recommendations for dry, itchy dog skin?

One of my dogs has only lately (the last month or so) been suffering from dry, extremely itchy skin. I'm trying to figure out what to do about it. I think the problem might be partially ticks - this is the first year that we've been in an area where they can be a problem, and though I've only found 2 on her so far (and I DO check...) I think she may be having a reaction to them. I will be going to the vet this week to find a new flea/tick med for her (probably Frontline Plus, I've heard good things...)

In the meantime, I'm trying to find better dietary recommedations for her breed. She's 100 pounds (large frame, she's not fat!), and half Chesapeake Bay Retriever. I think her other half is Mastiff, because when we got her as a puppy all her brothers were brindled, and it would also account for her wide brow and size. She's just over 4 years old. My problem is, I can't seem to find any dietary recomendations for mixed breed dogs. I know CBR's are prone to skin problems, which is part of what concerns me. From what I've read, CBRs are supposed to have poultry and fish protein and fat, but I don't know if being a mixed breed changes that? Right now she's on Iam's large breed dry food, and has been for quite some time. The protein and fat sources in this are entirely from chicken and fish.

I don't think I could afford a much better food than this. I want to make it clear that I'm not being cheap, and her health is VERY important to me, but right now she's eating way better that me! I've thought before of switching her to a raw food diet, but again I don't think I could afford it (or stomach it for that matter!) I'm wondering if adding something simple to her diet might help? I've heard of things like raw eggs or various fat sources (not sure what? I wouldn't think it would be so great to feed her mayo or anything!) might help these problems. But I didn't want to make such a change without some research and advice.

In any case, like I said, I'll be taking my babies in to the vet in the next week or so - I just wanted to have a starting point and some good background on the subject so I might know better what I'm talking about while I'm there. Any advise would be appreciated!

Oh yeah, and our other dog is a small (about 20 pounds) terrier mutt. She's getting "old dog skin" on her butt now, and is very slightly itchier than normal, but I don't think her problem is anywhere near what Jerry's is. In fact, her itchiness will probably dissappear entirely with the flea/tick med.

 

my little dog gets hot spots, but the typical medications do absolutely nothing for them. Food modifications didn't work either, and now that she is on prescription food for kidney stones, anything along those lines is out of the question. The only thing that helps her skin problems is to wash her in cheapo hydrocortisone anti-itch dog shampoo. We spent tons of money taking her to the vet and trying different ointments, medicines, and different dog foods, only to find that a $3 bottle of hydrocortisone dog shampoo does the trick! With the dog I had before this one (a rather large mixed breed), all it took was eliminating corn from his diet and his skin problems went away, so it's possible it could be a food allergy for your dog as well.

 

as far as food goes i reccomend NutroMax or Royal Cannin (specialty food for certain conditions and breeds). i would say it is actually cheaper than iams. iams is a shitty brand and they charge to much for their shitty food. the best food is one that has no by products. get over to your nearest petsmart. they have a great selection and many times the staff is very knowledgable about nutrition....have helped me many times. and go ahead and get the frontline plus. for a dog with flea allergies (very common) only a few bites are enough to cause hair loss and extreme itching.

 

Our lab/cbr mix also has problems with dry skin. I have started feeding her a little bit of tuna or salmon three to four times a week, along with vita supplements. I feed her the Iams and she has been doing well lately. Definantly get the flea medicine, flea nad tick bites can be very hard on a dog who already has skin problems. When we first got Coco and had only had her for a couple days we woke up to find she had chewed her hind end from the base of the tail, up about 8 inches and over to her haunches until it was raw and bloody. We took her to the vet and he said it was an internal yeast type infection that was caused by a tick bite. a common reaction of the cbr breed apparently. I don't want her to suffer like that again.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll buy some of that hydrocortisone dog shampoo right away, it sounds like it will be soothing to her. Has anyone had experience with Frontline spray? I was doing some research and found a bunch of recommendations for it. Again, I'm not trying to cheap out or anything, but if it's as effective (with a combination of baths and brushing too) as the pre-measured drops, it might be worth it. Especially since it's a lower chemical dose, and it says it's good for dogs AND cats, I would be able to get a bottle and share it between all my animals.

Can anyone give me a review of this sort of treatment?

 

I wouldn't use hydrocortisone shampoo, it is a chemical and it can cause dogs to become overweight even in small doses. It is not for dry skin but rather hot spots, excema, psoriasis, that sort of thing. I would find a nice oatmeal shampoo. Oatmeal really is the best thing for moisturizing and removing dandruff. Oatmeal and aloe together do well. I would also start adding fish oil to the diet to supply her with omega fatty acids.

 

We have used frontline before on Coco with no problems, and it worked quite well.

 

in additon to the fish oil suggestion......i put olive oil in my dogs food. i always have it around the house so it's easy and they like the taste.

 

when I was doing the flea-killin', I used frontline spray with good results. After I got pregnant, that became DH's job, and he prefers the drops.

 

I'm gonna try the spray, it just seems like it would be so much more effective for everyone at once! I figure, even if it's not totally 100%, it should work well in conjunction with bathing and brushing. Fish oil and olive oil are a good idea too - I'll try that out!

 

Seeing a vet is best. One of my dds is a Vet Tech, and she said there are many things which can cause itchy skin, from thyroid problems to fungal infections or mange to fleas to nutrition problems, to age.

She recommended a sulfur shampoo bath, as that can help. But, please see the Vet, so you can know what it really is, and hopefully, it is something treatable.

 

Thanks, everybody. And no worries Maggie! They're ALL going to the vet next week. I just have to wait till after this weekend (big wholesale appt.) but I already have found a good vet who comes with good recommendations, and I'm gonna get all 4 checked out. The cats are really fine, but it couldn't hurt to check 'em and clean their ears. And Millie (our little dog) is generally fine, but she's getting on in years (she's 8 or 9, but for a little terrier that's kinda old) and I want to get bloodwork done on her just to make sure everything is as it should be.
I just wanted advice on how to proceed until then, because I didn't want poor Jerry to be hurting! She already got a bath and flea spray, and seems to be feeling much better for it. So I think the problem was most likely due to an allergy. It must just be a regional thing - there's different bugs here than anywhere else we've been in summer.

In any case, she's already feeling a bit better, and I'm sure she'll be even better yet after next week. Thanks again for your advice and concern, everyone!

 

my dog has been having some itchy skin problems and my vet gave me a special shampoo and it has worked wonders. it was not pricey either

 

Well, the vet said, "uhm, dunno. It's probably an allergy...."

She got the flea/tick meds, AND I changed shampoos to a "soothing" tea tree/peppermint -based dog shampoo, AND I've added fish oil to her diet. (For the time-being, I might still change foods later...) Over the last week she's improved MASSIVELY, so we know we're on the right track. It probably was 90% tick allergy that caused it, but the other changes seem to be helping as well!

Thanks again, everyone, for the advice!