Symptoms and Natural Remedies for Dog Eczema (Yes, it’s Real!)

Have you ever heard of dog eczema? Yes, it’s a thing! Similarly to humans, a dog with eczema can display the following symptoms:
- Skin redness
- Hair loss
- Itching
- Licking, scratching, biting, chewing at affected areas of skin
- Face rubbing
- Pain
- Weeping skin sores
- Oozing skin
- Crusty skin
- Scaling; dandruff
- Skin dryness and flaking
- Abnormal skin pigmentation
- and much more…
Cause of Eczema in Dogs
The most common form of dog eczema is actually dog atopic dermatitis, which causes the immune system into overdrive, which in turn causes inflammation. There are also various external allergens, substances or stimuli that can cause eczema in dogs, such as:
- Parasites or mites
- Food allergies
- Change in weather: hot, dry or humid
- Impacted anal sacs or anal sac disease
- Licking at an area that is in pain
- Vitamin deficiency
- Exposure to irritating chemicals, plants, or other substances
- Viral, bacterial, or fungal infection
There are many dogs that are actually more prone to dog eczema than others such as Chinese Shar Peis, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds.
Ever heard of hot spots? This wet scab can also be caused by allergic reactions, insects, mite or flea bites. Also known as moist dermatitis, hot spots can be considered similar to wet or weeping eczema in humans.
Do you have a dog with eczema or moist dermatitis? Read on to learn how to help your pet.
Natural Treatments to Avoid for Eczema in Dogs
Although there are many natural treatments that can be used to relieve your dog’s eczema, as we’ll discuss farther down, there are a variety of natural ingredients that should be avoided when working treating a dog with eczema.
Zinc Oxide
Zinc oxide can be found in both skincare and clothing. In dogs, it can cause both vomiting and diarrhea if digested. To be safe, we strongly recommend avoiding the use of zinc ointments and sunscreen around your dogs whether dealing with eczema in dogs or not.
Cocoa Butter – No, Shea Butter – Safe!
You probably already know that chocolate (which is derived from the cacao tree) is considered toxic for dogs, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that cocoa butter is also dangerous for your furry friend and should always be avoided. However, shea butter is actually considered beneficial for eczema on dogs. Just make sure that you wash out your dog’s shampoo or blend lotions in well to prevent your dog from eating the shea butter.
For eczema on dogs that is dry and cracked, make sure to check out this natural paw balm stick for dogs with shea butter, coconut oil and almond oil that works great on any itchy, irritated spots.
Avocado Oil – Safe
This one is tricky. Although some dogs experience indigestion and other issues with avocado pits and sometimes flesh or skin, using avocado oil eczema in dogs is perfectly fine as long as they are not drinking it up in large quantities.
Grape Seed Oil – Safe
Another tricky one! While grape skin and flesh is poisonous to dogs, the seeds and oils produced from grapes are perfectly safe and in fact rather healthy and nice for skin care.
Treatment of Eczema on Dogs
Prior to finding a remedy to treat your furry pal, you’ll want to visit a veterinarian in case the eczema is part of a larger issue. If a dog is suffering from parasites, fleas, food allergies or has vitamin deficiency, you can work with a vet to find a suitable treatment to cure the underlying issue. If your dog is suffering from contact dermatitis then consider changing their bed or perhaps keeping certain allergens away from them.
To treat eczema on dogs naturally, there are a variety of treatments that can also be used.
There are many hot spot shampoos out there that will work equally well for eczema or dermatitis of most types. We particularly love this Natural Dog Shampoo Bar with honey and oats because it contains only natural, really lovely ingredients that are both gentle and healing for a dog with eczema.
The best all around topical treatment we’ve found is this Organic Paw Salve for Dogs that works well just about anywhere there is skin irritation, not just the paws. A base of sunflower, olive and jojoba oils and beeswax is blended with four therapeutic herbs to provide soothing relief for your pet.
Since eczema and hot spots are ultimately open wounds, we love Organic Manuka Skin Soothing Cream which contains Manuka honey and oil known for their wound healing abilities. It also contains grapeseed oil, which as we discussed above is great for dog skin care.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for a home remedy for eczema in dogs that you might have available at home already, aloe vera is a great option as well.
The trick is how, do you keep ointments on dogs when all they want to do is lick it off? Apply the ointment and cover with a bandage like this eczema sleeve made with TENCEL, a fully sustainable fiber made from eucalyptus wood and free from hazardous chemicals. For very small dogs, try tiny baby sized tube socks with a whole cut out in the toe end.
Diet for Dog with Eczema
Similarly to humans, you’ll want to figure out whether your dog’s food might be causing a reaction. Luckily, eliminating high-risk ingredients like wheat, corn, soy, rice and beet pulp while identifying single proteins they are able to tolerate can manage their eczema. In other cases, cutting out all glutenous grains from food and treats can solve the problem.
In order to determine your dog’s food sensitivities, you might want to try an elimination diet specifically for dogs while working with your veterinarian. For more information on how to carry out this elimination diet, check out this post.
If you are deciding to change your dog’s food, make sure to also run it by your vet. Changing a dog’s diet drastically can cause symptoms such as vomiting, indigestion and skin issues. While researching dog food to raise our puppy on, we found one that really stood apart in terms of ingredients, sourcing and quality. We chose Open Farm’s Sustainable Organic Dog Food and are using their Salmon recipe and alternating with the Lamb recipe. All ingredients are traceable to the source, which is amazing and non existent before in a pet food. All their products are grain free and contain single proteins which is perfect for dogs that might be experiencing eczema due to food sensitivities.
Another option is to consider home cooking so you can try different proteins and grains at your own pace. Try this veterinarian approved supplement for homemade dog food to make sure your pup is getting all the vitamins and minerals they need to thrive. Home cooking sounds easy, but it’s tricky to ensuring your pup’s food contains the essentials nutrients without a supplement.
As with any skin condition, eczema on dogs can be tough to treat. But with a proper diagnosis and discussing our tips with your veterinarian, you should be on the right track to healing your best furry friend.
Do you have a dog with eczema? Let us know how you treat your furry little pal in the comments below!
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FROM: Eczema
So many people have no knowledge of the fact that fast growth shampoos (obviously with no sulfates, no parabens and no DEA) are even a thing. We all can now attain longer hair and have more possibilities. Definitely worth researching.
When you’re studying alopecia, damaged hair, preventing skin disorders, fast hair growth, hair care at large, the same thoughts actualize.
In most cases, you want to steer clear of hair treatments and products that use chemicals such as parabens, DEA and sulfates.
What is beneficial for your hair is beneficial for your skin also.
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