Is dermatitis stressful for dogs?

Depending on the severity, dermatitis can be anywhere from uncomfortable to very painful. A hotspot that many people have heard of is acute moist dermatitis. It's a very inflamed area that oozes and becomes infected, and yes, those are very painful for dogs. I frequently treat those with anti-inflammatories and pain medicines, and sometimes sedatives because those dogs are so uncomfortable. So yes, dermatitis can be very stressful and very painful. They come up very quickly, and the itch is just so bad that the dog makes the problem worse. Something starts it, and they scratch it, and it makes it worse, and it's just a downward spiral cycle.

If you suspect your dog has skin issues, whether it's an infection, irritation, or anything questionable that you find on his or her skin, please call us for an appointment. You can avoid needless suffering for your dog, and it can be a rather long intensive treatment process sometimes, but proper diagnosis can often cure or alleviate some skin issues pretty quickly. The longer the skin condition continues, the worse and the more involved it can become, and the harder it is to treat.

It absolutely can be. It depends on the intensity. Think about that dog that licks its feet every now and then. They're probably not too stressed by it, and you're not too bothered by it. But think about that dog that's constantly biting, scratching, licking, itching, and chewing at certain times of the year in particular, and where you have to turn around every few minutes, and you say, "Stop, stop, stop." If it bothers you, you can imagine how much your dog is bothered by it. Think about this too. If you had poison ivy, you could imagine how intensely an issue it is. Are you miserable from it? You bet you are, so imagine that same intensity of itching going on continuously from allergies, Sarcoptic Mange, flea allergies, or seasonal allergies where these dogs are just constantly biting, scratching, licking, itching, and chewing nonstop 24 7. Sometimes we will give them some Benadryl. I'm not recommending that you do that because it doesn't work for most dogs, but you can try it. At least that kind of chills them out a little bit so they can get temporary relief. Imagine the intensity or the itching and how uncomfortable you would be. Your dog's experiencing the same thing.