on an almost daily basis.
What to do if Allergic Dermatitis is Due to Food
In the presence of allergic dermatitis due to some food, first of all it is necessary to identify the responsible food (generally, food allergies are due to proteins ). To do this, it is necessary to subject the dog to an exclusion diet (or elimination diet), which involves eliminating one food at a time from the diet, to see how the dog reacts and whether the symptoms persist or disappear; the disappearance of the symptoms following the elimination of a given food means that it was precisely that food that was responsible for the allergic dermatitis.
The exclusion diet has a long time frame (from 8 to 12 weeks), as the symptoms do not disappear overnight.
In any case, in these cases, it is essential to contact your trusted veterinarian, who will indicate all the useful time frames to understand when it is necessary to make changes to the dietary plan.
Use of corticosteroids to control itching
In some cases and only under veterinary prescription, corticosteroids may be used to control itching.
Corticosteroid therapy is generally short-term, as these drugs have a variety of adverse effects.
Dermatitis in Dogs and Diet
If there is no reason to believe that the dermatitis is due to a food allergy, the diet of the dog with this disorder can remain the same as always.
Things change, however, when the itching and other symptoms are the consequence of a protein contained in a certain food: in these cases, as analyzed previously, it is necessary to change the diet according to the methods described above.
Other useful treatments
To relieve itching caused by allergic dermatitis or fleas, oatmeal shampoos or moisturizers may be helpful .
These remedies are especially effective for dry , flaky skin .
6- Prevention
There are various ways to protect your dog from dermatitis; here are some precautions you can take:
Avoid purchasing puppies born to dogs with allergic dermatitis , as these conditions are often hereditary.
Use regularly the antiparasitics prescribed by the veterinarian . These are preparations that prevent infestations by parasites.
Provide the animal with quality food , without colorants or preservatives . In some cases, the vet may recommend a monoprotein food, that is, containing only one protein (clearly not responsible for allergies in the dog).
Avoid using overly aggressive detergents , which could cause some skin reaction.
