Dog Skin Problems – Examples & Options

FOR GENERAL DOG SKIN PROBLEMS

On the softer side, dogs may be dealing with seasonal hot spots, a poor coat, occasional itching, chewing, and scratching. These mild issues are often addressed by choosing better pet foods and simply adding our Superfood Nzymes Antioxidant Treats or Sprouted Granules to your dog’s daily diet. The power of this superfood protein formula helps to bring balance to a pet’s body and metabolic functions.

FOR MODERATE DOG SKIN PROBLEMS

The next level would be to combine our superfood formula, Nzymes Antioxidant Treats or Sprouted Granules, with Bac-Pak Plus, our probiotics / digestive enzymes blend. And lastly, we add Ox-E-Drops, our anti-microbial product that supports pH balance for the entire gut. We make three versions of the Nzymes 3-Pak Kit.

FOR SEVERE DOG SKIN PROBLEMS

On the more severe side, dogs may face terrible itching, biting, scratching, chewing, hair loss, odor, blackening skin, rashes, oozing sores, ear infections, eye infections, or UTIs. You must consider a full-on approach like the Nzymes Healthy Skin Program. Our best recommendation to follow for severe dog skin problems.

Help For Skin Conditions

Regardless of your pet’s current condition, there is a natural nutritional approach to help. The issues mentioned above may be due to a deficiency in the diet or fundamental digestive imbalances. For most, many of these issues will generally melt away.

The skin is the largest organ, covering the whole body, and it is the primary filter after the body’s internal organs. When something has gotten into the body that shouldn’t be there, the body has to expel it. The majority of invaders and infections release from the inside out. They tend to come out where gravity takes them. So the symptoms tend to be seen a the paws, legs, under-belly, genitals, face, eyes, and ears to the surface to avoid infection, creating inflammation and itch.

The phrase “Dog Allergies” gets bandied about quite often as almost a catch-all term, but is it truly allergies or a breakdown of the gut?

A wise man once summed it up this way. He said, “There are many ways in which a man can destroy his health, but very few ways a dog can.” He further elaborated that a man can drink, do drugs, over-eat, run around, pick fights and end up in a mess. 

A dog – outside of genetic factors – gets three things. If your dog has skin problems, 1, 2, or all 3 of these items are likely at play.

1. The food he eats 
2. The water he drinks 
3. Whatever the Vet sticks in him.

Let’s look at those three things.

SYMPTOMS CHECKLIST
We’ve complied this list of symptoms so you could have a better understanding of the recovery difficulties a dog is facing and the wide range of symptoms they can endure.

Check each of the symptoms that your pet is experiencing. Then calculate your score.
Symptoms Checklist – Prepared for Biopet by Dr. Neal Weiner – DVM – Shasta, Ca.

GENERAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS
( ) Fatigue
( ) Poor Appetite
( ) Over-weight
( ) Nervousness
( ) Anxiety
( ) Allergies
( )  Sensitivities to pollen, weeds & grass
( ) Frequent Infections
( ) Dull rough hair coat

SKIN SYMPTOMS
( ) Rashes and Itching
( ) Hives
( ) Draining Sores
( ) Body Odor
( ) Face Rubbing
( ) Acne
( ) Eczema
( ) Oily, Greasy Skin
( ) Dry, Flaky Skin
( ) Excessive Shedding
( ) Discolored Skin (blackened skin)
( ) Thickened Rough Skin

EAR SYMPTOMS
( ) Increased Discharge
( ) Ear Infections
( ) Ear Itching

EYE SYMPTOMS
( ) Itching Eyes
( ) Red, Irritated Eyes
( ) Cloudy Eyes
( ) Excessive Tearing
( ) Dull Appearance to Eyes

The Food

The majority of pet foods sold today lack quality nutrition. The reasons are fundamental. The pet food industry provides a perfect repository for waste products leftover from the human food industry. Big Brand Companies are profiting from what would otherwise be waste products.

Under FDA and AFFCO requirements, pet foods are cooked at 180 degrees to stop bacteria from growing and prevent spoilage. However, the process destroys all the viable enzymes and nutrients. So to make them palatable to your dog, they use preservatives, additives, food colors, and flavorings. All of these are detrimental to the health of your dog’s healthy gut. The chemical additives and overabundance of sugar sources lend themselves to the breakdown of your dog’s average digestive balance. 

Why do they use those chemicals in the first place? They give it a longer shelf-life. The downside is these chemicals affect the GOOD bacteria that are critical for your dog’s internal health. In addition, these foods contain high volumes of starchy carbohydrates, like cornmeal, brewer’s rice, wheat flour, Sweet potatoes, and carrots. These carbs convert to sugar during digestion and feed YEAST OVERGROWTH. Candida yeast a fungal resident of the gut. It is kept in check usually by good bacteria. So in battlefield terminology, the bad guys are fed, while the good guys are slowly dying off. Are you beginning to see the problem? (Foods We Recommend)

The Water

I think we’ve all had a drink from a garden hose while growing up, and somehow we lived. Clean drinking water is a hallmark of a first-world society. We should all be thankful for clean water. Chlorine is used as an agent to keep the water free from bacteria and other organisms that would make us very sick. Usually, this is not a big problem. BUT, if you are dealing with an animal with a GI tract compromise, it does become an issue. For animals with these heavy skin conditions, we do recommend using filtered or purified water for drinking. Re-building the natural bacteria is essential in restoring your pet’s health, so why introduce anything that would impede that process?

Vaccinations

There have been volumes written on the problems regarding the over-vaccination of pets in our modern world. Purdue research, funded by The Great Dane Club of America, on Vaccine Mediated Responses in Canines, shows it is the carrier in vaccines that is the problem for most vaccine reactions. There can be many symptoms from vaccine protocols, including seizures, fever, lethargy, hypertrophic dystrophy (bone pain), & muscle aches. In extreme cases, vaccinosis can cause a condition known as vaccine mediated auto-immune response. 

Holistically focused vets, nutritionists, and animal advocates of all stripes have long called for a change in vaccine protocols. Until then, it is paramount to help the body to detoxify from the carrier toxins in the vaccines. We recommend doubling the use of the Sprouted Granules or Antioxidant Treats 3 days prior to vaccinations, and 1-2 weeks afterwards. This is not a fool-proof guarantee that there won’t be a vaccine reaction, but it IS a positive step in assisting the body’s natural resilience.