Change in Diet

Dogs are not like humans. They can't eat a different food every day.

Most dogs will get diarrhea if you change their food without transitioning it by mixing the old food with the new food for a few meals. Not only that, but if they get into anything bad in the trash or yard, it can create problems externally as well as internally.

Fur and Mats

Mats refer to matting or tangled clumps of fur. This happens often in pets with thick or curly fur, like my curly blonde terrier. To avoid them, brush your dog regularly.

If not, they can turn into large, painful masses that will have to be physically cut out because they cannot be untangled.

My pup gets them a lot around junctures, so where his tail connects, around his neck and ears, in mis paw pads, and in all four of his armpits. These are all common places to find mats.

It can also mat from your dog chewing at the location trying to get tangles out, matting it worse because of the saliva. Their fur can also get matted into wounds with blood, which hurts when it gets stuck in the scabs, so the vet shaved around my dogs wounds.

Hot Spots

"Acute moist dermatitis" is the technical name for hot spots. These occur when a dogs skin gets irritated, and they start to lick at the area. This can develop into obsessive licking, scratching, and biting. They can grow at alarming rates and they hurt a lot.

Some causes of hotspots are:

Allergic reactions

Insect, mite, or flea bites

Poor grooming, dirt, and mats

Infections

Stress and boredom

Treatment of them can include shaving the hair around the area, keeping it clean, diet supplements, antibiotics, and even (you guessed it) an E-collar aka cone of shame to keep them from continuing to irritate it further.

Fleas and Ticks

As I flea treated my pet this summer, he had fleas when I took him to the vet. So here's what I learned: You have to flea treat your pet every month.

I had never flea treated my pet myself, my parents had always done it. So I didn't realize that after treating him in June he could get fleas in August from the shared dog park in my apartment complex.

To prevent fleas, you can use 'spot on' treatments that you put on your pets fur by their neck. Then don't touch them for a few hours. Either that, or you can get a pill that lasts them for three months. It also helps to keep a clean environment that fleas will not want to live in, similar to when humans get lice. Therefore, keep your pet and your house tidy and vacuumed (vacuum the carpet, not the dog).

Keep in mind you need to flea treats your pets during the warm months only, but that doesn't necessarily mean summer, because this year unlike most in the past in Washington has been blazing hot even as we move into September.

Allergies

Did you know dogs can have seasonal allergies just like humans?

Yes, just like you or me, a dog can be a mess of allergies. Similar symptoms apply, such as itchy and runny nose and eyes, sneezing, skin rashes. It just happens that they itch with their paws and lick to ease the discomfort.

These allergies can be to certain foods or plants, but they can also be seasonal. Not only that, but different plants bloom at different times even within seasons. Keep an eye out if your pups skin starts to look more grey near the tail end of summer, and figure out what plants are coming newly into bloom then.