MARY JO NAGY | Pets Tick talk, flea for all: the rub on itchy skin

Common summer pet skin afflictions need your attention.
Here are some helpful hints, many excerpted from the spring issue of the Halo, Angels for Animals' magazine.
Maintaining good grooming practices will help to prevent itching and skin problems for your pet. A gentle, through brushing each week will not only make your pet look better but will give you the opportunity to check its skin and coat for signs of disease.
It is time to investigate further when you observe dry brittle hair, inflammations, parasites, hair loss, circular patches of crusty skin, a rash or skin irruption, and scaly redness around the eyes and mouth. Intense itching is a dead giveaway to skin problems. Lice, mites, mange or ringworm can also be lurking on your pet's skin.
Fending off fleas
Fleas are common pests during the summer months, especially when there has been a warm, moist winter and spring. They not only make your dog or cat miserable but also can infest your home.
You can check for fleas on your pet by placing it in an empty bathtub and vigorously rubbing your hands through the fur. If tiny black dots (flea dirt or feces) fall into the tub, then your pet needs a flea treatment -- and most likely, so does your home.
There are many products available to kill fleas. You can use shampoos, dips, skin applications or monthly oral pills you can get from your veterinarian. The most effective treatments are a little more costly but are well worth the visit to the vet.
In addition, your pet may suffer from flea dermatitis. A classic sign of flea allergy dermatitis is severe itching from the middle of the back to the base of the tail and hair loss in the rump and tail area. While you expect your dog to do some scratching after a flea bite, dogs that exhibit excessive chewing, biting, licking or scratching may actually be allergic. A single flea can trigger an allergic reaction.
Avoiding hot spots
A hot spot is an area of skin that is inflamed, a cherry red that looks angry and oozing. It is painful. A hot spot is a signal of an underlying skin disorder. It can be linked to flea or food allergies, poor nutrition and thyroid disease. Learning to prevent hot spots is better than treating them.
According to Dr. Terry Spencer, DVM, of the Animal Health Center in Salinas, Calif., (the Whole Dog Journal, September 1999) a hot spot is a critical medical emergency similar to the skin loss of a burn victim. It is intensely itchy and painful and a lesion can grow from the size of a quarter to a baseball within hours. In the simplest sense, a staph organism invades the skin at a weak point and destroys the skin.
Traditional treatment starts with clipping the hair around the affected area and then the area is scrubbed with an antiseptic disinfectant. Your veterinarian may use Betadine but never alcohol or peroxide because they are extremely painful and will cause more damage. Most vets will use a topical antiseptic steroid spray. The No. 1 priority is to kill the staph infection.
Tackling ticks
Ticks are common blood-feeding external parasites that affect your pet. They have also been known to cause illness in human's i.e., Lyme Disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Ticks can wait on the edges of grass in yards or fields and climb onto your pet as it walks by. Ticks then attach themselves to feed off your pet's blood. An infestation of ticks can make your pet anemic. The best way to remove one is to grab the tick close to the head, at the skin and gently pull it out. Clean the area to reduce infection.
Ear mites are small arachnids, which are contagious to other cats and dogs living in the same house. Symptoms include the presence of wax in the ears with the appearance of coffee grounds, ear itching, head shaking and a smelly odor from the ear. You can clean your dog's ears with proper instruction but use caution with cat's ears due to their delicate nature. Seek assistance from your veterinarian. If left untreated, ear mites can lead to bacterial infections and in extreme cases seizures and loss of hearing.
Ringworm is a fungus that invades the hair. It is highly contagious to other animals and humans. A vet must be consulted for treatments, which may include bathing with special shampoos, topical and oral medications and injections. An infected animal should be isolated from other pets to prevent the spread of the disease. All items that have come in contact with the infected pet must be thoroughly cleaned.
As with all skin problems, consult your veterinarian to determine if treatment is required.
XMary Jo Nagy is a volunteer with Angels for Animals.