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Does anyone use a special type of supplement in your dogs food to help with dry flakey skin. Scarlets coat is very dry, so is her skin. She gets hot spots and is very itchy at times. Can anyone offer any tips on what has worked for them?

Omega 3 fish oil is great for skin. So is kelp or Sea Meal. All of these are available at Petco and possibly Pet Smart.

It may be the diet - she may be allergic to wheat, wheat gluten or lots of other things.

Just regular old fish oil pills from Wal-Mart or Target will help. Frisco took them everyday. They are pretty much the same as the doggy ones, just cheaper because they don't say "for dogs". My vet ok'd and approved it. Do you bathe her or have her groomed?

PetSmart has this awesome shampoo by Hydrosurge. They can use it in the salon or you can also buy it. It is an Apricot Sulfur shampoo. I use it on both my dogs and have used it on many dogs I groom with skin issues and see a HUGE difference. It works best if it's only lightly diluted and left on for a few minutes. My English Setter has lots of allergies and skin problems and he always feels better after a bath in this. Carter has had some dry skin and it works for him too.

Have you changed her food recently? Maybe she suddenly developed a food allergy. You might want to try a wheat/corn/chicken free food. I personally like Blue Buffalo, but there are a lot of other really good allergy friendly foods out right now.

I feed her 1 cup of Evo beef formula, it is grain free. I then mix in a can of Merricks which is a very good quality food. I also mix in D-Zyme powder by Solid Gold, it is a digestive enzyme. She eats twice a day.. She has been eating this for @ least 1 1/2 years. Where can I buy the Apricot Sulfur Shampoo you recommended? I am eager to try anything that might give her some relief.

Scarlets Mom wrote:Does anyone use a special type of supplement in your dogs food to help with dry flakey skin. Scarlets coat is very dry, so is her skin. She gets hot spots and is very itchy at times. Can anyone offer any tips on what has worked for them?

*Very* dry skin and fur can be signs of a biotin deficiency. Biotin is needed for fatty acid production, and for healthy skin and glossy hair. Egg yolks are a very good source of biotin and sulfur. You would be building healthy skin and coat from the inside out. There are some older posts about the role of biotin/eggs and skin health, and some older posts on MSM sulfur supplement and its role in skin collagen.

The only place I know of in a store is PetSmart. It also works great for really greasy/flaky skin/coat. Like I said, I would wet the dog and then apply the shampoo, starting with the worst areas first. Then let it sit about 5 minutes for it to work best. You could also wash her first in an oatmeal shampoo (since you could probably get a bottle of that for less then the other stuff) and then a second time in the apricot. The first was gets rid of all the build up and gunk and the second one does the actual relieving of the itching.

I found this link online to buy it.
https://www.wagsupply.com/ProductDetail ... e=HSAPS016

Good luck!

I give McKenzie 1200mg of fish oil every day with her breakfast. The vet told me to start giving it to her to help her coat come in since the shelter shaved her. He also said it would help the sore spots on her elbows from laying on the concrete. I told him that I also take fish oil and if I could just give her the ones that I had and he said of course. So she's been on them ever since. She loves them and they've really helped her coat come in.

You COULD also give benadryl during really bad times. Some people are ok doing that, others aren't. I'll let you decide for yourself...

My pet skin also dry and may be it is a sign of aging. This posting is really helpful for me to offer my Chow a treatment.

With good quality dog food is first and foremost... A health dog inside is going to have a healthy shiny coat. Don't bath him unless he needs it, cause it is too drying for their coat and skin. Add some Omega 3 oils to the diet. Brush regularly and keep the coat clean and free of loose fur.
Always make sure he has access to fresh clean water.