a suggestion to the cause of skin itching and chronic ear infections
understanding skin & ear issues in dogs
The body attempts to keep the disease centered in organs that are not essential for life or that can take a lot of insult before becoming life-threatening. The skin and ears fulfill this requirement nicely! They become sort of a “dumping ground” for chronic illness- although unsightly & irritating, not necessarily dangerous.
The importance of this is that almost all skin and ear ailments are external manifestations of internal, chronic disease and must be treated as such- not as local isolated conditions.
Afflicted animals are sadly often more ill than appear, though this is often misunderstood because it is “only” the skin that is perceived to be affected.
Although skin & ear symptoms may appear suddenly, these problems have been developing over a long period of time, thus there's a great hidden mass of "a mystery problem" they carry and the skin & ear problems are merely the visible “tip of the iceberg” for the body of the real cause lying below the surface. Skin and ear diseases are very frustrating for veterinarians and guardians alike because the symptoms are very visible and the patient may be quite uncomfortable. True recovery takes a long time and requires a lot of patience and trust - this can be difficult in the presence of an itchy, constantly scratching and licking dog-especially if he keeps you up all night.Full recovery from chronic skin infections may take 2-3 years, though improvement begins within 1 to 3 months or so on the correct remedy and diet.
Diet is important in all situations, but with skin and ear symptoms it is crucial. I believe that healing of these ailments is almost impossible without an excellent diet that includes fresh foods and raw meats. Many other factors may interfere, such as allergens, toxins, and emotional stress. Topical pesticides, and feed through anti-parasitic medications often used on animals with skin ailments cause damage to the liver and kidney, and sometimes directly induce itching. So before you turn to a medication, topicals, or shampoos to stop the itch, ask yourself “where, when, why and how did it start? “ This will guide you to a real solution and not just a temporary "band-aid" on a symptom.
