Monday, April 19, 2010

Eczema in Dogs and How to Treat it Effectively and Naturally

Eczema in dogs is common. Eczema is a condition where patches of skin become rough, red and inflamed. Tiny blisters can occur. Itching is prominent and bleeding can occur.

In the natural health industry, in particular in homeopathy, the skin is looked upon as the first organ of choice by the body, to release toxins safely. The skin is the least important organ of the body, and eruptions only cause cosmetic grief and local irritation.

When eczema or any skin eruptions are suppressed by steroids, zinc creams, calamine lotion or the like, then the body is denied the use of the skin. So it has to search for other organs to release the toxins from. These become more important organs, such as the kidneys, the liver, even the heart.

So by suppressing the eczema in dogs, you may discover he later gets a heart problem. Stop the skin treatment and the heart problem is likely to disappear and the skin eruption return.

It’s more beneficial for everyone concerned to get to the cause of the problem. Why do so many dogs suffer from eczema?

There are two probable causes. Diet and anxiety.

Processed dog food is generally highly toxic, despite the claims on the label. Preservatives such as formaldehyde and ethoxyquin are used. These are highly toxic and would never be permitted in human food.

By switching your dog to a quality, home prepared, raw meat and bones diet, you may be adding years and quality to his life. And the eczema is likely to be banished to the past.

Two important ingredients in this raw diet, that help dogs with eczema are raw liver and sunflower oil. The liver needs to be rationed to once or twice a week, otherwise vitamin A can become a problem. Daily sunflower oil (just a few drops) provides the dog with their perfect omega 3.

Anxiety is another reason dogs can get eczema. Dogs are pack animals. They need you, as their pack leader, to demonstrate the qualities of a natural leader. This means calm strength, communication and fair play.

Getting angry is not how a natural leader operates. Clear boundaries need to be set and a gentle but firm approach to enforce them.

Communication is essential. When you disappear in the morning, off to work, you need to tell your dog where you are going and when you are likely to be home. They hear you loud and clear. It’s humans who have the problem in not hearing them.

Communicating clearly with them is likely to remove at least some of their anxiety, if not all. This in turn is likely to remove the eczema.

2 comments:

  1. Hi, I really love your blog posts and it told me a lot about my own dog. I have a GS of 8 years - female. She has been suffering from skin allergies for almost 2 years now. I have now shifted to homeopathy and I definitely see a lot of improvement in her skin. However she is still in a lot of pain and is very restless. The vet suggested we try Hills prescription diet for about two weeks and try to rule out food allergy. He also prescribed antibiotics with a mild steroid for 15 days. I have started using teh diet but have not put her on antibiotics. I have instead started her on homeopathy - mezerium 200c and calendula 200c. I apply boric acid + calendula powder on her open wounds. Am I doing the right thing here?

    I am from Bangalore, India.
    email id is smruthi dot vedanth at gmail dot com

    Regards
    Smruthi

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  2. I'm glad my blog is helpful. I suggest you are making a backwards move with the commercial pet food, the antibiotics and the steroid.
    I can't comment of the use of the remedies as I don't know the dog or her life history. It would be better to ask the homoeopath who suggested the particular treatment you mention.

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