What Causes Skin Condition in Pets?
Posted on Tuesday 12 March 2013 and filed under Ang Mei Hwa , Pet Zone , . You can follow any responses to this entry through theRSS 2.0 . You can leave a response or trackback to this entry from your site
Does my pet have a skin condition?
Your pet's skin should be smooth and soft with no flaking, redness or signs of irritation. It should be neither too dry nor too oily and have no areas of hair loss. For an accurate diagnosis and treatment options, always consult your veterinarian.
If you notice your pet's skin is rough, flaky or irritated and it is scratching, biting or licking it more than usual, then it might be suffering from a skin condition and your veterinarian may recommend tests to identify the exact reason. Common causes include:
Allergies
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Your pet may be allergic to either
food or environmental factors like dust, pollen or mold.
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Parasites
|
Fleas, lice and mites can all
cause mild to severe skin irritation.
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Hormonal
Imbalances |
Pets with too much or too little
of certain hormones are prone to skin problems.
|
Infections
|
Bacterial infections can cause
skin problems.
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The food your pet eats plays an important role in its overall health and well-being. A balanced nutrition is an essential part of an active and healthy lifestyle. When your pet has a skin condition, it becomes even more important to feed it the right type of food.
Some skin conditions can be cleared up quickly while others need lifelong management. The good news is, most pets with skin conditions can be helped if you feed the right type of food even if the cause of the condition is not dietary. Some important nutrients that can help heal protect your pet's skin include:
Protein
High-quality protein provides the building blocks for natural cell repair. For pets that consume a non-vegetarian diet, feeding unique protein sources such as venison or duck can help reduce reaction in pets with a food allergy or intolerances to more common ingredients.
Essential Fatty Acids
A food containing high levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, found naturally in fish oil, will help nourish and protect your pet's skin to prevent dryness.
Antioxidants
Vitamin E and other antioxidants are vital in helping to maintain your pet's healthy immune system, and protect it from cellular oxidation caused by free radicals. However, no berries please.
Combining these nutrients in a single pet food provides a convenient way to manage your pet's skin condition.
For a list of poisonous dog food, please refer below:
Note: If you suspect your pet might have eaten any food that might be toxic, contact his/her veterinarian immediately.
NAME
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INFORMATION
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Alcohol
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Do not give your dog
sips of any alcoholic beverage. Ingestion can lead to injury, disorientation,
sickness, urination problems or even coma or death from alcohol poisoning.
Some dogs may be attracted to alcoholic drinks so don't leave one sitting
where a dog can reach it.
|
Anti-freeze
|
Acute cases of
antifreeze toxicity (when an animal consumes antifreeze) often present as if
the animal is intoxicated with alcohol. This is an emergency situation, and
life threatening within hours. Please see your veterinarian immediately.
Success of treatment depends on quick treatment.
|
Apple
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The seeds contain
cyanogenic glycosides which can result in cyanide poisoning.
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Apricot
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The seed pit
contains cyanogenic glycosides which can cause cyanide poisoning.
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Avocado
|
Avocado contains a
toxic element called persin which can damage heart, lung and other tissue in
many animals. Avocados are high in fat content and can trigger an upset
stomach, vomiting or even pancreatitis. The seed pit is also toxic and if
swallowed can become lodged in the intestinal tract where it may cause a
severe blockage which will have to be removed surgically. Since avocado is
the main ingredient in guacamole be sure and keep your dog out of the dip.
|
Baby Food
|
Before feeding any
baby food to your dog check the ingredients to see if it contains onion
powder, which can be toxic to dogs. Feeding baby food in large amounts may
result in nutritional deficiencies.
|
Bones
|
Cooked bones can be
very hazardous for your dog. Bones become brittle when cooked which causes
them to splinter when broken. The splinters have sharp edges that have been
known to become stuck in the teeth, caused choking when caught in the throat
or caused a rupture or puncture of the stomach lining or intestinal tract.
Especially bad bones are turkey and chicken legs, ham, pork chop and veal.
Raw bones (uncooked
in any way) like chicken necks or beef knuckle bones are generally considered
safe and help keep your dog's teeth healthy by removing plaque. A caution -
bones have a high calcium content and too many can cause severe constipation.
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Bread Dough
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When bread dough is
ingested your dog's body heat causes the dough to rise in the stomach. During
the rising process alcohol is produced as the dough expands. Pets who have
eaten bread dough may experience abdominal pain, bloat, vomiting,
disorientation and depression. A pet needs to eat only a small amount to
cause a problem, because bread dough can rise to many times its size.
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Broccoli
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The toxic ingredient
in broccoli is isothiocynate. While it may cause stomach upset it probably
won't be very harmful unless the amount fed exceeds 10% of the dogs total
daily diet.
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Caffeine
|
Beverages with
caffeine (like soda, tea, coffee) acts as a stimulant and can accelerate your
pet's heartbeat to a dangerous level. Pets ingesting caffeine have been known
to have seizures, some fatal.
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Candy
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Sugarless candy
containing xylitol has been recognized by the National Animal Poison Control
Center (NAPCC) to be a risk to pets (first published July 2004). This
compound can cause liver damage and death in some dogs. This information is
recent and some vets may not be familiar with xylitol poisoning. If your dog
has eaten sugarless candy you can contact the NAPCC by telephone,
1-888-426-4435 for more information.
|
Cat Food
|
Cat food is not
formulated for canine consumption. It is generally too high in protein and
fats and is not a balanced diet for a dog.
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Cherries
|
The seed pit
contains cyanogenic glycosides which can cause cyanide poisoning.
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Chocolate
|
Chocolate contains
theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. When
affected by an overdose of chocolate, a dog can become excited and
hyperactive. Due to the diuretic effect, it may pass large volumes of urine
and it will be unusually thirsty. Vomiting and diarrhea are also common. The
effect of theobromine on the heart is the most dangerous effect. Theobromine
will either increase the dog's heart rate or may cause the heart to beat
irregularly. Death is quite possible, especially with exercise.
Symptoms of chocolate poisoning include: vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, hyperactivity, irregular heartbeat and seizures. Larger quantities of chocolate can poison or even kill a medium or large dog. An ounce or two of chocolate may not seem like much but it can be lethal to a small dog that weighs 10 lbs. or less. After their dog has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours.
Cocoa powder and
cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. These forms of chocolate contain
ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate. Even licking a substantial
part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make a dog sick. The next most
dangerous forms are semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate, with milk
chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm
block of milk chocolate, however the high amount of fat found in milk
chocolate can lead to an attack of pancreatitis.
During many holidays
such as Christmas, New Year's Day, Easter and Halloween, chocolate is often
accessible to curious dogs, and in some cases, people unwittingly poison
their dogs by offering them chocolate as a treat or letting them lick a
frosting bowl.
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Cigarettes
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see Tobacco Products
|
Citrus Oil Extracts
|
Citrus oil extracts
ave been known to cause vomiting.
|
Corn Cobs
|
Many dogs have
suffered and, in some cases, died after eating corn-on-the-cob, because the
corn cob caused a partial or complete intestinal obstruction. Never allow
your dog access to corn cobs.
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Dairy Products
|
Most dairy products
are digested poorly by dogs who have little or none of the enzyme required to
digest the lactose in milk. Just like lactose-intolerant people,
lactose-intolerant dogs can develop excessive intestinal gas (flatulence) and
may have foul-smelling diarrhoea. It is best to avoid most dairy products
altogether, although small amounts of cheese or plain yoghurt are tolerated by
most dogs, since these products have less lactose than most.
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Food Preparation
Items
|
When chewing food
remnants from
a dog may swallow
pieces which can cause abdominal discomfort, intestinal blockage, internal
bleeding and in some cases, death. There is also a possibility if choking or
suffocation. Dispose of food preparation items in a manner that your dog or
another animal cannot get to it.
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Eggs (Raw)
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Raw egg whites
contain a protein called avidin, which can deplete your dog of biotin, one of
the B vitamins. Biotin is essential to your dog's growth and coat health.
Additionally, raw eggs are often contaminated with bacteria, such as
salmonella, and you could end up giving your dog food poisoning in addition
to biotin deficiency.
Symptoms of biotin
depletion are hair loss, weakness, growth retardation and skeleton deformity.
If your dog is suffering from these symptoms the situation is urgent, and
veterinary treatment is needed. Cooked eggs are high in protein and make an
excellent treat. It is only the raw eggs that should not be given to your
dog.
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Grapes or Raisins
|
Although the minimum
lethal dosage is not known, grapes and raisins can be toxic to dogs when
ingested in large quantities. The symptoms are gastrointestinal signs
including vomiting and diarrhea, and then signs of kidney failure with an
onset of severe kidney signs starting about 24 hours after ingestion. The
amount of grapes eaten varied between 9 oz. and 2 lbs., which worked out to
be between 0.41 and 1.1 oz/kg of body weight. It has been reported that two
dogs died directly from the toxicity, three were euthanized due to poor
response to treatment and five dogs lived.
Due to the severity
of the signs and the potential for death, the veterinarians at the National
Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) advocate aggressive treatment for any
dog believed to have ingested excessive amounts of grapes or raisins,
including inducing vomiting, stomach pumping and administration of activated
charcoal, followed by intravenous fluid therapy for at least 48 hours or as
indicated based on the results of blood tests for kidney damage.
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Hops
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Spent hops as used
in making beer.
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Household Products
|
Detergents, Perfumes, Bleach |
Liver
|
Many dog treats and
prepared foods contain liver so it may surprise you to find liver on the bad
foods list. In small amounts liver is good for your dog, but if the liver
intake is too high it can cause nutritional problems because liver has a high
content of vitamin A. Consumption of this vitamin in large amounts can lead
to vitamin A toxicity, or hypervitaminosis A. If your dog eats raw liver or
consumes three servings of cooked liver a week it could lead to bone
problems. Feeding liver to a dog taking Vitimin A supplements can lead to an
overdose of Vitamin A.
Symptoms of
hypervitaminosis A are deformed bones, excessive bone growth on the elbows
and spine, weight loss and anorexia. If left unchecked, hypervitaminosis A
has in some cases caused death.
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Macadamia Nuts
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The toxic compound
is unknown but eating as few as six nuts without the shell has been known to
cause elevated body temperature, accelerated heartbeat, tremors in the
skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected
dogs have difficulty or are unable to rise, are distressed and usually
panting.Some affected dogs have had swollen limbs and showed pain when the
limb was manipulated. Dogs did recover from the muscle weakness and pain and
it is not known if there have been any fatal cases. Macadamia butter is
included in this warning.
|
Mouldy or Spoiled
Foods
|
The common mold
found growing on many foods contain toxins such as Penicillium mold toxins
or tremorgenic
mycotoxins. Symptoms of
poisoning include severe tremors and seizures that can last for hours or even
days. This is considered an emergency and medical treatment is needed to
control the seizures and detoxify the dog.
Spoiled foods can
cause food poisoning. Symptoms of food poisoning are severe vomiting,
diarrhea and shock.
Prevention is the
best course, don't feed your dog moldy food left in the refrigerator and
don't allow him to raid your garbage cans or compost bin (or your
neighbor's).
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Mushrooms
|
Mushroom poisoning
can be fatal if certain species of mushrooms are eaten. The most commonly
reported severely toxic species of mushroom in the US is Amanita phalloides,
but other Amanita species are also toxic. They can cause severe liver disease
and neurological disorders. The recommendation is to induce vomiting when
these mushrooms are ingested and to give activated charcoal, as well.
Supportive treatment for liver disease may also be necessary.
|
Nutmeg
|
Nutmeg is reported
to be a hallucinogenic when ingested in large doses. Nutmeg has been known to
cause tremors, seizures and in some cases, death.
|
Nuts
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Nuts in general are
not good for dogs as their high phosphorus content may lead to bladder
stones.
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Onions
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Onions cause
hemolytic anemia, which means that the red blood cells break down leaving the
dog short of oxygen. Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of
large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion.
The condition generally improves once the dog is prevented from eating any
further onion. The poisoning may occur a few days after the dog has eaten the
onion. At first dogs affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with
vomiting and diarrhea, weakness and show little or no interest in food. The
red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected dog's urine
making it dark colored. The dog will experience shortness of breath because
the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number.
Other symptoms are elevated body temperature, confusion, and increased heart
rate. Seek veterinary care immediately.
The quantity of
onions, raw or cooked, required is high enough that dogs can generally
tolerate small doses of onions without any problem and moderate amounts of
onion without apparent signs of onion poisoning. All forms of onion can be a
problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table
scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese
dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a
supplement to young pets, can cause illness.
While garlic also
contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic
and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.
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Peaches
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The seed pit
contains cyanogenic glycosides which can cause cyanide poisoning.
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Pears
|
The seeds contain
cyanogenic glycosides which can cause cyanide poisoning.
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Plants
|
Dogs can become
extremely ill or even die from eating poisonous plants. Keep all unknown
types of plants and any plants suspected of being poisonous out of reach of
your pet.
|
Plastic Food Wrap
|
Dogs have been known
to ingest pieces of plastic wrap while trying to eat food remnants left on
its surface. Plastic food wrap can cause choking or intestinal obstruction.
Dispose of plastic wrap in a manner that your dog or other animals cannot get
to it.
|
Plums
|
The seed pit
contains cyanogenic glycosides which can cause cyanide poisoning.
|
Play Dough
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Home made play dough
contains high levels of salt. When ingested this can cause salt poisoning
which can be fatal.
|
Potatoes
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Solanum alkaloids
can be found in green sprouts and green potato skins, which occurs when the
tubers are exposed to sunlight during growth or after harvest. The relatively
rare occurrence of actual poisoning is due to several factors: solanine is
poorly absorbed; it is mostly hydrolyzed into less toxic solanidinel; and the
metabolites are quickly eliminated. Cooked, mashed potatoes are fine for
dogs, and are actually quite nutritious and digestible.
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Raisins or Grapes
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See Grapes
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Rich Fatty Foods
|
Rich, fatty foods
can be very dangerous to dogs susceptible to attacks of pancreatitis. Often
you may not know that your dog is susceptible until he is very sick with his
first attack. It is often the smaller, more energetic breeds like miniature
or toy poodles, Cocker Spaniels, Miniature Schnauzers, and other small
terrier-type dogs who seem particularly prone. However, any dog may have a
problem. It is best to avoid these foods altogether.
Signs of pancreatitis
generally include an acute onset of vomiting (sometimes with diarrhea) and
abdominal pain, which may be evidenced as a hunched posture or
"splinting" of the abdomen when picked up. The dog may become very
sick quickly and often needs intensive fluid and antibiotic therapy.
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Rhubard
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Leaves
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Salmon (Raw)
|
Commonly called
"Salmon Poisoning Disease" (or SPD), this can be a problem for
anyone who feeds their dog a raw meat diet that includes raw salmon, but it
is mostly seen in the Pacific Northwest and California. The cause is
infection by a rickettsial organism called Neorickettsia helminthoeca. The
rickettsial organism does not directly infect the dog but is carried instead
by a parasite (a flatworm or fluke) called Nanophyteus salmincola through two
intermediate hosts - freshwater snails and salmonid fish.
Nanophyteus
salmincola are found to infect some species of freshwater snails. The
infected snail is ingested by the salmon as part of the food chain. Neither
the fluke nor the rickettsial organism are lethal to the fish. The dog is
exposed only when it ingests the secondary host - an infected fish. After the
dog ingests the fish, the encysted fluke larvae burst and embed in the dog's
intestinal tract and the rickettsia are introduced. The cycle continues when
ova are excreted in dog faeces to infect more snails.
A sudden onset of symptoms occur 5-7 days after ingestion of fish. Initial symptoms include lethargy and anorexia. Peaking of temperature between 104-107 in the first two days and then slowly returns to normal. Persistent vomiting by the fourth day. There is bloody diarrhea within a few days of vomiting onset. The diarrhoea is often bright yellow colour. There are enlarged lymph nodes.
In the acute stages,
gastrointestinal symptoms are quite similar to canine parvovirus. Nasal and
ocular symptoms can resemble canine distemper. If left untreated, SPD has a
mortality rate of up to 90%. SPD can be diagnosed with a faecal sample and is
treatable if caught in time. Treatment may include supportive hydration, an
antibiotic to kill the rickettsial organism, and a "wormer" to kill
the parasite. Improvement may be seen in as little as two days.
Prevention is
simple, cook all fish before feeding any to your dog. If you are outdoors
hiking or camping or live near streams and rivers were salmon spawn, keep a
close eye on your dog on don't let your pet run free to insure that no fish
carcasses are ingested. Please see your vet immediately if you suspect your
dog has ingested raw salmon.
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Salt
|
Iodized salt and salty
foods can cause stomach ailments and pancreatitis. Some dogs, especially
large breeds, have been known to gulp too much water after eating salty foods
and developed a life threatening condition called bloat during which the
stomach fills with gas and twists, leading to a painful death unless
emergency treatment is received immediately.
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Table Scraps
|
Table scraps are not
a nutritionally balanced diet for a dog. If fed at all, scraps should never
be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat and all cooked
bones discarded. Also see "Rich, Fatty Foods" above.
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Tobacco Products
|
Cigarettes and
cigarette butts, cigars, pipe tobacco, nicotine patches, nicotine gum and
chewing tobacco can be fatal to dogs if ingested. Signs of nicotine poisoning
can appear within an hour and include hyperactivity, salivation, panting,
vomiting and diarrhea. Advanced signs include muscle weakness, twitching,
collapse, coma, increased heart rate and cardiac arrest. If anyone who lives
in or visits your home smokes, tell them to keep tobacco products out of
reach of pets and to dispose of butts immediately. If you suspect your dog
has ingested any of these seek veterinary treatment immediately.
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Tomatoes and Tomato
Plants
|
These contain
atropine which can cause dilated pupils, tremors and irregular heartbeat. The
highest concentration of atropine is found in the leaves and stems of tomato
plants, next is the unripe (green) tomatoes and then the ripe tomato.
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Water
|
Yet another surprise
to find on the "Bad Foods List" is water, but there are dangers
lurking in water that you need to be aware of.
|
Author: Ang Mei Hwa
Copyright © 2013 Sandhya Maarga Holistic Living Resources
Holistic Living Annex (MARCH 2013)2 Responses for “ What Causes Skin Condition in Pets?”
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