by Patrice Campbell

Created on: March 20, 2009

If your dog is rubbing his face against the carpet or furniture, you may want to check his muzzle to see if he may be suffering from canine acne.

Crusty sores on the chin or lower lip, a chin that is inflamed or swollen, pimples or blackheads could be plaguing your dog with itchiness or soreness.

Short hair breeds are most likely to suffer from acne, and genetics, trauma and hormones can play a role. Usually starting in puppies from 5 to 8 months old, most dogs grow out of canine acne by the time they reach their first birthday.

Demodicosis can look like acne, as can ringworm. Both of these conditions should be ruled out by the vet. If a puppy shows signs of acne in combination with poor appetite and symptoms of depression, it could be puppy strangles.

Once acne is confirmed as the cause of your dogs' breakouts and discomfort, you can easily treat it at home.

Flat faced dogs are prone to dirty faces from traces of food getting stuck in the folds of the skin and hair as they eat. Left unattended, bacteria will breed. If bacteria gets trapped under the skin, a pimple will form. Open the blocked pores so that the infection causing the pimple can be flushed out.

Keeping the Face Clean

Blocked pores will open so that pimples can heal simply by washing the dogs face every day.

To make this a good experience for both the dog and master, treat this time as one on one relaxation.

For a small dog, you can do a daily face wash right on your lap. Wrap his body in a towel and moisten his face with a warm washcloth. Put a drop of antibacterial pet wash on the cloth and work up a lather on your dogs face. Rinse the cloth and ring in out. Wipe the suds off of your pets face and repeat until all traces of the soap is gone.

Adapt the procedure to work for you and your larger dog.

Remember to talk to your dog throughout the process. If you're just starting the face washing routine, you may want to reward your pet when he's clean to reaffirm the positive aspect of the daily face wash.

Warm Compress

When your dog is suffering an outbreak of canine acne, open blocked pores by holding a cloth soaked in warm (not hot) water to the affected area until the cloth cools. The heat will open blocked pores and increase circulation. This will flush out the infection.

An herbal compress can be made by soaking the cloth in warm calendula tea. Simply brew a tablespoon of dried or fresh herb in a cup of hot water and strain. When it reaches the appropriate temperature, soak the cloth in the tea and apply the compress.

Calendula acts as an astringent and analgesic. If the dog licks it off his face, it won't hurt him at all.

Use the warm compress once daily until the acne clears up.

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