Dry, Flaky Skin On Your Dog? Here Are Some Tips.

Every year I know someone who has dry skin during the summer or winter or both.  Humans can use lotions to help with this.  What if your dog has dry skin?  What do you do then?  Well there are some very easy and inexpensive ways to treat this condition.  First of all, you should make sure there isn't a medical reason for the flaking before treating things on your own so check with your vet to make sure your pet is okay if this is a new condition.  If fido is medically healthy and there is enough water being given, then here are some things that are sure to help.

First of all, what are you even looking for when people say "dry skin"?  What does it look like?  Well it looks just like human dandruff.  It will be little white dots/flakes on your dogs fur when you scratch him while petting.  I will scratch back and forth on my dog to see how dry his skin is periodically.  You will immediately be able to tell.  However, if your dog is white or light in color you can always scratch like I talked about and then pull apart the fur down to the skin to see if there are any flakes.

This is what you're looking for.

Safflower oil on your dog's kibble will help not only the skin but the fur as well.  A little goes a long way with this so no need to drench the food.  Just coat it so it's shiny.  Sunflower oil works the same way.  You could even go so far as to use a little vegetable oil but I'd personally only use that in a pinch.  I know the other two are more expensive than veggie oil but you aren't using but a small amount so it really does last a while.

http://dogfoodcoach.com/2012/11/14/is-safflower-oil-good-for-dogs/

Of course bathing your dog is good to do as well so using an oatmeal shampoo or even an over the counter human shampoo like Pantene is fine.  I have personally seen Pantene do wonders for a dog's skin and fur.  Medicated human shampoos and ones with insecticides are bad for dogs so please do not use them.  We want to treat the condition, not make it worse. 

Fish oil supplements are also good for your dog.  You can poke a hole in the end of the capsule and put the contents on the food or simply put it in some peanut butter (or other high value treat) and give the whole thing to them.  I personally suggest the treat simply because it's easier.

http://www.vetinfo.com/canine-dry-skin.html

There is also a product called Allerderm.  This product is administered like flea treatment (on their skin) and you should wait 24 hours before and/or after a bath before giving it but this will work by going through their skin instead of the intestinal tract.  My vet personally recommended it at my dog's last visit and said I should get it on Amazon because it is the cheapest place to get it (less than $30 for 6 pipettes).  I am going to be ordering this tomorrow for my dog, Lucien.

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=allerderm&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aallerderm

One final tip for this topic is food.  Of course the food you feed your furry loved one is important.  There are so many brands out there that it can be extremely confusing.  Once again, my vet recommends Purina products and I feed Lucien Purina One which she was happy with.  I feed dry only but she did recommend to make sure he gets extra water.  Most vets will sell Science Diet or other type of prescription food in their office or recommend some type of grain free food for some sort of allergy.  Every animal I have had on Science Diet has gotten fat (even giving the recommended feeding amounts, then cutting back) and the grain free doesn't seem to help any of the animals with allergies any more than the high protein wet food would.  My vet agreed with this and said grain free was simply a fad she felt would go away.  Maybe, maybe not but the companies make a lot of money off of the products.  My animals do not like the high end food like Blue Buffalo and Lucien's digestive system cannot handle that type of food.

So, all of that said what does it mean?  If your dog has dry skin just make sure he/she doesn't have a medical condition and then just try these tips I've given you.  I will personally buy the product from you if it doesn't work.  I'm that confident that one of them will work for your pet.  Always consult your vet before giving your pet anything new.

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