Dog Skin Problem - Tips For Correctly Identifying the Causes

By Debra Proctor

When your dog starts his endless routine of scratching, licking and biting, it drives you nuts and more often than not, you assume his dog skin problem is because of fleas. This is natural. Fleas are very often the cause of this type of behavior in your dog. But unless you can positively identify that the problem is a flea infestation, you are making a wrong assumption that is bad for your dog's health. Listed below are the six major reasons for your dog's behavior so you can learn to correctly identify the problem and save your dog and yourself some misery.

1. Nutritional

Symptoms - hair loss, skin irritation, itching, scratching, general unhealthy appearance

Causes - being fed an inferior dog food

Treatment - feeding your dog quality food that has as the first ingredient beef, poultry or lamb

2. Environmental

Symptoms - oozy sore that your dog won't stop licking or biting

Causes - small scratch or wound that stays moist and is invaded by bacteria causing an infection

Treatment - aggressive treatment by a vet that involves clipping and shaving the hair around the wound and antibiotics

3. Neurogenic

Symptoms - obsessive, persistent licking of one particular spot

Causes - boredom, separation anxiety, being confined

Treatment - behavior modification by a dog behaviorist

4. Allergic

Symptoms - overall scratching and biting

Causes - diverse; food, fibers, medications, plants, dust

Treatment - medicated baths, oral antihistamines, ointments

5. Parasitic

Symptoms - scratching, licking biting, bald patches

Causes - fleas, ticks, chiggers, deer flies, gnats, mites

Treatment - Needs to be diagnosed by vet and treated accordingly

6. Infectious

Symptoms - circular bald patches without scratching, greasy, odorous sores

Causes - various fungi, bacteria, and yeast organisms

Treatment - depends on which cause is diagnosed. Fatty acid supplements help prevent these problems.

Learning to identify your dog's skin problem as one of these six main causes, nutritional, environmental, parasitic, neurogenic, allergic, or infectious is your first step to getting your dog help. Some of these conditions are not only irritating to your dog and you, but can be very serious. Identify your dog's problem and seek the proper treatment.

For more detailed information on how to identify your dog skin problem, go to http://www.dogskinproblem.info for more articles on symptoms, causes and treatment.