Acne in dogs

Did you know that dogs could get acne? Acne is not limited just humans. In fact cats and horses can also have acne. All 3 of those animals get acne on the nose and chin areas. The acne areas can get infected and become small boils. In most cases it comes and goes away without much fanfare and mostly dog owners don't worry about it.

So are there any acne treatments that you can do if it does alarm you? First talk to your vet. There are a few medicines on the market that your vet can suggest for use. Keeping the area washed and clean will also help speed up healing.

Dog acne is nothing to get alarmed about. It is not fatal and other than look nasty, it is not a problem for the dog.

Can dogs get human ailments?

That question is more common than you think? Can they catch human colds? No. Can they catch HIV? Not likely, no. Can they get diseases from the environment that both humans and dogs are exposed to? Yes. In fact there can be environmental causes of many cancers that both dogs and humans get. Eating contaminated foods or breathing particle laden air can cause cancer, kidney failure or even death.

If a dog is exposed to asbestos, just like a human, that dog can get malignant Mesothelioma. It is just that a vet might not know that the dog was exposed. Treatment would be delayed and the dog would die of what the owner might think is natural causes. Exposure to contaminated soil could also be a cause of toxic poisoning. A dog or cat walking in a vacant lot might walk through some duped chemicals and lick their paws thus ingesting the chemical. It could then cause kidney damage or a whole range of symptoms.

To answer the title of the blog post "can dogs get human ailments?" It is a loaded question. The short answer is no but the longer answer is yes.

The elderly and dog ownership

Older people can benefit greatly from pet ownership. Dogs are wonderful companion animals for the older adult that does not have any close family members. Dogs fill a void that us social humans need.

Unfortunately due to the economic climate and the price of dog food rising, many elderly dog owners have been forced to choose between paying for their Medicare supplement insurance, utilities or even their own food. Thankfully many local agancies have stepped up and supplied dog food for those who rely heavily on their dogs as their only form of companionship.

Drum dogs

I just had to share a few dog photos showing dogs the were either posed playing stainless steel drums (like the photo above) or showing they love their drum playing owners. I also threw in a cartoon just because it looked so funny. Enjoy the pics.

The Sharpei

That fabulous dog with the wrinkles - the Sharpei. This is a dog that looks like it permanently has on the wrong size coat. No need to worry about finding the best eye wrinkle cream with this dog. In fact the more wrinkles the better. There wrinkles are a form of protection for them. Since they were originally used as fighting dogs their adversary could do little damage to their internal organs since they couldn't get past having a mouth full of skin.

Books about dogs

There was a point in my life that everyone knew I loved and owned a dog. It seemed that every Christmas I was the recipient of at least 3 dog books. You would be amazed at how many gift books there are about dogs. Lots of pretty pictures and hardly any really good information.

I am ashamed to say that most of those books were re-gifted to younger dog owners that loved to look at the pictures in the books. I am not saying that those books were not good but I am saying that I needed more juicy information about first aid or training for my dog other than sit-stay or how to give a pill.

My favorite place to shop for books online is the biggest one at Amazon books and I try to make sure that I get a review of what I am buying first.