The Dogs Bloggers

Treatments For Our Furry Family Members That Are Experiencing Extremely Dry Skin

Dry skin is a frequently see problem in dogs, and can be stressful for both the dog and the dog’s family. If your dog’s skin is itchy and flaking you’re most probably starting to investigate what could actually be causing the dog skin reaction. Dry skin, or ’seborrhea ‘, can be either a primary problem or a secondary one. Primary seborrhea is due to a mechanism in the dog’s own skin cells, particularly in the process of keratinization, or the creation of the keratin layer on the outer layer of the epidermal cells. The keratinization defect leads to an overabundance of keratin, which ends up causing flaking and scratching and itching of the skin. Primary seborrhea is fairly rare, and is generally a genetic condition seen in certain breeds e. g; the cocker spaniel.

By a long way, lots of ‘dry skin ‘ cases in dogs are secondary, the result of an underlying condition. Possible causes of dry skin can include nutritional deficiencies, internal parasites, tasteless washing or skin care programmes, or allergic conditions.

Vitamin and essential ingredient inadequacies are a fairly common cause of poor skin condition and hair coat in dogs. Dogs require a well-balanced, fine quality diet, which has the right proportions of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals. Dogs who are being fed a ‘table scrap ‘ diet or an economy-brand, low-quality dog food will generally show it through the dry condition of their skin.

Intestinal bugs, likeworms, and coccidia, and even other types of internal bugs like heartworms, could cause a bad quality coat and poor skin condition in dogs too. These internal bugs cause dry skin by imperative nutriments from the dog’s body, thus depriving the epidermis cells of the materials they need to function usually. If your dog is a pup or has not been solidly on a monthly heartworm and intestinal bug preventative, then parasites may be the fundamental issue and your vet will probably need a fecal and blood sample to reign out these bugs.

Allergic responses are another frequently diagnosed cause of dry skin in dogs. Flea allergy, food component allergies, and seasonally inhaled allergies are frequently seen and, though these conditions are not simply ‘dry skin ‘, they can cause inflammation and flakiness that pet owners frequently interpret to be dry skin. Make sure your dog is on a once per month flea preventative, and if the irritation becomes intense or if your dog starts experiencing balding or any hair loss or developing red spots, consult with a veterinary professional.

Notwithstanding our good goals for our pets as pet owners, infrequently our own dog grooming routine can be the underlying reason for dry skin. Using shampoos that are made for humans that aren’t formulated in the right way or pH balanced for dogs could contribute to dry skin or skin irritation. In a similar fashion, using over-the-counter flea shampoos or alcohol-based skin products can result in some type of skin reaction with ensuing dry skin. Bathing too frequently can also contribute to dry skin in dogs, so try to not wash your dog more than twice weekly.

Cathy Doggins is the editor of several publications on dog health including the Dog Health Guide. Cathy is a frequent contributor on common canine health concerns such as dog dry skin and other issues that have an effect on dog health. When not caring for her two dogs, Cathy can be located working at her local animal shelter or working for animals with a few non-profit organizations.

MY PUPPY WON’T EAT HER FOOD! PLZ HELP!!?

We’ve had her for 6 days now. At first she would eat only about half a cup of her Iams puppy food a day, but now she wont eat anything! Should I try canned soft food? She sleeps A LOT during the day but I think thats normal for a puppy. At night she cries and yelps but thats a whole different story

Poor thing is definitely still adjusting. It’s not the vaccines or anything. She’s just scared and lonely.

Some tips: if she’s crated, try bringing the crate into your room, at least for a few weeks. When my pup came home for the first time, he would lay on the floor at the foot of my bed, refusing to get in his crate. The solution? Move the crate to him. Worked like a charm. Pretty soon, he felt safe in there, and now it really is his space. He loves it. Also, and I did this the first night, try going to bed on the floor with her, or at least lay with her so that you’re physically touching until she falls asleep. Puppies literally sleep in a big pile on top of each other, and she must miss her littermates.

The food specifically: try getting a more palatable food. You’ll see a lot of people on the boards (myself among them) deriding most corporate dog foods as borderline poisonous. I can tell you this: there’s VERY little meat in Iams, so your pup probably doesn’t like it. It’s also downright bad for her.

The problem isn’t that it’s dry kibble as opposed to wet food; the problem is it tastes nasty. Read the ingredients and see if it sounds appealing to you. Better yet, just smell the food. If you think it smells gross, your dog does too. Some great brands: Acana, Evo, Canidae, California Natural. Compare the ingredients in those to the ingredients in Iams. Iams has “chicken by-product meal” as the third ingredient (the third most prevalent thing in the food), which is bits of brain, connective tissue, entrails and bone. It is, definitionally, NOT meat. It is what is left of the chicken after the meat is removed. Not good stuff. And the little puppy knows it. Also, what the heck is “ground whole grain sorghum”? “Chlorine chloride”? “Dried egg product”? “Product”? What, they ran out of just plain eggs?

One final note: if you haven’t already, invest in an airtight container to hold your dog’s food. Dog food (especially good dog food) does go stale, and your dog will be able to tell long before you can.