The World's Cutest Ewok. Oh Wait! It's a DOG!

When it comes down to the decision whether to write a blog entry or to play with my dog, most of the time Koukla wins.  She's the Boss of me, after all, and I have to do whatever she says.  Just look at that face...  Who could resist it?

Koukla is a Shih Tzu, with all the skin problems that Shih Tzus can have.  We keep her skin in great condition with Darwin's Natural Pet raw organic food, but there's always a critter or a fungus lurking, especially this time of year with Spring springing all over!  Sure enough, something bit her on the neck and made her itch like crazy, so out came the DERMagic Skin Rescue Lotion!  The very next day, the booboo was scabbed over and healing, and not itching at all.  

Keep it handy!  Bug Bite Season is coming soon to a neighborhood near you!

Best wishes for an itch-free summer!

Dr Adelia

Skin Rescue Lotion for Dogs and Cats

New Packaging for DERMagic!

It's a new package and a new name for our best selling product. Formerly known as DERMagic Hot Spot Lotion, it's been renamed to more accurately reflect what this product does! It quickly takes care of hot spots, of course, but also wipes out yeast, mange, black skin disease, and helps restore normal hair growth in cases of alopecia. For all those allergic reactions, no other product comes close. And now it's so much easier to use!

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Helping holistic vets to end dog dermatitis naturally

Holistic and Naturopathic veterinarians are beginning to discover the healing power of DERMagic Hot Spot Lotion and Hot Spot Salve for dogs, and DERMagic Feline Skin Repair for cats.  Our before and after photos convince them to try these products, and that's all it takes.  DERMagic works, every time.  No more steroids!

April Showers bring itchy paws!  We suggest keeping an old thirsty towel by the door and wiping your dog's feet thoroughly when he comes in from a romp in the wet grass.  Don't let fungus get a toe-hold!  (so sorry!).

Happy Spring!

Dr Adelia

Hope for food allergies in dogs

We live for testimonials here. We love to hear from all those folks out there whose pets are suffering and veterinary treatments just aren't working, but DERMagic Hot Spot Lotion is working!!

Here's a testimonial that came in just this morning, from a Teresa James in South Carolina:

"I used the shampoo, conditioner and hot spot lotion on my GSD named Shiloh. I had taken her to the vet every two weeks since I rescued her the last week in May for her terrible scratching. At one visit I counted that Shiloh had scratched 32 times in one hour. My poor dog was miserable. I decided to change her food because she wouldn't eat the vet food. I also went on the web and found your products. In the first week the hot spot she had on her neck, that was raw and red, has started to scab over and heal. She is now scratching much less. With the change in her food (she is allergic to chicken and grains) and your products, I am now sure we will be able to keep Shiloh. Thanks for a great product."

And thank you, Teresa, for your uplifting feedback. We really appreciate it!

We're so happy to hear about how DERMagic products help our customers whose pets suffer from dog allergies and hope that their stories might help you too. Let us hear from you, and include photos!

Best wishes,

Dr Adelia

Eastside Dog Free Skin Care Clinic for Pets

Bring your dogs, your cats, your ferrets... any animal that has skin problems... to a free clinic at Eastside Dog (Cats Too!) in Redmond Town Center, Redmond, WA, on Saturday, July 12, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Does your pet have hot spots or mange? Dandruff or dry, itchy skin? Allergies? Crusty ears or raw feet? Well, we can help! For one day only, Dr. Adelia, founder of DERMagic Skin Care for Animals, is going to be on site to check out your pets and consult with you on how to get your pet back into perfect condition, dermatologically speaking.

We are entering the high season for fleas, which can cause severe allergic response. We are also entering hot spot season. We will teach you how to recognize the earliest signs of skin disease and how to get rid of them fast.

Here's the address: 7533 166th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052, across from REI. Click here to see a map or get directions.

Don't miss this wonderful opportunity for a free consultation with Dr. Adelia, and an even better opportunity to keep your pet's skin soft, smooth, and healthy all summer. We'll see you there!

Maintaining Your Dog’s Healthy Skin with Rosemary EO

The ingredients in DERMagic products are carefully selected for their healing properties, as well as for their contribution to naturally preserving our lotions, crèmes and salves. We do not use artificial preservatives, for many reasons, but mainly because we believe they can do more harm than good.

In our newsletters, we will discuss our ingredients one at a time time: about why we use it, its properties and source, its value in healing, its components, and anything else we think might be of interest to you. We always invite your comments and suggestions (info@dermagic.com).

One of our favorite materials to work with is Rosemary Essential Oil from Spain, also known as Rosemarinus officinalis. This essential oil makes our entire lab smell like an herb garden in the south of France… absolutely heavenly! An aromatic shrub, Rosmarinus officinalis has scaly bark and dense, leathery needle-like leaves. Tiny pale blue blossoms abound from December through spring. The essential oils are distilled from both the flowers and leaves. Rosemary can grow to heights of five to six feet (close to two meters) in height. In southern California, I’ve seen hedges of this stuff! Just walking past these highly aromatic plants is intoxicating. The rosemary bush belongs to the mint family, which includes basil, lavender, myrtle, and sage.


We use Rosemary essential oil in many of our products, not just for the aromatherapy effects, but primarily for its antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and healing properties. In addition to its other desirable properties, Rosemary EO serves as a natural preservative for our Hot Spot Lotion, Hot Spot Salve, and Cell Restoration Crème. The most important constituents of rosemary are carnosol, carnosic acid, caffeic acid and its derivatives, such as rosmarinic acid. These compounds have powerful antioxidant activity. Rosmarinic acid is a strong anti-inflammatory agent and is well-absorbed into the skin.

Rosemary EO stimulates cell renewal. In people, it improves dry or mature skin, eases lines and wrinkles, and heals burns and wounds. It can also clear acne, blemishes or dull dry skin by fighting bacteria and regulating oil secretions. And it works the same way in animals. It is an excellent hair or fur tonic, improving circulation to the skin or scalp, and is helpful for dandruff in people, and dander in dogs. Regular use of rosemary oil helps in stimulating follicles, as a result of which hair or fur grows longer and stronger. Giving your dog a regular treatment with rosemary oil, as part of his bathing ritual, nourishes the skin and removes flaky dander. (See our article about our Sea Breeze Dead Sea Bath Salts).

What ingredients would you like to read more about? Do you have any questions about the ingredients in pet products? Send us your questions and comments (info@dermagic.com) and we'll respond in a future column! Meanwhile, be well!

Dr. Adelia

Proactive skin care for dogs...

Today I spoke to a woman who is owned by an American Eskimo dog who has been suffering for two years with itching, hot spots and hair loss.  She had just about given up after trying everything she could find on the market, with minimal results.  

We are in the process of treating dogs with serious skin problems for our video... and we have been treating them for free so that we can take before and after photos, and maybe even get a testimonial from the dog owner.  This woman today (I'll call her Ruth) told me that after only one day on DERMagic Hot Spot Lotion her dog seemed to be calmer and that our products were working.  

She also told me something that horrified me.  She said that one veterinarian had told her that the black (or brownish) speckles on her dog's underbelly (mostly these appear around the crotch area) were indications of healing.  This is SO wrong!  It's quite the opposite.  When you see places on the underside of a dog that look like dirt but it won't wash off, this is when you need DERMagic Hot Spot Lotion right away (www.DERMagic.com).

Before your dog gets a problem this serious, there are a few things you can look for, and eliminate early.  One sure sign of a problem brewing is itchy, flaky skin on the back around the base of the tail.  We can usually fix this with our special detoxifying bath salts made with Dead Sea Salts from Israel, among other fine ingredients.  Just before shampooing your dog, wet him down and rub these special salts into his fur and give him a good massage.  The grains will exfoliate him and bring new cells to the surface.  Often, just a good shampooing after this will eliminate the problem.  No more dandruff!  It's amazing... smells heavenly... and it works.

Also, on a weekly basis, turn your dog over and inspect his tummy carefully.  The skin should be a healthy pale pink (on most dogs), and should not look "dirty."  If you see tiny points of dark, sometimes looking like blackheads, this is the first sign of a serious infection under the skin and it's important to stop it right away.  Our Hot Spot Lotion is completely effective in getting rid of this discoloration, and it stops the infection in its tracks, before it becomes systemic or erupts elsewhere in the form of hot spots or itchy rash.  Our website will soon have some photos of this precursor condition (www.dermagic.com), so please check there if you have any doubts!

Good luck with your furry friends, and please contact us if you have any questions about the health of your dog's skin or fur (info@dermagic.net).  

Best wishes!  Dr. Adelia Ritchie

Itch in Dogs

My household is managed by two delightful little personalities; my Shih Tzus named Skoshi (Japanese word meaning “a little bit”) and Koukla (Greek for “doll”). I have never seen two dogs so much in love with each other. They fight, they sleep together in a pile, they kiss (yes, really), and are just totally into each other’s business all day long. I call them my “Skids,” because they’re my Kids who can’t get traction on the wood floors.

And occasionally they have to go on vacation at a friend’s house while I travel for business (in Washington State, check out www.petvacations.net). They really look forward to these little visits with their playmates and surrogate pet parents, and they usually come home completely exhausted from all the fun.

But one time I left them with someone else, someone who loves animals very much but just isn’t clued in to natural and organic products. And she bathed Skoshi with Brand X shampoo, and it was a disaster for his skin.

Skoshi had the itch all over him, and scratching led quickly to little abrasions, which quickly started to become infected, which made him itch even more. And the hot spots started.
Lucky for him, I’m in the business of fixing problems like this. As soon as we got home, I bathed him in our pH-balanced shampoo and put some DERMagic Hot Spot Lotion on him, put his cute little T-shirt on over it to prevent him from licking it off, and in just a few days he was as good as new. (These products are available at www.dermagic.com.)

You never know what’s going to irritate your dog’s skin, so it’s a good idea to keep DERMagic Hot Spot Lotion on hand, just in case. Get rid of the itch at the very first sign and your pup will never have a serious skin issue!