How Dog Skin Protects Against Disease

Dog and puppy skin disease is one of the primary reasons that cause a visit to the doctor. The skin will often cause serious concern on the part of owners who can see the disease first hand. Any examination should include the skin and the hair, as both should be inspected together. If you start with the knowledge that canine skin skin is the most expansive organ in the body, and the requirement for the skin to battle against illness, infection and trauma, it’s no wonder that dogs are often subject to some form of skin related concerns.

With a basic appreciation of skin and coat structure, an owner can begin to grasp the reason for most skin conditions. Canine skin has multiple layers, which include the outer skin layer, or outer layer, and dermis, which forms the subsequent layer. The two top layers are known as the cutis. The panniculus is the name for the third layer and is named the sub-cutis. Dog hair is referred to as follicles which also includes attached sweat glands.

A dog gets almost all of its protection against the elements from the surface layer of the epidermis. Basal cells, glue the outside layer or epidermis, to the second layer or dermis. When you hear about issues like basal cell skin cancer, it is these cells that cause the issue when they stop dividing as expected and begin to divide with no control. Cancer related skin conditions are referred to as neoplasms or malignant tumors.

You are now able to also appreciate that when the skin is injured or injured, that there is nothing to keep harmful bacteria from getting into the body. This exposes the dog to disease, bacteria and other issues, and is the reason why skin wounds must result in care and therapy for fast healing. The good news is that the epidermis or outer skin layer heals swiftly. The bad news in regards to the skin is that if this layer is frequently injured, it becomes thicker as a protective measure by the body, which can also lead to changes in appearance that are unpleasant for the owner. If the skin is regularly hurt it could also have difficulty fixing itself which leads to skin problems like seborrhea or skin flakes.

You also should know that the surface layer of the skin is named the horny layer. This layer is called an immunologic barrier in that it fights off issues and skin problems such as infection. Inside this layer, are cells called Langerhans cells that fight infection. If these cells work “well” it attacks pollen, allergenic substances or grooming products causing skin illness. This is the immunological system being too active and not doing a good job at what is damaging to the dog and what’s not.

The skin also helps to protect your dog against the sun or sun burn. The dogs hair is the 1st defense against the sun. Of concern is that if the hair is missing or thin, then the body can be exposed to problematic levels of sun causing a burn and future issues with those cancer causing cells mentioned earlier.

You can see that canine skin and human skin are extraordinarily similar. This holds true for canine skin disease, with similar protocols or treatments and medicines. As science advances in human skin disease, the same treatments swiftly become available to help our dogs. This includes tests conducted in the veterinarian’s office and skin tests conducted in the laboratory, Specific treatment approaches recommended are also similar including shampoo treatment, vitamins, plusnon-prescription and prescription medications used to improve skin appearance.

Cathy Doggins is a passionate lover of dogs. Cathy widely recognized as a professional dog health analyst who has been featured on many leading pet care sties including articles similar to this one on canine skin conditions and disease.