Dog has overly dry skin, recommend something for it?

My 1 yr. old red heeler has very dry skin. I bath him in shampoo for this problem and I have a hydrocortisone spray to help relieve the itchyness but he chews his back so bad that he will chew it raw. Anyone have any recommendations to help with this problem. Thanks

Dog has overly dry skin, recommend something for it?
vita caps they work great on my girl - by dr foster %26amp; smithb


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Reply:lotion
Reply:you could try adding about a teaspoon of olive oil to his food.
Reply:The vet.
Reply:Don't bathe him too often. That can cause dry skin. Also, try adding some oil or crisco to his food. Just a little, so you don't make him sick.
Reply:I dont know what a heeler is but discuss iwth your vet the animals diet. Diet changes or additions to his diet could be good!


there may be a fungus or condition that he needs to be treated.


Def. go to a vet. would you want to itch so bad like that? Good luck! I hope they can find something.
Reply:Your pet needs some Omega 3 vitamins...or fish oil. Wash only when absolutely necessary and with a shampoo for dry hair. I use Head and Shoulders and use an extensive conditioner and possibly oil treatment. Dogs can get extremely dry skin and more oils in there diet will usually help
Reply:Oatmeal shampoo
Reply:Omega 3 %26amp; 6 Fatty acids; Vitamin E; or you can buy Linoleic Acid at Walmart that has all 3 in it; it makes for wonderful coats!
Reply:Have you tried bathing your dog with an oatmeal based shampoo? My vet recomends that. Also, sounds like maybe your dog has allergies? Can you try to find out what he might be allergic to? Or is he so dry because its cold out and the heat is on? In the later case maybe try a humidifier.
Reply:I would not bathe him as often as you have been, and I use Derm Caps with the fatty acids and omega oils in them. Also maybe a dog food with the omega oils in them their are quite a few, Lok at the Nutro Choice brand. Good luck
Reply:I use suave conditioner on my dog. Same as with your hair leave it on about 5 minutes then rinse well. Just don't let him lick it off during the 5 minutes.





I'm sure they have conditioners for dogs. If you don't want to use suave
Reply:a fatty acid supplement like DermCaps can help with dry skin, it sounds like he has allergies, is he on a medication for this? Benadryl can be given 3 times a day, dog dose is 1mg per pound; it is not as strong as some allergy drugs but it is safe and over the counter, it can cause drowsiness. There are more effective allergy medications and diets that you can get from your vet. If the skin is chewed raw then he may need antibiotics. Also keep your dog on flea preventative like Frontline year round, flea allergies are common in dogs with other allergies.
Reply:My Min Pin also has dry skin and unfortunately since he is a therapy dog I have to bathe him more often than the average dog. I use an oatmeal based dog shampoo and than a bath in water mixed with Avon Skin So Soft Original Bath Oil. The SSS Bath Oil replenished the oils that get washed off, has reduced his itchiness, and dry skin flakes, and the scent last longer than doggie shampoo does.





Good luck.
Reply:baby oil works fine , not overly done it can help because it clean,free from chems
Reply:You may want to put an e collar on him just for the time it takes him to heal. If you don't wanna use a e collar, you could also bitter apple any hot spots he has on his back to prevent him from chewing them. The problem is that it has to be reapplyed frequently. You didn't specify what shampoo you were using, but I would use a gentle oatmeal shampoo or a prescription shampoo from your vet. Also, adding 1 raw egg a week to your dogs diet will help his skin and make his coat shiny. Good Luck!!!
Reply:My mother had the same problem with her dog. A cheap fix to try is to soak him in Aveeno oatmeal bath. You can buy this at the store. It comes in a box. Or if that don't work I am sorry to say you will have to get him cortisone shots at the vet.
Reply:BEt you are feeding your dog cheap commercail dog food. Go to your local pet shop and ask them to suggest a goot food for a dog with dry itchy skin. They should suggest Wellness, Solid Gold by Hund-N-Flocken or Evangers.





The commercail dog foods are mostly grain and meat by products (translate to cartliege, bone and tendon no real meat). Read the ingredients. You want to get away from any dog food with corn, wheat, wheat gluten, soy or soya. Dogs need meat. When is the last time you heard about a farmer upset because the coyotes and wolves won't stay out or his corn? You just don't cause dgos need meat.





I would bet you if you switch your dog to a quality dog food his problems will clear up in side of a month. I have seen overa dozen dogs with varying problems improve almost voe rnight with better food. NOt to mention you will reduce vet bills and help ensure your dog a longer life.





PS dogs don.t produce body oils or sweat the way we do. you are probaly making the problem worse by bathing him. Talk to your vet about bathing. One last thing.





Just thoguth of smoething else your dog could have ring worm or mange. If he is digging that badly he needs the vet
Reply:You should check with your vet to determine if the skin condition is viral/allergy or not. If it is, your vet will give you medication for your dog. If it's not and your dog just have dry skin, your vet will probably suggest giving him Omega 3 and 6 oil supplements such as 3V Cap, Derm Cap, etc. You can purchase these oil supplements from Dr. Foster %26amp; Smith cheaper than getting them from the vet, and you can also purchase DF%26amp;S' own brand, VitaCap. I have been giving my dogs VitaCap for years and they have shiny beaver-like coat :)





About the bathing...It's probably better that you bathe your dog as little as possible if it has dry skin. Bathing will only wash away the essential oil your dog's body produces naturally to protect his skin. Wiping him down with bathing wipes (a good brand is 8in1) to keep the dirt and grime off in between baths is better than giving him full baths often. If you must bathe your dog, a gentle dog shampoo, such as oatmeal, will dry his skin out less than other types of shampoos.
Reply:A woman told me to put a table spoon of oil in the food everyday an that will help with the dry skin.