What are Hot Spots in Dogs and Cats? How can Hot Spots in Pets be treated naturally ?

What is a dog and cat "hot spot"?
A hot spot, also known as acute moist dermatitis is a localised area of skin inflammation and infection which most often oozes pus and sometimes gives off a foul odor. Due to a pet licking, chewing or scratching itself the condition grows at a rapid rate and causes hair loss in patches. It is one of the most common medical complaints from pet owners.

Symptoms of pet hot spots include: 

• Hair loss in small areas. Sometimes long hair can hide the severity of the lesions.
• Compulsive scratching, licking, biting and chewing, which causes rapid aggravation. These can cause the hot spot to grow rapidly, in a matter of hours.
• Redness of skin
• Oozing / pus
• Lesions that look like bite wounds

What causes Hot Spots in Pets ?

• Allergies
• Parasites (fleas and mites)
• Insect bites
• Small cut / minor wound / scrape
• Licking & Chewing
• Bad Grooming - If the coat is dense or allowed to become matted, moisture on the skin may remain long enough to allow superficial bacteria to reproduce and create an infection.
• Pet Products which can destroy a pets immunity making them susceptible to infection and disease
• Psychological problems causing stress or boredom

Hot Spots in Cats and Dogs is a self-inflicted condition. The licking, biting, chewing, aggressive scratching causes skin inflammation which can lead to bleeding and oozing if left untreated. Because the hot spot itself is caused by bacteria (fungus, yeast), the more a pet scratches and bites, the more bacteria will keep going into the infected area causing worsening of the condition. It should be treated as soon as possible.

It is common for a pet owner to notice a small aggravation, then hours later notice in horror that it has enlarged to up to twice (or more) its size. The distressed pet will go to great extents to be left alone and will even growl or snap at the owner if the spot is touched.

How do I treat this Hot Spot?

Firstly we recommend you choose the correct bathing products.

It is extremely important that your pet's shampoo is pH balanced (for them) and contain no sls, sulfates, or any harsh chemicals that can strip your pets natural oils. When a pet's pH balance is disrupted, yeast and fungus proliferate and help the condition to get worse.

The best choice is an antibacterial-anti-fungal shampoo which is also calming and soothing at the same time.

*Shampoos are the first step of defence against problem skin in pets.

For natural treatment of Hot Spots please try DERMagic Hot Spot Salve.

This is a topical treatment that dramatically improves the condition in a matter of hours. It is guaranteed to work. Furthermore, it contains only naturally ingredients.

Where can I find DERMagic Hot Spot Salve and Organic Pet Shampoo? www.dermagic.com.au

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What Triggers Allergies in Dogs?

Dog Skin Allergies? What Triggers Allergies in Dogs?

Pet allergies, and especially dog skin allergies, are very common. Food, carpeting, blankets, dust mites, mould spores in the air, pollen, plastic food dishes, furniture stuffing and ornamental plants all have the potential to trigger allergies in dogs. In some instances, a highly allergic pet may have several allergies at once.  The severity of allergies, which can be seasonal or year round, varies greatly. The most common symptom from an allergy is intense itching (known as pruritus), which may be localized at spots or might be systemic, covering the pet's entire body. Contact Allergies. Fleas are a common source of contact allergies.  Other common contact allergens include grasses, hay, plants, and trees.  Toxins and chemicals (pesticides, carpet cleaners, etc) provide additional potential sources for dog skin problems for both outdoor and indoor pets.  For a dog that is seldom exposed to fleas, a single flea bite can inflame a dog's skin for several days. Food Allergies are generally due to ingredients in your pet's food or treats.  Symptoms of food allergies include itching and/or noticeable digestive trouble.  A food allergy can be a reaction to almost any ingredient such as soy, wheat, yeast, or beef.  Food allergies are so common that pet food manufacturers have invested millions of dollars in research, development and promotion of diets to help with food allergies in dogs.  Inhalant Allergies. With inhalants, pollen is the most common type of allergen, but cigarette smoke, air fresheners, smog, or other airborne pollutants can also be problematic.

Allergic Dermatitis  (Dog skin problems caused by allergies) Regardless of what causes the problem, this condition is common, it can last a lifetime, it is a challenge to diagnose, and once identified it can be resistant to attempts at treatment.  Dogs with inhalant dermatitis will lick and chew at their paws and scratch their face, eyelids and ears.  Others may erupt in hot spots or their skin may redden and be intensely itchy all over. Sometimes there's a bad smell associated with allergic dermatitis called seborrhea, often the result of a secondary yeast (a type of fungus) infection.  Seborrhea is a skin disorder in which the outer layers of the skin, the sebaceous glands, and the follicles are over-productive, leading to dull fur, dry flakiness, and smelly oiliness.  This sebum, which becomes rancid, is the source of the odor.  Frequent bathing, especially with a harsh shampoo, can irritate the skin and make this condition much worse. The list of symptoms is endless, but severe itching is the common ailment. Diagnosis of allergies is difficult, time-consuming, very costly, and often inconclusive.  As a result, allergies are seldom properly diagnosed, and instead, the symptoms are treated in hopes of relieving the pet’s discomfort. These treatments may include topical medications, soothing baths, ointments and sprays, oral antihistamines, or steroids. Caution:  If you are sent home with a prescription for prednisone, or your dog has been given “a cortisone shot to stop the itching”, your dog may ultimately be worse off than before if the true diagnosis happens to be an unrecognized case of Sarcoptic mites! A key point to remember is this:  There is no cure for allergies!  What we can do is avoid the food, material or parasite that is triggering the immune response, and treat both the symptoms and the resulting infections to restore the skin to good health. Always, at the very first sign of itching, look for broken skin, a bite, a sore, or any irritation, and apply DERMagic Skin Rescue Lotion or Hot Spot Salve to kill the infection and prevent the irritation from getting worse. In most cases, this is the only remedy you will need.

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Dog Skin Disorders - What causes Dog skin diseases and how can they be treated Naturally?

Dog skin disorders are among the most common health problems in dogs. Skin disorders in dogs have many causes, and many of the common skin disorders that afflict people have a counterpart in dogs. The condition of dog's skin and coat can also be an important indicator of its general health. Skin disorders of dogs vary from acute, self-limiting problems to chronic or long-lasting problems requiring life-time treatment. They also need to be differentiated on the basis of being of primary or secondary (due to scratching, itch) in nature, making diagnosis complicated. Dog skin disorders may be grouped into categories according to the causes.

Types of disorder

Immune-mediated skin disorders

Skin disease may result from deficiency or overactivity of immune responses. In cases where there is insufficient immune responses the disease is usually described by the secondary disease that results. Examples include increased susceptibility to demodectic mange and recurrent skin infections, such as Malassezia infection or bacterial infections. Increased, but harmful immune responses, can be divided into hypersensitivity disorders such as atopic dermatitis, and autoimmune disorders (autoimmunity), such as pemphigus and discoid lupus erythematosus.

Canine Atopic Dermatitis

Canine atopy is a hereditary and chronic allergic skin disease. It usually starts between 6 months and 3 years of age with some breeds of dog such as the Golden Retriever starting at an earlier age. Dogs with AD are itchy, especially around the eyes, muzzle, ears and feet. In severe cases the irritation is generalised. In cases where the allergens are seasonal the clinical signs of irritation are similarly seasonal, but many dogs with house dust mite allergy have perennial disease.

Canine Atopy with dermatitis around the eye created by rubbing

Some of the allergens associated with canine AD include pollens of trees, grasses and weeds, as well as molds and House dust mite. Ear and skin infections with the b

acteria Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and the yeast Malassezia pachydermatis are common secondary to canine AD. Flea allergy is commonly associated with AD. AD is a lifelong condition in most dogs.

Food allergy can be associated with identical signs and some authorities consider food allergy to be a type of atopic dermatitis.

Diagnosis of AD is by elimination of other causes of irritation including fleas, scabies a

nd other parasites such as Cheyletiella and lice. Food allergy can be identified through the use of elimination diet trials in which a novel or hydrolysed protein diet is used for a minimum of 6 weeks and allergies to aeroallergens can be identified using intradermal allergy testing and/or blood testing (allergen-specific IgE ELISA).

Autoimmune skin diseases

Pemphigus foliaceus is the most common autoimmune disease of the dog. Blisters in the epidermis rapidly break to form crusts and erosions most often affecting the face and ears initially, but in some cases spreading to include the whole body. The pawpads can be affected causing marked hyperkeratosis (thickening of the pads with scale). Other autoimmune diseases include bullous pemphigoid and epidermolysis bullosa acquisita.

Treatment of autoimmune skin conditions requires treatment to markedly reduce the abnormal immune response; steroids, azathoprine and other drugs are used as immunosuppressive agents.

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