Why Does My Dog Have Dry Skin?

Dogs can have dry skin for several reasons

Dogs can have dry skin for several reasons. They vary depending on the dog. It's important to figure out why your dog's skin is itchy before you try to treat it. If you use the wrong treatment you could make your dog's skin problems worse.

First, does your dog have a problem with fleas or other parasites? Could his dry skin be related to a skin infection? Sometimes patches of dry skin may be related to bacterial or yeast infections. If your dog has a problem with fleas or other parasites you should treat accordingly. If you suspect that your dog has a skin infection then you should take your dog to the vet. Some infections, particularly yeast infections, can be hard to heal, so let your vet handle it.

One of the most frequent problems of dry skin in dogs is nutrition-related. It's possible that your dog is not getting enough fatty acids in his diet. Check the label of the dog food you're feeding and see if it mentions Omega-3 fatty acids. These are necessary for your dog to have a smooth, supple skin. If you don't find them mentioned in the food you feed you can either switch foods or add your own supplement. How is your dog's coat, overall? Is the dry skin an ongoing problem or a temporary problem? If your dog's coat, in general, doesn't look good, it's probably time to find a new food. But if the dry skin is a temporary problem and his coat looks good you can add some fish oil tablets to your dog's diet, along with some Vitamin E. These will improve your dog's dry skin if he has a nutritional deficiency.

Grooming products can also cause your dog's skin to dry out. Some shampoos can bee too harsh. If you have used any flea shampoos they are notoriously harsh. Shampoos to whiten the coat are also often harsh. These products can strips the oils from your dog's coat and dry out the skin. Changing to a gentler shampoo will help this problem. You should also use a good conditioner on your dog's coat.

Some people like to use all-natural products on their dogs' coats. They believe that their dogs have sensitive skin. This may or may not be true. If you have been using a harsh shampoo then your dog may temporarily have sensitive skin until it begins to produce its natural oils again. In most cases there isn't any need to use all-natural products on most dogs unless you simply prefer them. If your dog is showing signs of itching then you may want to use products for itchy skin but, again, once your dog starts to produce his own natural oils again he should be fine.

In most cases dogs with allergies will have very oily skin or skin that feels like elephant skin. Their skin may appear flaky but it's not exactly dry. It's more likely to be inflamed. If your dog has allergies it's usually best to talk to your vet about what to use on his skin. He may recommend some medicated products.

Dogs may also have dry skin in the winter time for the same reasons that people do. The air in modern homes can have very low humidity because of our heating sources. You can add humidity to your house by using a humidifier. Use a good conditioner on your dog's coat and add some fish oil and Vitamin E to his diet in order to counteract the temporary dryness in his skin.

For dogs with dry skin and itchiness in general, look for oatmeal shampoos and conditioners. These are usually very soothing for dogs with dry skin and they can take the itchiness away.

by: Tristan Andrews

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