I have three chiuahuas (yeah, I know I'm crazy). They are of course inside dogs for the most part. Do any of you know of a good additive to put in food or just to give them that would help with the dry skin that indoor dogs get? They are fed top quality food but it doesn't seem to help.

Billye

Hi Billye,

Gosh... my guess is that flax oil might help? Just drizzle a little of Barlean's liquid every night over the food?

Found this:

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It looks like it is put out by Barleans, but comes with references
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. We used to use this for a while on our Golden to help with arthritis, but her coat did seem to get shinier.

Also, is your pet food free of wheat, eggs, corn, soy, sugar & dyes? We just got an info sheet for our new puppy coming home soon, and this is what our breeder suggests. She didn't have to convince me
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I was surprised yesterday when our breeder recommended the following shampoos~ Pantene or Suave conditioning shampoo, and tearless baby shampoo. Pantene, Suave or Cure Care conditioner. I always thought you weren't supposed to use people products on dogs, but because I swear by Pantene for myself, I can't wait to try it on my new dog. I'd check with your vet on this one~ but I plan to try it.

Cara

My dog had a lot of problems with dry skin, and the Vet gave us this oatmeal based lotion that is made specially for dogs. It was easy to rub it into her skin even though she was long-haired and fluffy because just petting her would get the lotion down through her fur and onto her skin.

And it wasn't greasy or gross and it didn't leave her looking like she had lotion all over her. It soaked into her skin and into her fur and it stopped her dry skin and gave her coat that beautiful shine.

I wished I remembered the name of it... but I do know it was oatmeal based and it had a matching shampoo and conditioner (although I only bought and used the lotion).

This website has alot of information:


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Some animals cannot stand corn..and this is a filler in many foods.
This happened to our cat. Removal of the corn led to healing of her skin.

So try an elimination diet...starting with corn, then wheat, etc.

But I do think healing dry skin from the inside with EFAs is the way to
permanently help. This will also improve blood vessels, heart, neuro
functions. So it is a global thing really.

I forgot to add...

One of the major causes of my dog's dry skin was allergies. For years, we could never figure out what she was allergic to - the vet was stumped and so was I.

Then I moved out of the home I shared with my ex, and into my dads house - and the dog's allergies went away. So we assumed it was environmental in some way.

Then I met my current husband and the dog and I left dads house and my (then boyfriend, later we got married) and I moved in together -- and the dogs allergies came back.

We finally figured it out - she was allergic to cigarette smoke. There were several smokers in the home I shared with my ex, my dad did not allow smoking in the home so I smoked outside when I lived there - and my husband and I both smoked when we first moved in together.

So we finally realized that she was allergic to the smoke - which is why her dry skin was always worse in the winter (because the windows were closed and the smoke lingered in the house).

Once we realized the problem, we got air purifiers and we tried to do most of our smoing outside -- and she got a lot better.

But the lotion stuff still helped a lot during times when she had a dry skin flare.

entails...[oops, baad pun!] Check out websites for dog skin supplements... One site is from a company I've known and used years ago for my horse {dont laugh}
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FAQ's: skin & coat enhancing dog supplements. These guys have been around a long time and test all the products they sell. You'll probably not be surprised at some of the nutrient info-sounds very familiar. Like all mail order products, you mite get it cheaper at a local pet-mart or the vets considering S&H costs and all. I bet you will find the right combo! It hurts US to see our creatures unhapppy.

Hugs Billye & scritch those guys for me! - j