Dry skin advice

Hi,
My Bernadoodle Noulli is scratching a lot and I think it's dry skin. It's considerably drier here than back in Ontario.

Any suggestions?

Michael

Talk to Dra. Bere at Pet Place.

Feed her a bit of oil on her kibble daily.  Maybe a tablespoon or so if she is 50 lbs.  A friend has the same problem with one of her dogs and the oil worked well and was cheap.

Thanks all, I'll try the oil before consulting the vet.

Michael

She may be reacting to something in the lake if you have her in the water. You may need to keep her coat really short especially until she adjusts to the temperature differential here. Fish oil has omega 3 for skin. Oatmeal shampoo worked for my dogs during the winter in northern Canada.

I use a teaspoon of Coconut oil twice a day for my very itchy Corgi (13 kg) and it seems to help. Fish oil is good as well - I also give him a bit of sardine daily.

If you shampoo your dog, avoid soap or detergent unless you are certain that you can rinse it all out.

I put a teaspoon full of plain yogurt (without sugar) mixed in the kibble twice a day.
No itching, sheds less and coat is soft to the touch.
The yogurt is LaLa and actually says "Sin Azucar" down the side in big letters.
The kibble is Nature's Domain from Costco.

You can try the oil instead of the yogurt but it gave my girl loose movements. Both coconut oil and the yogurt will boost the immune system too.

Thanks all - lots of good ideas.

Canada_Mike, we have a Westie with extremely dry skin causing her to constantly scratch, day and night. This has been going on since last summer. Her problem has been compounded by her allergy to flea bites. After consulting with the vets, changing her food, shampoo, and trying various home remedies we started giving her coconut oil. After only a few days, she no longer scratches AND she no longer has a problem with fleas. We can only attribute this to the coconut oil. We hope this has helped your dog & any other fur babies having the same problems.

NEG, how much and how often do you give the coconut oil? You just mix it in with her kibble?
TIA

I mix about two tablespoons every morning with their can food and the same in their dry food bowl. Now that it is under control, I may cut back to one tablespoon in each.

the vegetable oil isn't working, so I'll try coconut. Thx.

I was advised to begin slow with the coconut oil and increase the dose gradually.

HOW MUCH COCONUT OIL FOR DOGS
How much coconut oil should you give your dog? When starting your dog on coconut oil, it is absolutely vital that you start slow. Begin slow, start with a tiny amount. Your dog needs to take time for their body to adjusts to the addition to their diet. If you start with larger amount of coconut oil, your dog could react poorly. Side effects can include diarrhea or greasy stools.

START WITH SMALL AMOUNTS
¼ teaspoon per day for small dogs and puppies.
1 teaspoon for large dogs, or even just a dab if your dog's constitution is sensitive.


If you do a web search you will find many like this advising a slow start: http://www.sitstay.com/blogs/good-dog-blog/37662913-coconut-oil-for-dogs-the-ultimate-guide

Canada_Mike wrote:the vegetable oil isn't working, so I'll try coconut. Thx.

All animals may react differently just like humans, to different things. Good advise though. I just jumped right in with ours and did not have any problems. :)

BTW, we are feeding the coconut oil to 2 dogs and it's more like 1-2 teaspoons each, not tablespoons. Our cat also licks the plate for any leftovers. They all seem to be doing well, without side effects. We are now 3 days out and still no scratching. Even the affected dog's coat is growing back in & we've noticed that the doggie breath & skin odor is gone. We've also heard to put some in with their shampoo for a nice shiny coat. Will try that too. So far, it's been a win-win for all. Hope you get the same results.

I'm very glad to hear your dog is responding to treatment. Mine was plagued for months with severe itching and it got worse when we came here. Lots of diagnoses on both sides of the border, and changes in diet, shampoo etc, even shots. His skin began flaking badly and he lost patches of fur. One day I bathed him with the soap I use; it is an unrefined olive oil soap from Greece or Syria, very pure. After one washing the flakes disappeared and within a few days the patches had filled in with new fur! He still scratches some so I'll try the coconut oil for that; regular oil didn't help.

So many times the itching is a combination of factors rather than a single cause. My dog is allergic to fleas and chicken and some cleaning products and insecticides. It is a constant battle of awareness but a bit of coconut oil plus the BARF diet has made it manageable.

Keep trying til you find a workable combination.