Skin care
06.02.2011 - 09:43:00
http://picasaweb.google.com/nahaci123 The first question, which I am asked by people, wherever I meet them with one of our Peruvian hairless dogs and who are attracted by them is: "....in summer you have to use sunscreen a lot, so that they did not get sunburnt, don`t you?"
My answer: we do not have to use sunscreen because they will not get sunburnt."
EXPLANATION:
Skin of a Peruvian hairless dog has been developed by nature also from the aspect of absorbtion of red radiation very properly. Skin of Peruvian hairless dogs starting with October becomes lighter, suddenly the colour of a hairless dog starts to blending with the autumn nature. However, in February the skin starts getting darker again.
The longer the hairless dog is outdoores, the quicker the skin gets dark. In the period, when the sun starts shining intensively, the skin of a hairless dog has already been dark. The hairless dog, who has a browny skin, sunburns subsequently so that even during a long-term stay in sunshine the skin will not get sunburnt. From that view it is evident that it is not necessary to apply any sunscreen on the skin, which protects from sunburn.
The problem may come up only with hairless dogs, so called Peruvian Inca Orchid, whose skin has light spots and it is exposed to a direct sunshine for a long time and so the light spots can naturally get sunburnt, which any sunsreen can not protect from.
Skin of the Peruvian hairless dog has been developed by nature very properly even from the point of view of harm. The Peruvian hairless dog is a dog with perfect movement mechanics, who likes running fast. While running it gains high speed and has a brilliant hunting instinct, from which naturally results that while hunting it runs through very inhospitable ground, bush etc.
That is why the skin is very tough and elastic at the same time, which prevents from an easy harm. Accidentaly injured skin recovers well.
Even a vet unknowing this breed, while bleeding or injecting, has a problem with toughness of skin.
SKIN CARE OF HAIRLESS DOG IS SIMPLE. Hairless dog`s skin greases naturally, by another frequent usage of oily lotions the skin greasing increases and then occur skin defects, for instance a lot of acne, which is very difficult to be cured.
Acne usually occur at the most of the idnividuals of all hairless breed at so called age of puberty, i.e. at the age from 4 to 8 months. In this period the skin greases more, especially on behind legs.
It is necessary to clean the affected spots by acne very often, preferably by germicidal soap without any cosmetics, to give vitamins, for example primrose oil, vitamin B, eventually change feeding for hypoallergen.
In case that acne does not recede after several weeks of the treatment, whereas it is spreading all over the body, it is better to visit a vet.
For the reason of natural greasing of the skin it is not necessary to bath the adult dog so often, however, after bathing it is good to rub and massage the skin. The skin is also good to be rubbed before exhibitions so that the muscles, colour of the skin and the total beauty of the exhibited dog excelled. It is good to give vitamins for quality of the skin improvement in spring and autumn.
As all dogs, even hairless breed can also have their skin attacked by mould, eventually the animal can suffer from allergies, for instance grass allergy, food etc.
The skin is soft and pleasantly warm. The body is totally hairless, very thin thatch occurs on a head of some of them, which does not need to be fit i.e. it is not necessary to be shaved.
Comments on necessity to protect the skin of Peruvian hairless dogs from the sun by application of sunscreen with a high UV factor, which are mentioned in various of magazines, are not true.
Most of these authors could have never had any experience with hairless dog from Peru. Let be aware of weather conditions in Peru, where these dogs come from, where they have been living for centuries, i.e. high attitude and wide temperature differences between night and day. In Peru, i.e. in their homeland a hairless dog still lives in very poor families, even though in break of the century it has become a fashionable breed of a middle class. From this results the care of its skin in summer. Therefore the protection from the frost is more important, i.e. temperatures -5 °C and lower, and during longer walking it is good to get dressed them to protect the skin from frostbite.
PAY ATTENTION: It has been found out that hair absence leads not only to a direct heat removal, unlike dogs with hair, where the removal of heat occurs thanks to hair by natural ventilation, but also dehydratation. Therefore there is necessary a continual supply of the water.