How to Medically Treat Your Dog Without Taking Out a Second Mortgage

Does your dog have allergies? Do the allergies cause secondary skin infections? According to K9 Magazine, the number one medical condition that affects both humans and pets is allergies. Allergies in dogs can often lead to atopic dermatitis and skin infections.

The most logical thing to do is determine the allergen and remove it from your dog's environment. Yet, since only around 10% of allergic reactions are caused by food, which is the easiest allergen to rule out, and many times, there is more than one allergen at play, the best thing to do is easier said than done.

With so many possible causes for a wide variety of allergic-type symptoms, it takes a veterinarian, and sometimes a village of vets to diagnose. Do not substitute any advice (even mine) for that of your veterinarian.

If your vet prescribes medicated shampoos, there are several different kinds, and several different brands containing similar ingredients. What are not typically similar are the prices. The pharmacy within your animal clinic or university hospital is likely to charge higher prices than online pet pharmacies. Even after you pay shipping and handling, you may save as much as $15.00 depending on what, where, and how much you buy.

Beware, many shampoos have "medicated" in the name or description, but the medications within are often very different, and it is not typically possible to successfully substitute a non-prescription medicated shampoo for a prescription medicated shampoo.

Neither is it wise to substitute one type of shampoo for another; the medications within are so varied that you may be wasting your money if not using the one your dog really needs, not to mention leaving your dog untreated.

The shampoos within these categories have more than one ingredient that falls under more than one variety, but have a main ingredient that falls under this type of medication:

Type of Medication: Anti-Fungal

Medication: Ketoconazole
Some brand names are: Ketochlor (Virbac) and Mal-a-Ket (DermaPet).

Medication: Miconazole Nitrate
Some brand names are: Malaseb (DVM Pharmaceuticals), Sebozole Medicated (Vet Solutions), Dermazole (Virbac),

Type of Medication: Anti-Microbial

Medication: Chlorhexidine
Some brand names are: Malaseb (DVM), Hexadene (Virbac), ChlorhexiDerm (DVM), Ketochlor (Virbac)

Medication: Benzyl Peroxide
Some brand names are: OxyDex (DVM), BPO 3 Shampoo 3% Benzyl Peroxide (Vet Solutions), Pyoben (Virbac)

Type of Medication: Anti-Pruritic/Anti-Itching

Medication: Hydrocortisone
Some brand names are: Cortisoothe (Virbac), Dermagard Hydrocortisone Medicated (Gerard/Pellham), Itch Stop (Drs. Foster and Smith)

Other "medicated" shampoo ingredients: sulfur, salicylic acid, aloe, boric acid, and coal tar.

Some brand names are: Dermaseb S (Derma Pet), Sebolux (Virbac), Universal Medicated (Vet Solutions), Nu-Sal-T (DVM), Sulfodene Medicated, Keratolux (Virbac), Groomers Edge Furst Aid (Double K), Bio-Groom Medicated Tar Sulfur (Bio-Groom), MalAcetic^® (DermaPet)

These are some of the types and kinds and brands of medicated shampoos used to treat dog skin diseases, but there are hundreds more. Search "oatmeal shampoo for dogs" and you may get over 54,000 hits. It pays to research what you need, and comparison price shop among online pharmacies.

When you see your vet, ask:

1) What is my dog's skin condition?

2) What are the medications needed used to treat it?

3) What brand do you recommend and why?

4) Would you consider a less expensive brand with similar ingredients?

5) Will you work with an online pharmacy to fill the prescription?

Once you know what you need and what for, search online pharmacies to compare sales, shipping fees, sizes, and brands. An 8oz bottle of a shampoo at one online store may be the same price as a 16oz bottle of the same brand at another. It has never paid more to comparison shop than in buying medicated pet shampoos.