Itchy, Flaky Skin. Ewwww

[mimosasmom]

When we got Bam Bam in December we noticed he had some flaky skin. We thought a change of food might help that, and switched him to Canidae Lamb and Rice that the girls ate. His belly didn't tolerate that, and that began the parade of kibble that doesn't seem to agree with him. Off we went to the vet for testing, and everything was negative. We wormed with Panacur just in case.

 

We use Advantage Multi for HW and fleas.

 

All 3 dogs have shed their winter coats, and Bam Bam has developed some scabby sores alone his back. His fur is pretty thin along his back too. He likes to rub his back along my bed and itch it. Today I noticed that the flakes are REALLY bad. Big and flaky. When I pulled the hair back I see that the skin is a big flake, and my hand was left with a powdery residue.

 

He did have a bath a couple of weeks ago, at the adoption kennel.

 

What to do? Is it diet? Allergy? How can I get rid of the flakes?

[Guest wmlcml6]

Do you put any olive or peanut oil in Bam Bam's food? That really helps in the racing kennel.

[Batmom]

Might have the vet double-check those scabby sores for staph infection.

 

Show-dog people sometimes use corn or olive oil; fish oil caps seem to go through my flaky dog a bit better. Start slow -- one teaspoon oil or one fish oil cap per day; work up to 2-3. If you don't start slow you might see some liquid poop.

[mimosasmom]

Might have the vet double-check those scabby sores for staph infection.

 

Show-dog people sometimes use corn or olive oil; fish oil caps seem to go through my flaky dog a bit better. Start slow -- one teaspoon oil or one fish oil cap per day; work up to 2-3. If you don't start slow you might see some liquid poop.

 

We already have liquid poop. I don't use any oil because of that.

 

I'm not worried about the sores. They are small, and scabbed over and healing. At first I thought he had a tick, that is the size.

 

Is there anything topical I can use?

[Batmom]

Here's the thing, tho -- some dry skin/dandruff is normal, but sores are not normal .... Haven't found topical that works terribly well, alas.

 

My Joseph gets along pretty well with fish oil + IAMs adult (green bag), or fish oil + Pinnacle Duck. Fish oil + anything else, we tend to get soup instead of poop.

 

ETA: The commercial foods that have produced the nicest coats and least dandruffy skin for my dogs are Purina ONE / ProPlan Sensitive Systems (salmon), and Timberwolf Organics Ocean Blue. The Timberwolf also produced a bizarrely large quantity of poop, but it was all nice & firm ....

[mimosasmom]

Here's the thing, tho -- some dry skin/dandruff is normal, but sores are not normal .... Haven't found topical that works terribly well, alas.

 

My Joseph gets along pretty well with fish oil + IAMs adult (green bag), or fish oil + Pinnacle Duck. Fish oil + anything else, we tend to get soup instead of poop.

 

ETA: The commercial foods that have produced the nicest coats and least dandruffy skin for my dogs are Purina ONE / ProPlan Sensitive Systems (salmon), and Timberwolf Organics Ocean Blue. The Timberwolf also produced a bizarrely large quantity of poop, but it was all nice & firm ....

 

We currently have him on Taste of the Wild High Prairie. It does so-so for him. I had decided to try to transition him to Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice, but got instant soup. PLUS we are going out of town for the weekend, so I switched back to TOTW so my neighbor won't have so much soup to deal with.

 

I think I will try the Purina Proplan Sensitive skin/stomach salmon. That kind of sums him up. I have shied away from it so far because I have heard controversial things about Fish flavored foods and questionable sources of fish. The Timberwolf organics is a little too rich for my wallet.

 

I'll keep an eye on the sores, but I think they are a one time thing when he was really itchy from all the shedding. He's also new to us and all 3 of mine have blown their coats when they came to live here.

 

Maybe he's allergic to cats...

[Guest HeatherDemps]

If you don't want to use oil, there is a product that is probably carried at your vet (I know mine has it). It's a powder and I think it's called Pro-Derma, maybe. It made a HUGE difference in the coats of both my IG and GH.

[Burpdog]

Could be allergic to the topical flea treatment also. I've seen staph get sores, scab up and keep getting new ones. If you keep getting new ones, he needs to see a vet.

 

 

[Guest ArtysPeople]

IF (big IF) everything else doesn't work (not allergies, not an infection, diet doesn't improve it, etc.), I have a topical product to recommend. It completely relieves Arty's flakies, particularly behind his front legs where he doesn't have a lot of fur. Earthbath deodorizing spritz

 

You spray it on and massage it into a dry coat; I was really surprised by how conditioning it is. It's all natural and non-toxic; it contains oatmeal, aloe and vitamin e and almost nothing else. We found it at our local natural foods store.