Best way to help dry skin?

[Stella]

My Chase has dry skin. We have had issues with hair loss (investigated by the vet, no cause found), but it is starting to grow back now :) I already give both my doods Evening Primrose Oil to try and help 'from the inside'. My others doods coat is now lovely and soft and shiny. But Chases hasn't improved at all and his skin remains a bit dry. I never bathe him, thinking it will dry him out further. But now I wondering if I could use some kind of shampoo to help his skin?? Any other ideas?

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

HI Stella,

What kind of food are you feeding?

Also, try adding some Alaskan Fish Oil to both dogs food OR Coconut Oil has become very popular as a supplement. Usually Evening Primrose Oil is used to calm itching due to allergy. So, maybe part of Chase's dry skin is due to food allergy?

I would bathe him about once a month, then towel dry and let air dry as much as possible. Chris Christensen makes some good quality dog shampoos - www.chrissystems.com. I also like Isle of Dogs' shampoos and conditioners. https://www.iodogs.com/ 

When Connor's skin gets itchy, the IoD Evening Primrose shampoo and conditioner are very soothing.

I'm sure there are other people on DK who can give you some excellent input. These are some of the products I've used and had good results with.

All the best,

Deb, Connor & Simon

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

Stella, Here's a link to IoD page for dry skin products. Hope it helps

https://www.iodogs.com/c-94-dry-skin.aspx

Also, Barb at Gemstone can probably give you some great advice as she is a groomer and breeder. :-)

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

If I seem a little distracted right now, or don't get right back, I have 25 puppies right now. Youngest ones are a week old. ;)

[Stella]

He is fed Acana, we rotate through the flavours! He does have seasonal allergies - chews on his feet in the spring when the pollen count is high. The Evening Promrose Oil has really helped with this. He has dry skin all the time though, not affected by the seasons or his food. I tried adding Wild Salmon Oil but it gave him the poops! This is why I wondered if there is something I could do in the way of shampooing. (I have dry skin and eczema, and I know how good it can feel to use a good body wash and medicated moisturizer!!).

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I see it has already been suggested that you could look at his food. Rotating proteins is good, but how about feeding a simpler food than Acana? Something like Natural Balance. This food has only a few ingredients, so it's easier to track what might be bothering your dog. Of course, I am a raw foody, so I think this is something you should consider. I have one dog that has a much nicer coat if she eats turkey rather than chicken. 

I use a tea tree oil shampoo to keep down the possibility of any invisible critters bothering my dogs. I shampoo them with the Kelco brand and then follow with my Stazko products, shampoo, creme rinse and leave in conditioner. 

Another thing you could do is use the homemade lemon rinse. Lemon has natural oils and coats become super soft 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Acana has a few limited ingredient formulas too - maybe try one of those?

[Val MacQueen and Jasper]

Jasper has 1000mg of Omega3 fish oil each day and we have no trouble with any dryness, his coat and skin are very healthy, it helps with joints as well.

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

I started putting coconut oil in Hurley's food about 4-5 weeks ago. We live in a very dry climate. I can tell a difference. His coat is so soft. I put the coconut oil in his food for one of his two meals and I put salmon fish oil in his food for the other meal.

You might want to consider giving it a try. It took about 4 weeks to start seeing a difference in Hurley's coat.

[Namrata and Rowlfy]

How much coconut oil do you put in his food?

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

I put 2 teaspoons in his morning food. He weights about 55 lbs. One suggested amount is 1/4-1/2 teaspoon per 10 lbs. Another was 1 teaspoon per 10 lbs. Be sure to start with a very low amount and gradually work up to the amount you want to use daily. If Rowify gets loose stools and back down on the amount and start over. The more gradual you add the coconut oil the less chance of a loose stool. In any case the loose stool goes away as the dog's system adjusts to the coconut oil.

Let me know how it goes. Hopefully it will help Rowify dry skin to go away.