# Wintertime dry skin problems



## minnesnowta (Sep 30, 2012)

I know what the winter does to my skin but I didn't know it would effect my pup's skin as bad it does. Lately I have seen big flakes of dry skin on my Aussie's coat, it seems to be localized to the area on his sides just behind his front legs. It doesn't seem to bother him too much, just the occasional scratching. We only bathe when necessary and brush him a couple times a week. We have also have a humidifier running in the evenings and overnight. Any other tips or tricks to help?


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## RedGermanPinscher (Jun 22, 2012)

A little coconut, Lavender or Jojoba oil applied 2x daily to the area should help, also adding a little bit of fish, krill or olive oil to his/her food may help..


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

You could give fish or coconut oil or feed sardines 3-4 times a week.


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## Diesel Dog (Feb 7, 2013)

For dry itchy skin we have found Megga Dog works best year round. 
It has lots of Vitamin E and Omega 3's. And it's made in the Pacific North west. 
You could go to the website, but for some reason it's less expensive and free shipping on Ebay. 

Here is a link. http://www.ebay.com/itm/321060208174?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649


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## Kayla_Nicole (Dec 19, 2012)

We do coconut oil right on the dry patches (we use it on her pads) and give her pure sockeye salmon oil in her food (you want a salmon oil with no additives or preservatives, just the salmon oil itself). It seems to have helped with her winter itching.


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## Diesel Dog (Feb 7, 2013)

Kayla_Nicole said:


> We do coconut oil right on the dry patches (we use it on her pads) and give her pure sockeye salmon oil in her food (you want a salmon oil with no additives or preservatives, just the salmon oil itself). It seems to have helped with her winter itching.


Hi Kayla, 
What brand of Salmon oil do you get? We got away from it years ago because of the added synthetic vitamin E and chemical extracted rosemary oils they use to preserve. 
I've never heard of one that isn't preserved. Fish oil goes rancid really quickly without preservatives.


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## Kayla_Nicole (Dec 19, 2012)

Diesel Dog said:


> Hi Kayla,
> What brand of Salmon oil do you get? We got away from it years ago because of the added synthetic vitamin E and chemical extracted rosemary oils they use to preserve.
> I've never heard of one that isn't preserved. Fish oil goes rancid really quickly without preservatives.


I agree it's difficult to find some without those additives! I looked for a long time before I found these gel caps: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-Wild-Alaskan-Salmon-Oil-Gelcaps/999155.aspx

Ingredients - Wild Alaskan sockeye salmon oil, softgel capsule (fish gelatin, glycerin, purified water)


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## Diesel Dog (Feb 7, 2013)

Kayla_Nicole said:


> I agree it's difficult to find some without those additives! I looked for a long time before I found these gel caps: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-Wild-Alaskan-Salmon-Oil-Gelcaps/999155.aspx
> 
> Ingredients - Wild Alaskan sockeye salmon oil, softgel capsule (fish gelatin, glycerin, purified water)


Oh, that makes sense. Gel caps wouldn't require preservatives. Never seen it as fish gelatin though? 
Thanks for the link. I looked at the non capsulized and they add Natural E. Most don't. Glad to see one that does.

There should be a couple more years before the Alaskan salmon feel the effects of the Fukushima disaster. So stock up.

I've found a plant based Omega 3 Vitamin E called Megga Dog. It's on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321060208174?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649


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## TomN (Jul 1, 2007)

While many of the supplements that have been mentioned may or may not make a big difference in your dogs coat and skin appearance, one things for sure, it won't happen overnight and may take up to several weeks for you to notice any affects.

Either way it's good nutrition for the dog. 

I happen to find ground organic flax seeds (rich in Omega 3) to be very beneficial to my own dogs skin and coat. Tablespoon a day puts a nice sheen on my German shorthaired Pointer's coat. It also has another benefit of adding fiber to their diet. Just grind up enough flax seeds in a coffee grinder and store in the freezer for a week or two and grind more as you need it.

Flax seed/Omega 3 benefits for canines: https://thenaturehound.com/uploads/Flax_Seed_Benefits_for_Dogs.pdf


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## samshine (Mar 11, 2011)

I used to think I would save money by buying fish oil in bulk. So one day I did the math and found out that the capsules were actually cheaper. Of course that may vary by brand, but do check. The capsules have the advantage of being produced and sold in larger numbers, and volume brings down price. Also the advantage of staying fresher.

I have read that flax and other plant based forms of Omega 3s are not utilized well by dogs. They contain mostly ALA, which humans can easily convert to EPA and DPA (may have my letters wrong, did not stop to double check) which are the truly beneficial forms. Dogs don't convert it very well at all so you are better off sticking with a fish oil.


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## TomN (Jul 1, 2007)

samshine said:


> I used to think I would save money by buying fish oil in bulk. So one day I did the math and found out that the capsules were actually cheaper. Of course that may vary by brand, but do check. The capsules have the advantage of being produced and sold in larger numbers, and volume brings down price. Also the advantage of staying fresher.
> 
> I have read that flax and other plant based forms of Omega 3s are not utilized well by dogs. They contain mostly ALA, which humans can easily convert to EPA and DPA (may have my letters wrong, did not stop to double check) which are the truly beneficial forms. Dogs don't convert it very well at all so you are better off sticking with a fish oil.


We'll despite what you may have read, it seems to be working wonders for my dog and was even recommended by my vet. As the link i provided stated, it has multiple benefits of which skin/coat are just one.


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## Diesel Dog (Feb 7, 2013)

TomN said:


> We'll despite what you may have read, it seems to be working wonders for my dog and was even recommended by my vet. As the link i provided stated, it has multiple benefits of which skin/coat are just one.


We've been real pleased with our Camelina based oil. Our dogs and horses are so healthy on it, the healthy skin and coat are better than when they were on flax and fish. Less expensive too.


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