DIY Dog Skin Disease Care: Identify & Treat at Home!

Have you noticed that during the spring and summer months, dogs are particularly prone to skin diseases? This is especially true for puppies aged between 3 to 6 months and senior dogs, as well as breeds like Pomeranians, French Bulldogs, and Teddy Bears. These dogs often exhibit symptoms such as hair loss, skin scratching, bumps, and head shaking after a while.

Not only is skin disease in dogs easy to relapse, but frequent visits to the vet are timeconsuming and laborintensive, with treatment costs being particularly high. Moreover, this can also exacerbate the pet's anxiety. However, there are also many issues with selfadministering medication at home. While the lack of effectiveness is a secondary concern, stronger medications or allergic reactions can lead to skin ulcers, hyperpigmentation, thickened skin, hair loss, and even systemic infections, with potentially severe consequences.

To address these issues, today, I will introduce several common types of dog skin diseases and their treatment methods, guiding you step by step on how to manage them at home.

Types of Dog Skin Diseases and Medications

1. Fungal Infection

• Symptoms: The affected area is usually round or oval with clear edges, showing hair loss, scabs, and may have redness, dandruff, and itching.

• Diagnosis: Use a Wood's lamp to check in a dimly lit area. If green fluorescence spots appear on the skin, it is generally a sign of fungal infection.

• Treatment: Use saline solution for wet compresses to soften and remove scabs and dandruff. Then, disinfect the area with iodine alcohol, and finally, apply antifungal ointments or sprays containing ketoconazole, Daxin Ning (a compound ketoconazole ointment), or terbinafine.

2. Mites

• Symptoms: Common mite diseases include demodectic mange and scabies. Demodectic mange often affects the face, lips, neck, elbows, and between the toes, with hair loss, clear boundaries, redness, and dandruff. Scabies commonly affects the cheeks, ear roots, armpits, and other areas, with redness, itching, hair loss, and in severe cases, blisters that can spread throughout the body.

• Treatment: Use deworming medications containing avermectin, ivermectin, and selamectin to deworm your dog every two weeks. After cleaning away pus, apply iodine tincture for disinfection, sulfur ointment for杀菌止痒, and if symptoms are severe, consult a veterinarian promptly.

3. Ear Mites

• Symptoms: Dogs may experience itching, redness, hair loss, and a large amount of brownish waxlike earwax, producing an unpleasant odor. Dogs will frequently scratch and shake their heads.

• Treatment: Use a gentle pet ear cleanser to clean the ear canal secretions, then apply Xin'er Ning (a compound nystatin ointment). Also, use deworming medications containing ivermectin, selamectin, and pyriproxyfen to deworm your dog.

4. Eczema

• Symptoms: Acute eczema presents as variously shaped or pinpoint redness, which gradually turns into papules, blisters, and pustules, with severe itching. Dogs may frequently lick, rub, or bite the affected area, leading to local ulcers. Chronic eczema can cause redness, thickening, hyperpigmentation, and coarse hair.

• Treatment: Disinfect with iodine alcohol, use Pipute spray + zinc oxide ointment, and orally take Nuimeino (chlorphenamine maleate tablets) to relieve itching symptoms.

5. Interdigital Dermatitis

• Symptoms: The toes may become red, itchy, and painful, leading to limping in severe cases. The toe skin may ulcerate and suppurate.

• Treatment: Disinfect with iodine alcohol. If there are abscesses, first squeeze out the pus and rinse with hydrogen peroxide for disinfection, then rinse with saline solution. Apply Fuant (zinc oxide ointment) or erythromycin ointment for inflammation, alternating with a compound ketoconazole ointment to inhibit fungal infection. Keep the paw pads dry and avoid walking in the rain.

6. Folliculitis

• Symptoms: Follicles may appear with coallike black spots, resembling blackheads, with redness and swelling. In severe cases, there may be a large number of pustules, with itching and the dog may frequently scratch, bite, and rub the affected area.

• Treatment: Disinfect with iodine alcohol, use erythromycin or mupirocin ointment for inflammation, avoid greasy diets, and maintain a clean environment.

Key Points for Home Care

1. Cleaning and Disinfection

• Regularly clean the dog's bed and use pet hypochlorous acid disinfectant to disinfect the environment, maintaining a clean and hygienic living space.

• For widespread skin diseases,配合药浴治疗，1 to 2 times a week.

2. Nutritional Supplementation

• Ensure your dog receives an adequate intake of protein and vitamins to enhance its immunity. Supplementing with vitamin B can help promote the repair of skin and mucous membranes, reducing the likelihood of recurrent skin diseases.

• Feed your dog some fish oil to supplement unsaturated fatty acids, which have antiinflammatory, metabolic, and hair growthpromoting effects, as well as improving skin quality.

Important Notes

• Observe Reactions: When using any medication or treatment, closely monitor your dog's reactions. If there is an allergic reaction or symptoms worsen, stop using the treatment immediately and consult a veterinarian.

• Be Patient with Treatment: Treating skin diseases may take some time, requiring the patience and perseverance of pet owners. Do not give up easily if there is no significant improvement in the short term.