I have a st bernard with realy dry skin nothing seems to help any suggestions of what could help?

Answer 1

Get some brewer's yeast tablets from PetSmart (or where ever) crush them, and add them to the dog's food (there is instructions on how much to use for the dog's weight). You could also start adding a teaspoon of olive oil to his food.

Answer 2

You can use a good moisturizing human conditioner on your dog. I have a red dilute mini-dachshund which has extremely dry hair and skin I use human conditioner. What I do is right after I shampoo her I empty the tub to where there is only a couple of in. of water, I apply the conditioner and rub it into the hair and skin for a couple of mins. and than rinse her.

Also, I use efa HyLyt creme rinse w/ fatty acids, it is a conditioner specially designed for dogs w/ dry hair & scalp. It cost $10 for a 8 oz. bottle, I got mine rom my vet, but you can probably also get it at PetSmart or any other pet store.

I feed my dogs Purina Pro Plan w/ fatty acid, it helps their coats and is very good for them.

Good Luck!!

Answer 3

"Winter is a common time for pets to have dry skin and more dander," says Dr. Merry Crimi, hospital director of an AAHA-accredited hospital in Milwaukie, Oregon. "As soon as we turn the heat on in the fall, our skin and their's takes a little more care."

Help for dogs with dry skin
Take these steps to take care of your dogs hair and skin:


Bathe your dog as little as needed to keep its coat clean.
Brush your dog often to remove dead hair and dander.
If bathing is necessary, use a moisturizing shampoo made for dogs. Their pH is different from ours, so don't be tempted to use a human shampoo- it is much to harsh for their skin.
Follow a bath when necessary with a moisturizing rinse made for dogs and their special needs.
Don't forget that healthy hair and skin comes from within. Use a good quality, name brand food and consult with a veterinarian about the addition of fatty acid supplements which can make for healthier, glossier hair.

Warning signs that your pet has more than dry skin
Pets scratch for many reasons, including allergies, parasites, or infection. All of these conditions may appear to be "dry skin" to the pet owner, but they actually require treatment by a veterinarian. Attempting home remedies may only complicate the problem or delay treatment. According to Dr. Crimi, you can't "assume that chewing and licking to the point of hair loss is from nerves. It usually isn't."
Plus, Dr. Crimi warns that often skin problems and poor hair quality in pets are merely symptoms of something else such as kidney, liver, adrenal or thyroid gland problems.

If notice any of these conditions or if the initial skin problem persists for more than a week, consult with your veterinarian for treatment.

Skin irritation, including redness, bumps, and rashes.
Open sores of any kind.
Excessive hair loss, either in concentrated patches or all over.
Dull, dry hair that pulls out easily.
Constant foot licking or face rubbing (with or without runny eyes or itchy ears).

Answer 4

Try changing the food to a sensitive diet food. Gradually mix the old and the new, increasing the amount of new dog food until less and less of the old food is given.

Regular brushing will help too.

Answer 5

This is something a friend (and fellow breeder) friend of mine told me to use for fleas and to moisturize a coat. It might work for skin. I don't see why it wouldn't and it is very mild.

1 oz of Murphy's Oil Soap (like for the floors) to 1/2 gallon of water. Wet the dog down well and let them stand in it for 5-10 minutes (for fleas - breaks down the outer shell) then rinse. He was going to try it on one of his dogs that has had a bad reaction to some fleas they got from a visiting dog. He is hoping it will soothe her skin and help her coat to grow back in.

Other things to try:
Linatone
Flax seed oil (pop the capsule and squirt on food)
Vitamin E (pop the capsule and squirt on food)

Good luck

Answer 6

i have a chocolate lab with extremely flakey dry skin, i started using head and shoulders shampoo on him once a week and brushing him once a day. he looks great now

Answer 7

Some kind of oatmeal shampoo would work. I found this one online:
http://www.petnutritionproducts.com/proddetail.asp?mpid=DOS16&s=yahpi&k=dos
We use one kind at work but the bottle is the shape of a fire hydrant

Answer 8

Take him to the vet and put him on allergy medicine. Or a different shampoo?

Answer 9

Go to a veterinarian, and get a good diagnosis.

Answer 10

try using a shampoo made for dry skin.it should help.