Page 37 - K9News_Issue13_October2020_download_Neat

this time frame when it comes to nutrition because if manage, and, in many cases, there will be no cure
you are expecting to see changes to skin and coat, which can be frustrating when one wants a quick
you should feed for the duration of at least one – and resolution for their pet. (O’Connor 2017).
ideally two – skin cycles to notice maximum results.
Patience is the key! There are many causes of skin irritation including
parasites (fleas, mites), nutritional deficiencies,
The middle layer, called the dermis, is made up of environmental and dietary allergies, bacterial
connective and fibrous tissue and contains nerve infections and underlying medical conditions with
endings, sebaceous glands, sweat glands and hair at least a quarter of dogs presenting excessively
follicles. The nutrients to the epidermis are provided scratching (Khoshnegah et al, 2013); this is called
by blood vessels in the dermis and they also assist pruritis.
in regulating skin and body temperature. Keeping the
surface of the skin supple and waterproof is achieved Atopic dermatitis (environmental allergies) can play
by the sebaceous glands secreting sebum via the a significant role in skin disease in dogs, although
hair follicles. (Aspinall, 2003, Garland 2013). dog owners often mistakenly believe there is more
of correlation with their pet’s diet causing the
The innermost layer of the skin is called the symptoms without considering how the environment
hypodermis or subcutaneous layer and it lies impacts on their dogs skin. However, only 1-6% of
underneath the dermis. Here, fat is stored for cases presented in vet practices relate to nutrient
insulation, energy, fluids, and electrolytes. It also acts intolerances, compared with 10-15% environmental
as a shock absorber (Moriello 2018) for the bones allergies affecting the dog population. (Beynen, 2014,
and muscles underneath. Dopierała & Andraszek 2019).

It is worth mentioning that the skin appendages,
which in dogs include the nose, claws, pads and hair,
are all included in the overarching term ‘skin’. The
cells within these do vary from the general skin – for
example, the epidermis is much thicker on the pads
and less sensitive. This can cause problems in very
hot weather, for example, because dogs do not react
as we might expect when walking on hot pavements
and this can result in pads being seriously burned.
(Aspinal 2003).

FUNCTIONS:
Photo ref: Rhona Forsyth.
The functions of the skin include protection from
Dog with environmental before and after feeding diet
the environment, temperature regulation, secretion,
containing specific skin supporting nutrients
excretion, and vitamin D synthesis (Aspinall, 2003,
Garland 2013). The skin can indicate sensations,
Many owners choose to feed grain- or gluten-free,
such as readiness to mate, excitement and fear.
‘hypoallergenic’ or natural type diets, believing these
may improve skin conditions but without a veterinary
Maintaining a heathy skin barrier is vital to prevent
diagnosis. Owners feeding their pets these diets may
fluid, nutrient and salt loss which could lead to
see an improvement in their dog’s skin, and assume
dehydration. A broken skin barrier risks the skin
the symptoms were related to ingredients in the
becoming vulnerable to micro-organisms which could
previous diet, rice or wheat for example. However,
lead to infections.
true food allergies are more likely to be due to meat
proteins, with beef, dairy and chicken the top three
SKIN DISEASE causes of allergies in dogs (Mueller et al, 2016) and
Skin disease is one of the most common reasons whilst dogs can suffer with intolerances to vegetable
for dog owners seeking veterinary attention, with proteins, such as wheat, corn and rice, these are
dermatological patients making up one third of the very rare. Sometimes, improvements may be seen
total workload in practice. They can be difficult to simply due to feeding a diet higher in protein or fatty
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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / OCTOBER 2020