Fish Oil to decrease itching...

[Laura and Angus]

So Angus has really been itching a lot - this seems to have increased as the weather has gotten colder. I'm wondering if this might be related to his skin getting dry. My boyfriend's sister lives in Montana and she shared that she gives all her dogs salmon oil to help with dry skin and itching. In looking back at past discussions it seems like a lot of people use fish oil to help with their dog's skin and other various issues. Should we try out the salmon oil specifically or do people use something more generic? 

[Malenie Piscetelli]

I was told to use coconut oil.

[Marie + Marshall]

How do you use the coconut oil? Added to food?

[Malenie Piscetelli]

Either in the food or rub in dogs hair (a small amount of coconut oil)

[Laura and Angus]

Ohhh...that's a good point. I know that people have mentioned "fish oil" for food to help with dry skin. Maybe I'll search back for coconut oil in this forum

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Don't. The fish oil helps with dry skin and coat because of the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA. Coconut oil has no Omega 3 fatty acids at all, and Omega 6 ALA fatty acids from plant sources (which is what coconut oil does contain) can actually cause inflammation in dogs. 

[Laura and Angus]

Hmm..I saw a past post in this forum mention the same thing, but others said there was no indicated benefit for dogs using coconut oil...seems like there might be conflicting opinions on which type of oil :-/  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Coconut Oil is of absolutely no benefit to dogs and in fact may be harmful for them. 

Some information: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

[Laura and Angus]

Thanks for clarifying that, Karen! I was confused by previous posts

[Stephanie and Ragley]

Many on here use EPO capsules

[Laura and Angus]

Ahh yes I did see that mentioned once or twice. I'm wondering if we should try one first and then maybe both? I'm thinking I'll talk with my vet on Monday when I see them for Angus' last round of shots... 

[Shari Becker]

We are in the Boston, MA area, and our pup started itching like crazy about two weeks ago, just when the heat started kicking in. I think Karen generally recommends fish oil or primrose oil. You can do a search for both on the site. In my experience, if you rub the dog down with coconut oil, the dog will go to town licking it off, which kind of defeats the purpose.

[Laura and Angus]

Thank you, Shari! That's a good point. Angus licks my legs like crazy when I wear coconut or cocoa butter lotions, so I think you might be right on that one with our licky puppy. We might start with one oil added to the food and then see how that works for a couple weeks.