dry skin

[rubicon]

Poor little ole lab is scratching herself constantly and I know she doesnt have fleas. Im wondering if it is just dry skin with it being winter and her being in the house lots of the time ...so... any advice how I can help her without a trip to the vet?

[FIJI]

alpha keri at the pharmacy and DILUTE it !!! (couple tablespoons to the gallon)

a little goes a LONG way

dip the dog and let it dry.

lots of daily grooming will help too

[BILLY D.]

could be an allergy. talk to your vet, or get a doggie doctor book. sometimes they help.

[Doc E]

What brand and variety of food are you feeding?



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[huntingvet]

Many things can cause dry and itchy skin in dogs.

The best is to have your veterinarian evaluate your pet to narrow the possible causes down and suggest appropriate therapies to control it. For example, bacterial skin infection is extremely common and very itchy. Skin lesions can be mild and can be mistaken for dry skin.

Diet is often one of the most overlooked inputs into overall general health as well as skin condition. the better the diet, the healthier your pet will be. As for over the counter diets, I am partial to Science Diet/Hill's, Eukanuba, and Iams. There are many other good diets available that are equally effective in helping pets stay optimally healthy.

Fleas, ticks and other parasites are the most common culprit in skin issues. Effective parasite prevention is essential in controlling skin problems, because without it you'll never succeed.

Winter months commonly dry out pets' skin leaving them itchy. There are a variety of moisturizing shampoos, most of which are oatmeal based. Use caution not to overbathe - once every 2 weeks is usually sufficient for healthy skin. The shampoo will help most if you let the lather stand at least 5 minutes before rinsing thoroughly.

Allergies are a very common cause of excessive itch on otherwise healthy skin. It can be due to exposure to parasites (not just skin parasites), the protein ingredient in their diet, or things in the environment (weeds, grasses, trees, grain mites, fungi, etc). The most effective antihistamines for dogs tend to be the older, cheaper antihistamines for people. Research shows that clemastine (generic for Tavist) has the best chance to be effective for most dogs, but still is less than 30% effective. Diphenhydramine (generic for Benadryl) at 0.5-1mg/lb by mouth every 8 hours as needed is also worth a try but tends to make pets very drowsy.

Chronic medical conditions can also take a toll on a dog's skin. Careful evaluation of your pets history and other symptoms are important in considering these conditions.

[Doc E]

Originally posted by huntingvet
As for over the counter diets, I am partial to
1.Science Diet/Hill's
2.Eukanuba
3. Iams.

What are your reasons for the above three?



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[huntingvet]

No good reason beyond experience with those brands. Hills/Science Diet and Eukanuba have been around awhile and both have veterinary therapeutic lines marketed through veterinarians who can be a very tough crowd to sell. Iams is made by Eukanuba and is more available with sales through grocery stores and department stores like Target or Walmart. There are other good diet brands out there.

[rubicon]

I feed both dogs Pro Plan and am religious about them getting their Front Line monthly year around along with their heart guard. They also get a lyme shot and booster. Pro Plan is simply because both dogs came from the same breeder (at different times) and that was what was reccommended. Before my labs , when I had chessies I switched dog food and my male chessie got kidney stones and had surgery to correct the problem. The vet told me that my changing dog foods changed the ph and led to the problem. Not being savvy to this but not wanting to take a chance of going through that again I havent messed with different brands of food.