Healthy skin, healthy pet

The health and shine of your pet’s coat can closely correlate with their general, overall health – so if a pet’s coat looks dull, scruffy or unkempt it can often be an indication of underlying health problems.

Some pets start to shed more hair as the weather warms up, losing their winter coat. The warmer weather can also bring increased incidence of skin allergies and irritation.

Whether it’s areas of hair-loss, a duller coat or skin irritation, if you’ve noticed that your cat or dog’s hair-coat is different to what it may previously have been like, it is worthwhile to have your pet examined by us.

When examining your pet’s skin and coat, we are able to assess whether there may be anything of concern. Skin allergies, hot-spots and other superficial areas of irritation can be treated and managed to ensure your pet’s coat is as healthy as possible.

Sometimes skin problems can develop from the pet over-grooming or under-grooming, so there may be other issues at play. Arthritic cats may be less able to groom their coat well. Anxious dogs may repeatedly lick certain parts of their body. These conditions can often be treated and the vet will explain the options available.

Pets can also suffer from a range of internal metabolic and hormonal conditions, which can impact on the health of their skin and coat. For example, cats with overactive thyroid glands can often have a poor and unkempt hair coat, along with other signs such as weight-loss, despite being hungry.

If we are concerned that a metabolic or hormonal condition may be affecting your pet’s health, we will discuss any diagnostic investigations, such as blood tests, which would be worthwhile to help diagnose any illness.

Keeping a close eye on your pet’s skin and coat is key, as with any changes there may be an indication that your pet is suffering from a skin disease or other internal disease. Book your pet in today for a check-up to find out more.