# What can I do to help my puppy's dry skin?



## d a p h n e (Jul 16, 2010)

My puppy has dry skin, and it looks like dandruff- very flaky.

I use a soft slicker brush, and my puppy's fur always looks like this right after, or, before she shakes it all off:










The sales associate at Petsmart told us to get some oatmeal shampoo, so we did, and it is not helping as well as we wish it did. 

Does anyone know anything else we could try?


----------



## littlegreenie (Jul 14, 2010)

Have you considered trying some Fish Oil supplements? We get the kind you just squirt on their food, a certain amount per body weight, and they've had no trouble with dry skin since we started it. We use Alaska Naturals "Bear Treats" and put it on their food...they are definitely fans  Anyway, I'd give that a try, and MINIMIZE baths...they only further dry skin out.


----------



## Autumnrain (Jul 27, 2010)

Hmmmmm... *Observes* Try bathing less.Try putting some skin lotion on it,that always soothes dogs and makes it better.Wait--That sorta've looks like mites though...Then again it looks like dandruff...Though mites would be moving.Nevermind the mites,try some skin lotion on your dog,If that doesn't work,go to your vet and ask.By the way,Pet Smart is defiantly not smart.In Pet Smart,the pets come from Mills.Which means every time you buy a kitten/puppy,you support a Puppy/Kitten Mill.If we start to NOT buy pets from local Pet Shops,the population of Puppy/Kitten Mills will decrease because they will go out of buisness.Remember to adopt a pet from a Shelter,pets in Pet Shops are not put to sleep If they aren't adopted that week.

Best Wishes,
Autumnrain


----------



## Jetta (Jul 23, 2010)

The fish oil supplements like yumega are good but expensive and my two much prefer to have the actual fish to eat lol. In our supermarket a little can of macerel costs about 60p so we always but a bundle every time we go shopping especially when our Papillon was pregnant. You do need to avoid fish that can be high in murcury though.

Our first vet said never wash a dog more than twice a year it dries out their skin but frankly if I washed my hair but never conditioned it then my scalp would dry out too. Either try to find a good dog coat conditioner or you can also use a baby cream wash. We've used Johnsons baby cream wash and it's lovely for their skin.

The fish oil in some form should definitely make a difference though too, you need to feed their skin from both sides I suppose oil from inside conditioners from the outside.


----------



## d a p h n e (Jul 16, 2010)

Thank you! I'll try the fish oil supplements.

Oh and we rescued Abbi 
we just took her to Petsmart with us for supplies. Although they weren't so helpful as I wished.


----------



## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

What do you feed Abbi? It could be an allergy that is causing her flaky skin. Is she itchy? Did you take her to the vet about this?


----------



## d a p h n e (Jul 16, 2010)

no vet yet- but we had to feed her chinese chicken and rice mixed with canned pumpkin until her stomach settled, so starting yesterday we are mixing it with some dog food to eventually only give her dog food.


----------



## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

What do you mean chinese chicken? If you are feeding chicken and rice for an upset tummy you should feed only plain chicken, no seasoning at all, either boiled or roasted, no bone. I could be the rice that is causing it. Maybe you can do boiled potatoes instead of rice. What kind of dog food are you switching to?


----------



## d a p h n e (Jul 16, 2010)

It's plain chicken pieces, we asked for the chicken/broccoli without the broccoli since everything else was with sauce, so:










and for the dog food, we are switching to:


----------



## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

I would assume that the chicken is LOADED with chemicals (MSG) and seasoning. Why don't you buy chicken and boil it yourself? It is probably much cheaper to do it that way.


----------



## littlegreenie (Jul 14, 2010)

d a p h n e said:


> Thank you! I'll try the fish oil supplements.
> 
> Oh and we rescued Abbi
> we just took her to Petsmart with us for supplies. Although they weren't so helpful as I wished.


Yeah Petsmart is not exactly my fav. place to get pet supplies, we don't even have one where I live so thats not really a problem LOL.

And, OMG...don't feed her that chinese chicken...OR the Nutro, its a really low quality food. Maybe visit http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com and pick a 5 or 6 star food. A few good brands are Fromm Family Four Star Nutritionals, EVO, Innova, The Honest Kitchen (great for my sensitive tummy puppy), etc. Between a good food and some fish oil, you will see huge progress in her skin I think.

I've never put lotion on a dog, I don't see how that would work out well with their fur...


----------



## d a p h n e (Jul 16, 2010)

Im suprised everyone said no for the chinese chicken LOL because our vet said its fine - maybe its time for a new vet?


----------



## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

I would consider finding a new vet if my vet was to suggest I feed salty food like that. The vet would have to give me an awful good reason for suggesting something like that in order to keep me as a client. 

I don't understand why you just don't buy chicken and boil or roast it yourself, it has to be cheaper. But, I guess it is not as easy? There is no way that much salt/seasoning/chemicals is good for a dog, let alone a growing puppy.


----------



## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I would say get her on a high quality food and possibly some fish oil supplements. Then take it from there. I would avoid Nutro,personally. But definitely get her off that Chinese chicken! I'm shocked a vet suggested that to be honest.


----------



## d a p h n e (Jul 16, 2010)

Yeah I threw away the chicken today, but i still had to mix her dog food with a little bit of canned pumpkin and rice. 

Would switching off of Nutro help her dry skin? Or is it just a bad food in general?


----------



## littlegreenie (Jul 14, 2010)

Switching off of Nutro will very likely help her dry skin. Try putting her on Innova Puppy for a bit, even if she is no longer a puppy, the extra fat and protein will help get her in tip top shape in no time, just be sure to monitor her weight and adjust feeding accordingly. Petsmart/Petco will not sell this food...try a local, smaller owned pet store. Definitely fish oil, too...but make sure it is NATURAL and contains no preservatives.


----------



## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

If the dandruff doesn't clear up soon or gets worse, I would ask the vet to do a scraping and check for mites (especially "walking dandruff") just in case. My pup had them -- his breeder's vet misdiagnosed the flakes caused by the mites as dry skin, but my vet caught them. I didn't actually notice any movement on him with the naked eye, but I looked at the scraping under the vet's microscope and he definitely had creepy little mites! They've been cleared up for a while now (after several Revolution treatments) and his skin is perfect and his coat is so shiny.


----------



## d a p h n e (Jul 16, 2010)

Thank you to all answers! I am currently trying to find a better food, I've emailed a few local pet stores already. 

I got some fish oil from the Whole Foods market in my area and I hope its working. If not, I will deff. go to my vet and check for those mites.


----------



## LDMomma (Jul 19, 2010)

I would try a higher quality puppy food to start. Orijen puppy or Innova puppy. If you only have PetSmart- then I would try the Blue (buffalo) puppy food. Honest Kitchen Embark is a good choice for puppies as well.


----------



## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

If you give fish oil that is made for humans you need to add vitamin E too. If it is made for dogs then I am sure they have the vitamin E added. I can't find the exact site anymore but I give my boys (who are about 60 lb each) 2000 mg of salmon oil and 200 IU vitamin E each a day.


----------



## JonnyNutro (Mar 29, 2010)

My dogs are all eating Nutro Ultra and the skin and coat quality/health are excellent. The chicken and rice I see you were feeding your puppy are human food! It has way too many spices. If you feed your dog chicken and rice, make sure it is in a good quality dog food such as Nutro Natural Choice or Nutro Ultra or cook it yourself, do not feed "chinese chicken and rice" that is a people food and not a dog food. I do agree, it is time to find another vet.

I don't use fish oil on my dog's food as I cannot guarantee the fish oil does not have ethoxyquin as a preservative. I know the fish meals and fish oils used by Nutro do NOT contain ethoxyquin. Sometimes I do supplement with a tablespoon or two of Hollywood Safflower Oil with Vitamin E, available in the grocery store cooking oil section.

BTW, to the person mentioning buying puppies at PetSmart, please be aware that PetSmart does NOT sell puppies. They support rescue organizations in their area and may have puppies and adult dogs in their store periodically for adoption, but they do NOT sell dogs or cats. They are just as much against mills as we are. Oh, I see that the member who said that is now banned, so I guess that's not an issue, but I still feel it needed to be corrected with the truth.

Also, one last comment regarding Nutro: Nutro _*guarantees*_ an improved skin and coat. I would suggest you consider feeding Nutro Ultra Puppy food which has pumpkin and oatmeal in it for digestion and sensitive stomachs or stay with the Nutro Natural Choice Puppy food. Whatever you do, please love your dog enough to not feed human food. That could lead to some real problems for the puppy. Good luck with your puppy!


----------



## d a p h n e (Jul 16, 2010)

The only reason we gave Abbi human food was because she had diarrhea. The vet suggested it. Now we are giving her Nutro dog food, and she seems to like it. We picked Nutro because of the oatmeal inside which will help her skin I heard. And we are washing her with Oatmeal shampoo.

Thanks for all answers.


----------



## littlegreenie (Jul 14, 2010)

Like I said, find the food you are currently feeding on http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com. Nutro only gets 2 stars. Why? because it's a lot of filler ingredients, and low quality ingredients. Sure its better than pedigree and if thats what the dog was fed before, of course it will have an improved skin/coat. Just imagine how much better it could be on an actual decent food?


----------



## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Fish oil is good for the skin, coat and the joints. Human fish oil pills often have Vitamin E in them, you can squeeze them out on her food. I've picked them up for very cheaply at walmart/target etc. Olive oil is also suitable to add a little to her food. Make sure to start with just a little of any type of oil because like any fat, too much too quickly can cause the runs. Add more very slowly.

And as others have said, no chinese chicken! And I would run away fast from any vet that suggested take-out chinese for my dog's upset stomach (or for any other reason).

There are several dog food websites that compare. You want to look for the first few ingredients to be a named meat or meat meal and for dogs with possible allergies, grain free is generally recommended (most use potato instead of rice or corn). Note that meat meal is not the same as by-products; it includes organs and bone but not skin, feathers etc. It actually means more meat content by weight because much of the water has been removed before weighing, unlike in plain meat.


----------



## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

JonnyNutro said:


> I don't use fish oil on my dog's food as I cannot guarantee the fish oil does not have ethoxyquin as a preservative.


Ethoxyquin is illegal to use in human food/supplements (except for a couple select spices). So if you use fish oil sold for humans it's not a problem.

I think Nutro Ultra is decent, if a bit overpriced. The other Nutro formulas are so-so. But if your dog does well on it that's really all that counts.


----------



## d a p h n e (Jul 16, 2010)

Hey everyone- here with an update. Fish oil didn't work..? We are now considering switching her food. As said before, we are now using Nutro. But I wanna ask about the "Blue" brand food? Is it any better? Thanks in advance.


----------



## LDMomma (Jul 19, 2010)

Blue Buffalo is a higher rated food than Nutro. It is NOT grain-free though it doesn't contain any of the most common allergy sources (corn, soy).


----------



## Jazzy's Mom (Aug 30, 2010)

d a p h n e said:


> Hey everyone- here with an update. Fish oil didn't work..? We are now considering switching her food. As said before, we are now using Nutro. But I wanna ask about the "Blue" brand food? Is it any better? Thanks in advance.


I wouldn't rule out the Nutro just yet. How long has she been eating it? It could take up to 7 weeks to notice a difference. Based on the picture you first posted, Abbi had a significant amount of dandruff so her skin was probably pretty dry. I would suggest giving it a little more time. Then, if you still don't notice a difference, try something else. Is she itching at all? Maybe she has a slight allergy. Maybe try changing up her main protein source (chicken, lamb, beef, venison, herring, etc.) and see how she is then. 

Keep us posted on how she is doing! :0)


----------

