My Diggie has very Dry Skin....

rockin'robin

rockin'robin

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The Groomers told me that the reason my Doggie scratched so much was that she had very dry skin....she has never had 1 Flea....I went to the Vet's office and bought some special shampoo for her ($18 dollars), Aloe & Oatmeal Shampoo...at that price, I'm tempted to use it myself! HAHA...But it's only formulated for dogs, cats, puppies and horses....

She's fine during the Spring/Summer, but for about a month now, she scratches so much!...Is there anything else I can do to help her feel better?
 
:wave: RR

I use fish oil liquid routinely with my girls. My Lab in the Winter used to get a pretty dry coat even with the fish oil and we would get a specific additional skin and coat conditioner for him that you spray on - like a waterless shampoo, but not for bathing.
There various possible reasons for dry skin, including allergies, seasonal, food issues....
what are you feeding?
 
Do keep the heat on high in your home in the winter? That can dry your dog skin out too.
 
dogmom said:
:wave: RR

I use fish oil liquid routinely with my girls. My Lab in the Winter used to get a pretty dry coat even with the fish oil and we would get a specific additional skin and coat conditioner for him that you spray on - like a waterless shampoo, but not for bathing.
There various possible reasons for dry skin, including allergies, seasonal, food issues....
what are you feeding?
Click to expand...

Fish oil liquid?...and could this be caused by her diet?...Seemed to me that she didn't have a problem before I went into the hospital, but was gone 10 days...and when I came home, she was scratching then...so I figured it might be her nerves and anxiety from being away from me...So that's why I called my Groomer...
My doggie eats dry dog food, (Imes) and of course, some steak and pork chops here and there. She's a fan of boiled chicken also, (I wash the chicken very thoroughly after boiling to get rid of all the grease). And Liver occassionally...about once a month, I do give her a little milk just because I feel it's good for her. She's healthy!
 
Make sure your dog drink plenty of water also. The wintery dry air can cause dry skin. Do not bath your dog as often since it also can cause dry skin.
 
RR, I have come to a recent understanding that it is not a good idea to give dogs milk, generally because of the possible disagreeable effects of lactose....kinda doubt, tho, that this has anything to do with the dry skin.
 
:hmm:RR

diet is the basis of health in people, dogs... dry food is very lacking in moisture. It's recommended to add a little moisture to it as cats and dogs fed dry food long-term -can- have issues later because of chronic dehydration. Kibble is particularly inappropriate for cats. So if adding moisture, all it takes is a little dampening of the food, it does NOT have to be floating and with kibble I wouldn't recommend it. Just make the kibble damp or a bit softer.

Fish oil liquid is a natural anti-inflammatory and has beneficial fatty acids which promote health and which dry food is also lacking in.

If this issue happened suddenly it could certainly be a seasonal thing, or part of the stress in relation to you being gone, like you were thinking. One way to think of food though is that food is a medicine, used to balance the body and strengthen the immune system, so that other triggers or stressors - such as weather change, or household family patterns - don't set off as great as or any internal physical response in the body that causes a reaction.

I think the addition of the extra meat can be great. Dogs are meant to get most of their calories from high-quality fats and protein, not carbs.

Many dogs and most cats aren't able to digest regular milk as adults - they're lacking the enzyme needed for it. This can cause a variety of physical symptoms. Dry skin can be a sign of allergy and dairy is a potential allergen.
 
rockin'robin said:
Fish oil liquid?...and could this be caused by her diet?...Seemed to me that she didn't have a problem before I went into the hospital, but was gone 10 days...and when I came home, she was scratching then...so I figured it might be her nerves and anxiety from being away from me...So that's why I called my Groomer...
My doggie eats dry dog food, (Imes) and of course, some steak and pork chops here and there. She's a fan of boiled chicken also, (I wash the chicken very thoroughly after boiling to get rid of all the grease). And Liver occassionally...about once a month, I do give her a little milk just because I feel it's good for her. She's healthy!
Click to expand...

The milk you give your dog was meant for baby cows and once a cow is grown up it does not get milk anymore. So it really no needs to give a dog cow milk . And milk is not really good for dogs .
 
rockin'robin said:
The Groomers told me that the reason my Doggie scratched so much was that she had very dry skin....she has never had 1 Flea....I went to the Vet's office and bought some special shampoo for her ($18 dollars), Aloe & Oatmeal Shampoo...at that price, I'm tempted to use it myself! HAHA...But it's only formulated for dogs, cats, puppies and horses....

She's fine during the Spring/Summer, but for about a month now, she scratches so much!...Is there anything else I can do to help her feel better?
Click to expand...

Do you have wall to wall carpetting?
 
:hmm: yeah, that's a good question...
or did you get new carpeting, or do any re-modeling, or use any new cleaning products? Dogs, like people, can be sensitive to new fabrics and cleaning agents.
 
dogmom said:
:hmm: yeah, that's a good question...
or did you get new carpeting, or do any re-modeling, or use any new cleaning products? Dogs, like people, can be sensitive to new fabrics and cleaning agents.
Click to expand...

Nope...will shampoo our carpet after Xmas...no time before since I was sick...
 
Now that come to think of my new dog. He have been scratched all the time. The worse place was his underbelly and back near his tail. My other dog no problem. One of my cat is the worse case, she always get so many bump all over her head and back near the tail and around her neck. It get worse in the summer but winter less. Their fur is white. It can turn into bright red. I hate that. I just gave them a bath with oatmeal sensetive medication. Hopefully it will work.
 
It's all under control now....she did have dry skin, but actually the culprit was (since I took her to the Vet)...was that she had some "flea poop" on her tail.

And with some dogs, just 1 flea or the eggs can drive the dog crazy!...Also, to find out that the Advantage she was using each month, she became resistant to it...so now she is on a new Flea Control called "Comfortis", a small pill, once a month....She also got some steriods , 2 shots
an antibotic for the itching....After 2 days, she was just fine!

Her hair is back to being so fluffy and soft, no more scratching and pulling her hair out. She is also back to "smiling" and comfortable....
 
rockin'robin said:
Fish oil liquid?...and could this be caused by her diet?...Seemed to me that she didn't have a problem before I went into the hospital, but was gone 10 days...and when I came home, she was scratching then...so I figured it might be her nerves and anxiety from being away from me...So that's why I called my Groomer...
My doggie eats dry dog food, (Imes) and of course, some steak and pork chops here and there. She's a fan of boiled chicken also, (I wash the chicken very thoroughly after boiling to get rid of all the grease). And Liver occassionally...about once a month, I do give her a little milk just because I feel it's good for her. She's healthy!
Click to expand...

Do NOT give your dogs any other oils! Only fish oil. You should ask your vet how much your dog should have. I brought fish oil caplets that are 1000 mg. and I have give Marty half as he can only have 500 mg of fish oil a day. He weight 18 lbs. My vet said other oils will give dogs diarrhea .
 
whatdidyousay! said:
Do NOT give your dogs any other oils! Only fish oil. You should ask your vet how much your dog should have. I brought fish oil caplets that are 1000 mg. and I have give Marty half as he can only have 500 mg of fish oil a day. He weight 18 lbs. My vet said other oils will give dogs diarrhea .
Click to expand...

I've never given my doggie any oil at all...and she weights 11 lbs. She goes back to the Vet next month for her yearly shots, so I will keep this in mind....:ty:.....Her appetite is very good and she's very playful with the kitten.
 
rockin'robin said:
I've never given my doggie any oil at all...and she weights 11 lbs. She goes back to the Vet next month for her yearly shots, so I will keep this in mind....:ty:.....Her appetite is very good and she's very playful with the kitten.
Click to expand...

I meant if you where going to give your dog oil to be careful . I called my vet to find out what kind of oils it save for for dogs. Someone once said to give my dog olive oil and that is bad for dogs .
 
In general, based on conversations with my holistic vets, breeder and other dog nutrition people, I use a variety of oils - fish oil, from either wild sardines or wild salmon;

organic hemp oil;

cold-pressed olive oil - fine for dogs, high in Omega 9 fatty acids - the trick if at all possible is to get as fresh and unrefined as you can, not "lite", generic or "big box store" brands

there is nothing inherently wrong with olive oil but as with any oil, if you give too much at once, or suddenly give a larger dose to a dog who has never had any, then it can cause diarrhea

take care if using cod liver oil in dogs, though due to its high vitamin A content if using a multivitamin or feeding commercial food with vitamins and minerals already in it.

fish oil is high in fatty acids which are anti-inflammatory and provide skin and coat benefits.
most dogs get way too much Omega 6 fatty acids - sourced from refined vegetable oils in commercial food and treats - and not enough "good" fats like from fish.
 
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