Dog with skin issues...?

My pug is 5 years old and has ALWAYS been really itchy. He always licks his paws and his skin is so dry that when he itches his face, it scabs and bleeds. This is not an infection or anything because it's not a new problem...I'm just wondering what I can do to add moisture to his skin and make him less itchy so he won't itch or lick his paws.

Dog with skin issues...?
if he is fine %26amp; healthy, switch his food, he may not b getting what he needs in diet. heres my bit of info. ok w/ all this pet food recalls, it made me look further into my dogs food. i was concerned with the recalls, so i investigated other foods, organic/natural foods. well in doing that i learned ALOT about my dogs food--Eukanuba. I thought this was the BEST food there was. Thought my dog was better than other dogs cuz she ate this. I paid $40 a bag! Well to sum it up, it is filled w/ nothing but fillers %26amp; by products--its NOT a good food. boy was I fooled. so i did a bunch of research, asked a lot of people on here, looked at diff. info sights, reviews, customer comments, anyways I chose Canidae, some otheres were Wellness, Innova. Take alook around at natural organic stores. The food is sooo much better for your dog. My dog too was dry. she never bled, but a dry, flaky coat at times, like dandruff, alwasy itchy %26amp; licking. Only a month on the food, soo much better. %26amp; she was a bit on the overwieght side, needed to lose 5 lbs, she is really shedding the pounds. I even had 2 neighbors comment on her looking good. %26amp; she is a good looking dog to begin w/--point is people noticed the food change. Good luck. If not fleas, %26amp; healthy, make a food change.
Reply:He is probably allergic to his food. Are you sure there is not a flea problem?
Reply:There are shampoos you can get from your vet that will add moisture to his skin. I presume you have taken him to the vet to rule out various problems. If he is atopic a lose dose steriod may help but I think a visit to the vet is in order.
Reply:Your dog doesn't need a moisturizer, your dog has severe allergies, either from the food or inhalants. Schedule an allergy consult with your vet to determine which is the problem, remove the source of the allergy and your dog will have no more problems with itching.
Reply:Maybe you wash him too often? I was once told by a vet that this was a major cause for dry skin.
Reply:Diet and supplements may help. Adding capsules for skin and coat, like 3V Skin Caps with Omega 3, Vit A, D and E, plus something like NutriVed supplement may help. In addition, the food you feed your dog is important too. A high quality food that has not been on a recall list will help also. Avoid foods with wheat products or corn which many dogs are allergic to.


You might consider trying bottled water if your city supply has a lot of chemicals added.


Ask a Vet for a good shampoo and/or skin topical treatment to relieve the irritation, and use as directed, not more often than the Vet instructs.


Hope that helps.
Reply:Rub vasaline in the folds of his facial skin. Add bacon grease to his /her food at least 3 times a week . This will give the dog a chance to absorb the grease they would get from an all meat diet and the vasaline in the folds on it's face is recommended by my vet
Reply:i have a bichon frise with skin allergies. i took him to the vet. i was told to put him on eukenuba brand dog food because it has the omega 3 fatty acid (its the only one that does) . i also rub his belly with baby oil after a bath. anyhow...it works. he was chafing and everything, now he is good to go
Reply:I have a similar issue with my dog of 2yrs. Although her skin isn't so much the issue as the webbing between her digits is her favorite licking spot. I took her to the vet and they provided me with an antibiotic and clavomax to alleviate the irritation. The ointment I was given is called animax ointment by pharmaderm, and although she continues to lick it has made it less susceptible to her licking and has reduced the red and puffiness I 've always noticed. As far as her coat is concerned a good skin and coat conditioner is what I would recommend. DermCare offered at PetSmart, and possibly your vet is a great conditioner. Spray it on all over, avoiding the face and eyes, and work it through with your hands, and then brush him through so that it gets distributed evenly, spray it every two weeks and then determine on your own how frequently you need to use it.





Another issue might be how often he is bathed, if you don't bathe him frequent enough, dirt could be drying out his skin, or any outdoor allergens. Maybe bathe him a little more often and use both shampoo and conditioner on his coat, following up with the skin and coat spray on conditioner.





As well as all the afore mentioned things, a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in his water dish provides a good, necessary nutrient and assists in the skin and coat of your animal.





Hope this helps, I'm not an expert just someone who has dealt with similar issues, be sure and contact your vet before attempting any of my care at home measures.
Reply:Paw licking(aside from grooming) is a sure sign of food allergy.Many dogs are allergic to corn glutin.Havwe you changed his food lately? You can slip fish oil inot his food,but it sounds more like a food allergy.
Reply:What I find most useful with this is adding a few linseed seeds into their food, works a charm. Just a bit to get some more moisturisation to the skin without affecting their insides, too much is a laxative for them.
Reply:ok a number of things can cause excessive scratching, ie:


food allergy


flea allergy


laundry detergent allergy


(the list is never ending)





It could also be caused by medical as well. There are some heredity issues that they can have.





There are alot of home rememdies but there is one that I use on my Peis and Pug that works and it's easy...


Oatmeal bath


Avveno Oatmeal Bath





You can also give a dog that weighs 10 lbs or more benedryl (child's dose) to help calm the itching. Also, baby magic baby lotion.





Please note...I am no vet and do not claim to be but I have 2 of the worst breeds for Skin Irritation and common allergies. This is what my vet told me to try.
Reply:SEE YOUR VET!!!!!!





The dog has a problem and I doubt it's the food.