Itchy Dog Group

Chronic Skin Disease (CSD) and chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are common diseases in adult dogs. The importance of the integrity of the gut mucosal lining i.e. gut health and the gut microbiome population, are now well known through research, for their roles in the development of these diseases. There is a complex but direct relationship between gut microbiota, the immune system, gastrointestinal system and skin health. This is called the “Gut-Skin Axis”.

The intestinal walls are composed of the largest proportion of immune cells (70%) in the body. The cells of the intestinal wall layers are held together by tight junctions, with specific immune cells sitting between the lining cells of the intestinal wall. These cells are continuously exposed to foreign material: new antigens, pathogens, toxins, and allergic stimuli, present in the gut contents.

Functions of the intestinal walls include:

• Prevent absorption of these foreign materials into the bloodstream.

1. Clip or shave away all hair from the hot spot, as close to the skin as possible.

2. For the first treatment, wash with dilute betadine in water. Then spray with HP Skin Cleanse thoroughly.

3. Spray daily with HP Skin Cleanse

4. Allow to dry, then massage in HP Dermatitis Balm thickly. Apply daily until healed.

5. Improve skin health by improving gut health with HP DogPro. Feed 5 days a