Labrador with terrible dry skin....

[Camelot Farms]

Our 6 yr old Lab has a terrible case of dry skin. She doesnt have 'hot spots' or fleas. She rubs on anything and everything that will hold still long enough to get a good scratch.

Are there vitamins or anything that I can add to her diet that will help?

 

[bwebb7]

fish oil
salmon oil

 

[NancyDz]

Yea my dogs get salmon oil, it's done wonders for their skin/coat. Mine comes in a bottle with a pump on it, they get a couple squirts in their kibble at night.

Nancy

 

[PeepsInc]

Have you gotten new carpets lately? It could be a reaction to something in his environment. If it has a smell it could be a form of mange. To treat kennel mange- 1 teaspoon of borax,&1 teaspoon of peroxide to a gallon of water. Your vet can take a skin scaping to know for sure.

 

[Olive Hill]

Oils, as mentioned, are good for dry skin. But she may also have allergies. Labs are very prone to them and rubbing like you describe is a hallmark sign.

 

[crazy huhn]

Fish oil is a good recommendation. However, what brand of food do you feed? The coat of our Labrador just looks gorgeous now after feeding "Solid Gold Millenium". We get compliments on his coat every day!!!
Sometimes if the dogs are so itchy that they scratch themselves so much, you will get secondary infections which may require antibiotics. You really want to avoid that. Our last Labrador was also allergic against corn or certain meats in her dry food. Make sure that allergies are not the cause of the itch.
Best of luck to you and your dog. We have been there before. We know exactly what you are talking about here. We are so happy now with our new diet.

 

[GAChknGirl]

mix 1 part skin so soft oil from avon with 5 parts water and spray it on and rub it in it helps out dog whom has allergies and gets really dry itchy skin

 

[imtc]

my lab had the same thing really bad last year. We took her in to the vet for a cortizone shot and that took care of it. The vet also told me I could use Avon "Skin so soft" lotion on her and I'd also pour a little bacon grease on her food.

 

[luvmychickas]

As a groomer we see LOTS of labs with skin issues unfortunately. Labs, Shih Tzu's and Cocker spaniels are the top skin issue dogs for us. Definately like others have said what food is your pup on? I feed Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Salmon, I have 3 black dogs, a lab x included, and they all look amazing. My bernese mountain dog has NO issues at all, my mom owns her brother and my aunt owns her sister and BOTH of them have severe allergies!! I also bathe all of my dogs monthly with a hypo oatmeal shampoo and they get brewer's yeast daily. We have also seen dogs come in from severe reaction to carpet powder (the kind to make your carpet smell better). Have you used anything new as far as cleaning products? For sensitive dogs even a different fragrance of the same product you used before can cause an issue. Good luck and keep us posted!!

 

[cristy17]

I have 2 labs and they've never had "dry" skin. I also feed them eggs regularly as well as good old Purina dog food. Plus, whatever table scraps, bones, etc.