Dealing With Your Pet's Skin Problems
Many people jump to the wrong conclusion when they see Fido scratching his ear. Fleas! But that’s not necessarily the problem. More and more, we are seeing dogs and cats as well, with skin disorders. Many of these disorders are related to their diet. One of the prime dietary culprits is identified as corn, referred to in dogs as a “hot” food.
Corn as a primary ingredient in your pet food is not a good thing. Corn is largely filler, with the exception of the small, white internal area, where corn gluten meal comes from. If it is one of the first three ingredients, it might be wise to look closer into the make-up of your pets diet.
Those concerned about corn content, often switch to a lamb or lamb and rice chow. But what they don’t always realise, is that these foods may contain lamb and rice, but may also not be free of corn. You need to read the ingredient list on the bag. Corn may be lower on the list, but it’s often still there. So if you’re determined to get your pet off corn entirely, look for a chow that has only rice and lamb, or whatever other ingredients, you are prepared to accept.
Sometimes skin problems in dogs are relatively simple to cure. A dog that is kept indoors too much, may develop dry, flaking skin. And while diet may be a part of it, so can the dry heat inside your home. If you have a fenced yard, make sure they get out for a good run every day. If the weather is nice in winter, it does them no harm at all to play in the snow. Unless of course, it is a toy breed, whose internal thermostat cannot handle rapid temperature changes.
If you are feeding a good, well balanced chow, you often don’t need to supplement with vitamins or other extras. But I have found with the Golden Retrievers, that a slight case of dandruff or shedding hair after the winter, is often helped along by adding hard boiled eggs or small balls of raw hamburg (regular grind because they need the fat) to their diet. You need to be careful to feed the hamburg as soon as it is thawed, or get it fresh, because of the concern regarding salmonella. But it is an old trick of many breeders, and still widely used.
Another tip, good for dogs and cats both, is supplementing with Omega Fatty Acids. The capsules are available at your vets, health stores, and sometimes even pharmacies. You
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