Today I am writing about your dog’s skin health, specifically Atopic Dermatitis. Atopic Dermatitis is a skin condition that can be caused by allergens from either diet, heredity or an outside allergen such as pollen, dust or mold. Let’s look at some of the ways it can be treated.

There are three ways to treat Atopic Dermatitis: steroids, antihistamines and natural remedies including dietary supplements, natural shampoos and natural essential oils to relieve skin irritation.

Let’s look at steroids and how they work with this skin condition. There are pros and cons to using an immune suppressing drug like steroids. Pros: It provides immediate and complete relief from symptoms and most dogs aren’t allergic to a cortisone steroid. Cons: Long term use can pose serious health risks to canines and felines. Steroids use can cause serious internal organ damage such as liver damage, urinary tract and bladder infections and adrenal gland issues. Steroids can cause hormonal or chemical changes, causing a dog to have mood or temperament changes such as a nice dog suddenly snapping or becoming aggressive. And, after being off of the steroid for a prolonged period of time, the issues they have will eventually come back, becoming a reoccurring or “chronic” issue. All in all, the cons outweigh the pros with this method of treatment.

Next let’s look at antihistamines. Antihistamines are used to block the histamine producing glands in the body. Histamine is a natural organic nitrogen produced by the body that controls the body’s inflammatory response and also controls physiological functions in the gut tract and acts as a neurotransmitter. It is part of the main immune response system. Taking an antihistamine blocks the body from producing a specific chemical, reducing swelling from bug bites, skin irritations and other immune functions. This may be a temporary fix, giving temporary relief.  Again, this is only treating symptoms and not the actual cause or root issue.

The third option is to treat the condition naturally using essential oils for topical relief and diet to build the digestive tract and ultimately the immune system, giving the dog or cat the tools needed to fight.

Some essential oils that can help relieve skin discomfort are tea-tree oil and lavender. Tea-tree oil is know world wide for it’s antibacterial and cleansing properties. It can help clean wounds, treat fungal infections, reduce itching and help burns. Lavender is another great soother for the skin. It is a great tension reliever, it also has anti-fungal and antiseptic properties. It is also used to treat headaches, insomnia, muscle aches and acne. Dinovite DogOsuds contains both of these essential oils combining their effects for a luxurious soothing relief. Looking deeper into natural treatments, using essential oils usually works best with a steady diet of raw meats and nutritional supplements to boost the immune system and help the body naturally fight against the histamines.

Making a homemade diet for your dog gives him the tools he needs in the fight against foreign contaminants.  Here is a video that can help you learn about and how to make your own raw diet using human grade ingredients found in your local grocery store:  Creating a homemade diet for your dog.

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About the author

Audra
I grew up in a family that has had every kind of animal that's legal to own! Now, in my own home, my husband Brent and I and our daughter Emma, have lots of pets! From our beloved pooch, to a tortoise who lives in the kitchen, a geko in our bedroom, and 3-4 snakes in the living room at any given time! (Not to mention the stray or baby animals that get taken in!) It just wouldn't be the same without them, the more the merrier!

4 Comments for Atopic Dermatitis: A natural approach to healthy skin

JANET

I need to know how much of the dry Dinovite powder to use when preparing this diet for our dog (an eleven pound Shih Tzu, about 11 years old). We also have the liquid Lick O’ Chops so I need to know how much of that to use in relation to the dry powder. One more thing I want to know is if these products are okay stored at room temperature or should they be refrigerated. Additionally do they have an expiration date? I don’t remember seeing one.

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Cindy

Since your dog gets 1 tablespoon scoop of Dinovite powder per day, you would add this amount to about 1/4-1/3 lb. of the homemade diet. And, your dog should get about 1/2 teaspoon per day of LickOchops so just add that to 1/4-1/3 lb. of the homemade diet as well.

Just multiply it all out if you want to mix it all together before freezing. If you are making 5 lb. of meat with 9 eggs and rice, then it will end up weighing about 9 lbs. (of homemade dog food). Since your dog gets about 1/3 cup of food per day, this is about a month’s worth of food for her. So, you would add 30 tablespoons of powder and 15 teaspoons of LickOchops to the mix.

If you are using the products every day, store them at room temp so they are easy to dispense. If you are making this once a month, I’d store it in a cooler place, like the frig. The liquid products will have to come to room temp in order to use them, as they get very thick when cold.

We make our products fresh all the time so what you get is fresh. If you use it daily and use it up, you will have no issues with expiration.

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Jennifer

Hello, I have read that tea tree oil: (melaleuca) is deadly to cats. Have you found any information on that? I read that there have been cases where it has killed the cats.

Reply

Cindy

Jennifer: I have seen mixed information about this. We don’t recommend using DogOsuds shampoo on cats for this reason, except the unscented.

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