Seborrhea in dogs: symptoms, treatment, photos

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Dermatological diseases in animals are among the most complex. It is problematic to prescribe an adequate treatment regimen, as well as bring it to its logical conclusion. If in large cities there are veterinary clinics where highly specialized specialists work, there are equipment and laboratories, then things are much worse on the periphery. Here, seborrhea in dogs becomes an almost insurmountable disease that doctors can muffle for a while, followed by a new period of exacerbation. Today we decided to consider in detail this disease, its causes and methods of adequate treatment.

Where the legs grow from

Hearing the term "seborrhea in dogs" for the first time, a person might think that we are talking about elementary dandruff. In fact, this phenomenon has much more serious reasons, and it manifests itself in a rather diverse way. This is a disease, the nature of which sometimes cannot be determined. There is evidence that the disease may be genetic in nature. However, this does not answer the question why seborrhea in dogs of the same breed and even those originating froma single nest may bloom luxuriantly or never appear for a lifetime.

Signs

If your pet smells strongly of dog, even immediately after you wash it, and also constantly itches, then it may have seborrhea. In dogs, this disease is severe, and secondary bacterial infections and inflammation are often associated with it.

The general definition is as follows. This is a pathological skin disease, which is associated with a violation of the formation of its stratum corneum. It is also characterized as hyperfunction of the sebaceous glands, which is accompanied by increased separation of fat. This can be seen even with the naked eye. If we clean the skin, we will see that it is slightly reddened. Fat and exfoliated epidermis often turn into a crust. Seborrhea in dogs most often develops further, so it is divided into primary and secondary. And the sooner you start treatment, the greater the chance that you will be able to prevent complications.

Genetically mediated form

Seborrhea of the dog's skin most often has a hereditary cause, although it cannot be argued that another explanation has simply not yet been found. It occurs in certain representatives of the canine world, American Cocker Spaniels, English Bulldogs, Basset Hounds and Dachshunds, German Shepherds. This is due, as mentioned above, with the excessive formation of epidermal scales, which is accompanied by an increased secretion of fat. The skin ceases to perform its functions. As you know, it is respiratory and excretorya system that works on a par with internal organs.

How it manifests itself

Dandruff forms under the coat, this is one of the most striking symptoms that can be detected with the naked eye. And it can be dry or oily. In addition, you can see that the wool has become dull, as if powdered with dust. After cleansing the skin, you can find inflamed and reddened areas. Later, plaques and sores form on the skin, and the whole body of the dog exudes an unpleasant odor. In addition, there is itching, fragility of the claws and thickening of the paw pads. Often the skin begins to crack.

Secondary seborrhea

Sometimes at the first stage the owner does not pay attention that his pet has problems with hair. However, most often the symptoms of seborrhea in dogs develop rapidly. It easily turns into dermatitis, sometimes purulent. Most of the dog's skin is affected, but the head, ears, groin, interdigital areas, and skin folds are primarily affected. Then the symptoms go on increasing. Itching leads to scratching of wounds and introducing additional infection into them.

Diagnosis

This disease is extremely complex because it has hundreds of forms. If at the initial stage it is relatively easy for a veterinarian to determine what he has to deal with, then if a secondary complication is added to the main disease, it is much more difficult to deal with the problem and prescribe adequate treatment.

How is seborrhea diagnosed in dogs? Symptoms that require the owner to treatconstant attention, can be quite blurred, so a full examination by exclusion must be carried out. First, an external examination of the dog is carried out in order to exclude the presence of fungi, parasites and bacterial infection. In parallel, the doctor must take urine, blood and feces tests to rule out problems with internal organs and hormones, which also sometimes affect the condition of the skin and coat. In some cases, doctors do a skin biopsy. If any of the diseases that served as the root cause is identified, the doctor prescribes a suitable treatment regimen. If no concomitant ailments have been identified, then the diagnosis is "primary seborrhea".

You'll have to put up with it

Indeed, despite the achievements of modern veterinary medicine, this disease is considered incurable. However, if you do not start and constantly carry out preventive measures, then it will remain invisible to you and your pet. Seborrhea in dogs (we will give a photo in our article) is a chronic problem, but you can live a long and happy life with it. But knitting such animals is not recommended.

Maintenance care

It is based on skin cleansing. That is, your pet will have to bathe regularly with various anti-seborrheic shampoos. The frequency depends on the type of disease, with dry you can perform water procedures less often, and with oily - more often. For the first two to three weeks, it is recommended to bathe the animal three times a week, then the frequency is reduced toseveral times a month. In most cases, the condition improves, but the procedures will be required for the rest of your life. It is recommended to use the following shampoos: "Tropiklin" for oily seborrhea and "Elite" for dry.

Correction of complications

What to do if a dog has running seborrhea? Treatment in this case will be more complex and lengthy, however, it can also be very successful. In this case, you will need to perform a hair removal procedure and degrease the surface with alcohol-containing products. After careful treatment of the affected area with swabs soaked in ethyl alcohol, it is recommended to lubricate it with brilliant green. Similar actions are recommended for complications with eczema or purulent dermatitis.

Systemic treatment

In some cases, the above is not enough, especially if the disease is severely neglected. After using the shampoo in this case, an ointment is prescribed. Its choice depends on the clinical picture. "Zodak" effectively relieves itching, "Diprosalik" removes redness and promotes wound healing, "Cortisone" normalizes the sebaceous glands.

In addition, in some cases, the doctor prescribes systemic treatment. It consists in the use of antimicrobial and antifungal medicines. The most common are ceftriaxone and ketonazole. Antibiotics are necessary in order to destroy the secondary pathogenic microflora that develops against the background of infection penetration into open wounds. Additionally, it is important to use vitamin A and zinc to increase efficiency.treatment. After the symptoms subside, the therapy is canceled, and it remains only to bathe the animal regularly using special shampoos.