Healthy Skin Care for Dogs

Stop the heavy use of chemicals, shampoos, etc that has caused an overload of toxicity in pets. Learn about natural flea prevention.

In this article, I am going to solve a BIG problem for you and your dog - skin issues! Time & time again, I have seen so many dogs suffering from skin issues like dryness, hot spots, acne, rashes, flea bites, dandruff or inflammation in the form of redness. Having rescued so many dogs myself, I can say that skin issues are on the rise and this is because of the heavy use of toxic flea and tick control along with vaccines, drugs and kibble - all are the same, just different method of delivery and different names and faces. That's all.

For clarity and ease of understanding, I am going to write this article in question-answer format. At the end, we will review the 5 steps and then...you & Fido get to work! I promise that you will be shocked at how easy these 5 steps are but yet they yield such HUGE positive results for you and your dog. My intention is to prevent dogs from having diseases like cancer and liver/kidney failure, seizures, etc which are getting far too common because of the chemical overload on their internal as well as external system and as for my intention for you - it is to save HUGE amount of money down the road that you will be throwing at vet's clinic because no one cared to tell you the truth...till now.

What is the truth? The truth is that good health for your dog is super easy, super cheap and very doable - not time consuming, exhausting process, money eating monster like the medical industry and media has made it to be. In fact, creating health and quality of life requires very little items and it is fun, bonding experience between you and your dog. 

So, let's start on today's topic - skin & non-toxic care.

What is the first major step to keeping any dog's skin healthy?

The first thing I always do is groom my dogs - I shave them and make sure there are no hair under belly, under tail and under paws. Then I make sure they are shaved over their body to allow the skin to breathe.

We live in a polluted world and sometimes the climate is hot, sometimes humid, sometimes wet and so on. You definitely want to give a chance to your dog's skin to get some fresh air and breathe! Now, if you live in cold climate, I still suggest always having your dog groomed in main hygiene areas -

• Over & under the paws - This is because if the dog has hair under paws, the hair will pick up the dust, germs, poop from other dogs/birds while walking, petrol & fluids from cars (so many times you will see petrol has leaked on the roads while walking your dog), rocks and small pebbles that can stick to the hair, and ultimately, the wetness from the grass in morning or on rainy days or even worse, from pee done by other dogs or street cats. This is why you never want your dog to have under paws hair because these hair always attract the worst and keep the debris tangled in between. When there are no hairs over and under the paws, the dog's feet are dry and on top of that, they don't hold on moisture or debris. 
• Over & under the tail - I see so many dog owners walking their dog with thick tail hair!! It is shocking because this is a no-brainer - when dogs poop or sit on the grass, then where do you think the germs and the poop stick to? Even if you are not seeing any with visible eyes, this is a 'must-shave-area' to keep your dog itch, germs, moisture, flea and bacteria free. Period.  In fact, the hair near the poo-poo section should be shaved too - the hip area so there is no chance of fleas or germs coming in to your dog. 
• Under belly area - Again, the reason is same here - when dogs sit on carpet, floors, or walk over dirty, wet grass, where do you think those invisible germs and humid moisture goes to? On their belly hair! I always make sure my dogs are completely shaved in these areas and I think this is why they have healthy, shiny, soft skin.
• Keeping the coat short and groomed - When you have taken care of the #3 points, then make sure you keep the dog coat completely groomed/shaved if living in hot city area and have a long hair dog. If you live in cold area, then make sure you groom your dog's coat couple times a year to allow the skin to breather and catch some sunlight!
• Over the eyes - I get SO pissed and upset when I see dogs have hair...in front...of their..eyes! For God's sake!! Where is the ethics in this? Lousy owners can't pick up a scissor and cut off the hair or what? How would it feel if we had hair in front of our eyes at all times and couldn't see the world? Goodness. Groom the eye hairs! 
• Around the mouth - If your dog eats food, then the mouth area needs to be groomed. Period. this is especially true for long hair dogs. I even cut off my dog's whiskers and small hair on the mouth because I don't want any food sticking to their mouth, skin, hairs and causing itch or smell.

 
Use a soap bar or shampoo? What kind is best and what ingredients to look for?​

I prefer soap bars or mild, baby castile soap. You should look for oil based soaps that are made with wild crafted herbs, essential oils, plant butters, activated charcoal, sulfur and carrier oils. Shea butter soaps or coconut oil based soaps are both great for dogs. Buy your dog's soap from the same high quality, ethical company you would use - human soaps are much better investment than dog soaps as the human products carry higher liability. All the products I use are the same that my dogs use - same brands, same soaps/bars and same coconut oil.

Another point is if your dog has skin issues or mange or hair loss, then you definitely want to buy 100% pure, high quality sulfur soap. Sulfur is the beauty essential in both humans and dogs. Mange is easily treated at home with sulfur soap bar and some neem oil.

​Activated charcoal is great for dogs who needs to detox - so, dogs who are sick or have cancer would do great given weekly baths on activated charcoal soap. You want to maximize the benefits out of your efforts and money - activated charcoal will clean the skin while helping pull out the toxins from the dog's body! Bingo! 

My dog has dry, itchy or dull skin still. What can I do?

After you have taken care of grooming, then while you are bathing your dog, mix some soap suds with organic coconut oil (in hot months) or olive oil (in colder months) in your palm and rub it onto the dog's skin for few mins. Make sure to rub all over the top as well as under belly, between legs and thighs and at the end, over the paws - it will be just enough to keep the paws soft without making them oily. And then rinse all with water.

Steps after the bath for healthy coat and skin?

After you rigorously towel dry, take your dog on a short walk in the sun. Very important. Plz. do NOT use hair dryer. It is very harmful for the eyes and also, dries out the skin too much. Reserve your use of hair dryer for your dog only on those days when you really need to (e.g. rainy days, snowy days, etc).

So, take your dog for a walk in the sun and let the coat dry itself. Another thing is if your dog has been having too many fleas and too much itching, etc, then you can do 50-50 vinegar rinse. Take either regular vinegar or apple cider vinegar and make a solution with water and pour on dog's coat at the end. Make sure to soak the dog's paws in the solution too.
Towel dry a bit and then go for walk to let air dry. 

Great! What should I do for fleas & tick solution that is toxic-free and healthy for me and the dog?

Whether you realize it or not, flea and tick products are made of very toxic chemicals, which are basically pesticides and hormone-disrupting chemicals - both for you and your dog. If you read the small warning label, you will be shocked to learn the truth - basically, they are poison and you should stop using them.

I am going to share 2 powerful points to help you out -

1. My dogs eat home-made plant based diet with lot of garlic and nutritional yeast. Because I never-ever used any flea & tick products, they naturally have immunity against the fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes. That is correct - we live in central Houston and my dogs don't use any flea/tick product yet none of them in my care have ever had heart worms or any flea or tick issues. Your first job is to build immunity in your dog and adopt a natural lifestyle so your dog can be healthy enough to deflect any mosquitoes, fleas and such.

2. Flea Solution - In the meantime, you can order citronella flea collar for your dog. You can get these from sites like amazon or some holistic store in your area. Call before you go as many may not carry it yet. Another option for you is to get some safe essential oils like orange, lavender, citronella and start rubbing them on your dog's collar just when you are going out for a walk. You can even take 2 drops of lavender oil and mix with some carrier oil like coconut and rub on your dog's skin. This should do it.

This is it! Remember, at the end, all your dog's issues can be solved if you follow these steps. You will be shocked how much just grooming or shaving your dog helps the poor skin to breathe and heal. Such a simple step yet so many miss it. I also encourage that you DON'T take your dog to professional groomers as the products they use are toxic. Doing it all at home is fun, easy, affordable and quick! Massaging your dog's coat at the end with some healthy fats like coconut oil or olive oil is true skin nourishment and you will see the benefits of this effort very soon.

So, here's to healthy skin & coat for your dear dog!

-Somyata