Itchy dog...winter dry skin.... - Page 1

Hello.  I have an older mix with dry skin made much worse by the forced air heating in the house.  I have purchased a humidifier and have started using that.

I add a fair amount of fish oil DAILY (for at least 2 months) but it is not helping with his skin.  His coat is shiny..but his skin is dry and he is so very itchy.  Assuming that there are no other underlying issues, what do you all recommend to help with the itchiness?  I have also tried the occasional oatmeal bath but fear that will dry him out even more.

I think this will just address the symptoms not the problem but might give him some relief. You could get some tea tree oil and dilute as recommended and use as a rinse or spray it on.... it did help my female when she was itchy.

Kmaot, I have the same problem.  My boy is on WIld Alaskan Salmon oil  and has a shiny coat, but still seems to have some dry itchy skin.

Most dry itchy skin starts from the inside, then out to the skin. Switch to a high quality food like solid gold or taste of the wild. Talk to your vet about supplementing with vitamin E and C, and increase the fat intake. After ruling out any problems with your vet like thyroid, or DM, try these holistic approaches, they have always worked for me. Von Leistung

Thanks Pam. Am already feeding high quality food, and offering Vit C.  I will try and up fat intake but with what??  What "fat" can I buy that would be beneficial (other than the fish oil I am already offeringi)

Not all high quality foods have enough fat, especially for dry winter skin. Check the % on the bag. I feed Pinnacle and it is 18% fat.  Many of the grain free foods have a lot more based on the higher meat content.

I would make sure his crate or bedding is far away from any radiators or heat sources. A humidifier should definitely help. Also can't go wrong with lots of outdoor fresh air!!

I have a young male GSD who needs extra fat in his diet for winter time dry skin. He doesn't like salmon oil so that's out, but he loves ground beef. So he gets hamburger quality (20% or more fat) mixed with his TOTW kibble, plus some raw, well marbled stew type beef or bison. My boy is lean and muscular, so no worries about too much fat.  If your dog doesn't have a weight problem, try extra animal fat in his diet. I know people bash animal fat but some dogs need more of it than others do.