Butterfield Grooming

Skin should be clean with no odor or parasites.  There shouldn’t be any flakiness, hotspots, rashes, or smelliness. The hair should be healthy and shiny.  It shouldn’t be matted or clogged with undercoat. That leads to disorders due to bacteria built up on the skin.  Itchiness, redness, rash, sores and hot spots are results of overgrowth of bacteria.  “Doggie odor “ is often the result of bacteria.  General good grooming can fix that problem.  But some skin conditions are caused by a variety of different reasons. There are more that 100 disorders relating to skin and coat. The leading  medical disorders that cause skin and coat problems is hypothyroidism. Other endocrine gland disorders, such as the adrenal gland can masquerade as thyroid related and can be difficult to find a definite diagnose. When these glands become dysfunctional it often shows up in the skin and coat. Many times the symptoms are treated but the real underlying cause is not addressed.  The positive aspect of endocrine disorders is that with proper medication all symptoms are relieved.Another common skin condition is seborrhea which is the over production of sebum from the skin’s oil glands.  This will cause a rancid body odor that is briefly alleviated by bathing. Because the skin oils allow an overgrowth of skin bacteria and yeast, these microorganisms raise havoc with the skin because of their toxic waste products causing irritation. Hair growth is disrupted and skin becomes thickened and discolored. Special shampoos can help make the skin feel better and neutralize the bacteria.  I carry two products that works well on skin eruptions.  One is called solution Rx and the other product is Soothe spray.  Ultimately, dietary fat significantly effects the control of seborrhea. Insufficient fat levels and inferior quality dietary fats can produce poor skin and coat.  A superior diet is most important for the prevention and control of problematic skin troubles.Allergy skin is a frequently seen problem. Many things  can cause allergies in pets.  A hair sample can be tested to narrow down the offending allergen, especially if the allergy is severe and chronic.  Seasonal allergies can often be controlled with Benedryl. Ask your vet for the recommended dosage.  I have had many customers who’s pets seemed to be plagued with chronic itchiness and hair loss.  They always had been told it was allergies but all the treatments seemed not successful.  A lot of these allergies had hair loss around the eyes and then spreading to the paws, legs, and body.  I found that treating with Frontline Plus cleared this condition.  Frontline Plus kills mites.  I have seen many so called allergies cured with this treatment.  Usually it is necessary to maintain regular dosages over a period of time depending on the severity of the condition.  Mites can be reoccurring so it is important to always be watching for hair loss and treat it immediately for fastest recovery.Some pets truly suffer from allergies.  If it is a food allergies there are some high quality food on the market that have hypoallergenic ingredients or you can make your own. Always research a well balanced nutritious diet, high in fatty acids and offer good supplements such as Nuvet Vitamin supplement. Any pet suffering from “allergic dermatitis” deserves to be evaluated for atopic dermatitis.  Recently a prescription immune-modulating medication containing Cyclosporine has been successful in treatment of this condition. This medication may be a better alternative to traditional cortisone-like medications.