Imagine for a second you have gone on vacation to a colder climate, or are currently living in an area where it gets seasonally cold and snows. Your skin becomes naturally drier and possibly you're suffering from any number of low humidity prone skin conditions. Most of us have been there, and/or deal with similar seasonal inconveniences. Now, imagine what it is like for our pets.
One of the most common signs of change in your pet's skin is dandruff, and is primarily resultant of excessive production of sebum by the dermis . Sebum is a fatty lubricant created in the sebaceous glands. Dandruff is also the result of cellular turnover, and aids in the autonomic regeneration of skin cells. It is simply an overproduction of cells that have been sloughed off of the epidermis, and are collecting on top of the skin (Fig.1). It can be unsightly to the pet owner, but more over can be quite itchy. It is because of the lack of humidity in the air, and the lack of surface coating natural oils that the epidermis starts to dry out. Cells will shrink from water loss, and essentially create gaps or fissures in the surface layer. This is an opportunistic situation for potential allergens and other pathogens to invade, and can also be rather uncomfortable to your dog or cat especially as the epidermis becomes drier and more inflamed.
Another way to help reduce your pet’s potential for skin condition flare-ups is through nutritional management. A well rounded animal specific diet is not always achievable with a lot of commonly available off the shelf feed formulations, and in some cases supplementation is necessary. Diets rich in omega fatty acids are a great place to start and have been shown to help maintain healthy skin, but this seemingly simple ingredient is almost completely neglected or substituted for with cheaper constituents in a surprising number of brands available in the marketplace.
In many cases for animals with sensitive skin veterinarians will recommend to not use regular shampoos as this can exacerbate the condition, or even worse potentially cause excessive irritation due to removing too much of the natural oil in the coat and skin. Bathing animals with shampoos for humans, and soups should be considered with caution during wintertime, and always under direction and/or supervision by a veterinary professional. Our solution to this dilemma was to design a formula copacetic to year-round usage that garners veterinary approval, while still utilizing only organic plant-based constituents which reinforce and protect the skin plus cleanse the coat. Derminol Advanced Clinical Strength was born!
