My Pit Bull has dry skin and is itching all the time. He does not have fleas but he does have dandruff... What can I feed him that will help with the dry skin. I have special shampoo for dry skin but I do not know how well it works considering that everytime he gets a bath it drys out his skin even more. Any vitamins or foods you guys could recommend would be great!
Thanks.
2007-01-08 03:51:56 · 26 answers · asked by Kamunyak 5 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Okay... My dog eats Nutro Max Beef and Rice dog food. It is all natural and is a high quality food. His mother has skin problems and that is why I want to nip this in the butt before it becomes a huge problem.
2007-01-08 04:04:28 · update #1
What food is your dog eating? I'd first try upgrading to a super-premium dog food. You cannot usually find these at places like Petsmart or Petco. You have to go to a small "mom'n'pop" type pet store. Some good brands include: Innova, California Natural, Wellness, Solid Gold, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Canidae, Blue Buffalo, and Nutro Ultra (among others) Here's a great website that teaches you the basics of what to look for when reading an ingredient label on dog food: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/
Make sure you read the articles linked on the left side including Label Information 101, Identifying Better Products, Ingredients to Avoid, and The Yuck Factor. This will teach you how to read a dog food label and pick the best food for your dog and his coat.
If the change in food quality doesn't help (but it should!), you can try supplementing with fish body oils. You can get the pills at any health food or vitamin shop. I gave my 70 lb dog 1000mg of fish oil a day.
I'd also recommend working with your vet to treat the skin issues as there may be some other underlying condition, such as contact dermatits. Good luck!
2007-01-08 04:00:09 · answer #1 · answered by GoldenDonut 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
She either has contact poisoning from something (a pesticide or fleas or a plant) or she has psoriasis related to shampoo, food or flea medicine. Something is systemically wrong. She can also be eating a food to which she is severely allergic. Most likely the flea medicine is the problem. It is extremely poisonous even to animals. I would shave all her fur off, bath her in a mild shampoo to remove the oils from the flea meds. The fleas cannot adhere when there is no hair. She will be cold, but you can sweater her. If she is allergic to the meds and your other pets having them then you are screwed. She will never stop reacting. She may also be having an interaction with something she is eating and the meds. Also, her food may be too deficient in the essential fatty acids she needs. In other words, she may not be getting enough fat intake for her breed. I would increase her omega fatty acid intake for about a month and see if that helps as well. Another possibility is that she has a fungal or bacterial infection. The Benadryl will do nothing against that. Get some fungacide (for athlete's foot) and spread it on her in a spot. If it clears, you know she probably has ring worm. If it does not she could have a bacterial infection. Frankly I would get her to the vet to get it examined and if necessary get a culture done. If you find yourself with the same skin infection, it may be a fungal infection. As they are HIGHLY contagious!! That also seems like way too much Benadryl. A child would only need half of that (12.5 mg) at the same weight. I would avoid so much medication. You need to find out what the source of the irritation /infection is. I hope this helps!
2016-03-14 03:05:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get a shed rake and use that on him and a good slicker brush. The best brush is Universal with the bent wires. The brush will loosen any flakes on the skin and help get rid of some and the shed blade will remove loose hairs(on short haired dogs) and the dander that is brought up by brushing.
Brush him every day and used the shed blade.
Get a dandruff shampoo(the human kind is fine) and let him sit with the soap on him for 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse and apply a rinse made of apple cider vinegar. 1/4 cup to gallon of water. Do not rinse this off. The apple cider vinegar needs to stay on.
Just brush him more than you have been and use that shed blade, bathe him once every two to three weeks. If the dandruff is really bad you can bathe him once a week until you can see some positive results.
2007-01-08 04:25:21 · answer #3 · answered by bluebonnetgranny 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dont give him baths that will dry his skin out more. They make fish oil for dogs. I have a Rott that I give it to because she gets dry skin and it works very well. I dont know if you can buy it at a Pet Smart or anything like that because we get ours from my gf's dad who is a breeder/trainer. But try Pet Smart or a online store. All you do is put 2tbs of it in your dogs food once a day, and its really healthy and good for them.
2007-01-08 04:32:47 · answer #4 · answered by Lo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our bulldog has the same problem in the winter. Our vet recommended an omega-3 fatty acid supplement. We bought it at the vet and we squirt it on his food once a day and it's actually been working fine, he's still a little itchy, but the dandruff is almost gone so we can see it's doing it's job. Also, we only bathe him once a month, anymore would be way too much! Hope this helps!
2007-01-08 03:58:02 · answer #5 · answered by Jen 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've been told that you can put 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in their food every-so-often and it will help keep their skin from being dry. We have just started this with our Lab, his skin on his face is pretty dry and he itches it alot causing sores. We have also found this cream at PetsMart that seems to work really well for his itching...its called Corti-Care. It's Hydrocortisone lotion.
2007-01-08 05:02:24 · answer #6 · answered by itsjustme 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all, I would venture to say you probably have him on a food like Pedigree that is full of corn. He is allergic to it no doubt. I have 3 pits myself, and they need really high quality food too, or this is a problem for us too. Get him on a food with no corn like Nutro lamb and rice or Canidae. You can also give him a scrambled egg or tablespoon of olive oil a couple times a week until it clears up. THe most improtant thing is the food. The shampoo is like putting lotion on an allergic reation, you have to treat the source. Good luck!
2007-01-08 03:58:07 · answer #7 · answered by analymoerman 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most of the time what causes dandruff in dogs are allergies. I highly recommend an Omega-3 fatty acid for your pup. My boxer has allergies and dry,flaky skin. Fatty acids are what my vet recommended for her.
You can find them at a health food store or you can get them from Doctors Foster and Smith. They have good quality products at a lower price than you would pay at a local pet supply.
Good luck. I hope your pup gets better! :)
2007-01-08 04:06:40 · answer #8 · answered by suede_blueyes 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Try a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in his food daily. Also speak to your vet about a good quality dog food that has all the essential nutrients the dog may need. The vet can also recommend a topical ointment or specialized shampoo for your pet's problem. Good luck
2007-01-08 03:57:58 · answer #9 · answered by uliboo13 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
this is a no brainer. Add vegitable oil to your dogs food. 1-2 table spoons per day. Also if you can wash your dog in lake water rather than in public water as it contains floride which is a cancer causing agent and can dry the skin. Also give your dog filtered water to drink
2007-01-08 04:00:54 · answer #10 · answered by Shelly t 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋