Dull, Flaky, Dry Coat

[LaFlaca]

Lola has been home for six months now and her coat has not improved. It is very dull, dry and flaky. She gets salmon oil twice a day and eats a very healthy varied diet. I bathe her when she needs it with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner.

 

Please give me your suggestions for supplementing her diet to improve her coat.

[XTRAWLD]

How often is the bathing? It could be drying out her coat. Not sure if you feed raw or not, but that was a game changer as well.

 

I've used Dermoscent with amazing results, but it's very expensive from the vet. It is like a topical treatment similar to that for flea/tick control. Might be worth it just to see if it works for a few months.

Edited April 8, 2018 by XTRAWLD

[MP_the4pack]

It took 2 years before my last 2 dogs became bunny soft.

[cleptogrey]

salmon or pollock oil but it takes around 6 weeks. i have had good results w/ purina pro plan focus, sensitive stomach/skin- salmon. generally other fish foods gave my dogs the toots, but this seems easier on the digestive system.

 

i did talk to grizzly, nice people, about the salmon vs pollock oil. same benefit, less $$, at one point there was a salmon shortage so the investigated and started producing the pollock oil.

 

i also use old fashioned NUPRO. try it, you will surprised. it makes a great liver broth and has lots of good stuff in it.

 

my vet sold me this stuff- highly recommended by dermatologist. it works- humilac by virbac. felix and annie both had awful coats last summer, a combo of frontline gold and a need to change foods.

Edited April 8, 2018 by cleptogrey

[racindog]

I tell you a surprising thing that helped Gilly Boy. His was pretty dry and flakey despite the fact that I was feeding him everything "right." I was even supplementing him with Springtime's Skin & Coat Oil and Fresh Factors etc. Still it didn't help. Then he had to have a tooth pulled and I gave him some K9 Finest that I had been given as a sample months earlier and had been sitting in the closet. It was supposed to be good at preventing diarrhea and I thought it might help since he was taking antibiotics for the pulled tooth. Well, amazingly in just a few days I noticed his coat surprisingly seemed to be improving so I continued to give it to him. In just a few weeks the flakes were all gone and his coat and skin was beautiful and healthy. He also had more energy and felt better. In the distant past I have also used Lipiderm which worked on Goldie's dandruff -who was one of my first greyhounds. But nothing worked on Gilly's coat until I gave him the K9 Finest. Now K9 Finest would be my first choice for dandruff and/or dry skin. Actually I give it to all my dogs now. K9 Finest is actually a pre-biotic and is known for helping them extract all the nutrients out of their food better. So at least to me it explained why he wasn't responding to the Skin & Coat oil and other stuff. I was giving him the right stuff but he wasn't getting the nutrients out of it. Once I got him on K9 Finest I took him off everything else except Fresh Factors and he did splendidly. BTW it kept him from getting loose from the antibiotics too! http://www.k9finest.com/

[LaFlaca]

Thanks to all for the great suggestions! Keep 'em coming!

[GreytXpctations]

Parasites can contribute to skin conditions as well as diet. I think I saw you posting in the hook thread?

 

Also with diet, it may not even be a matter of proper nutrition, as sometimes allergies or sensitivities to certain ingredients can lead to flaky skin. Sometimes a different food can cure things, and it doesn't even have to be a better food.

 

Sometimes the flakyness will get worse before it gets better, as the older skin will exfoliate even as the newer healthier skin grows below, so any change you make may not be immediately apparent in terms of improvement. I made a diet change one time and my grey started with giant flakes for a week or more, then things cleared up completely.

 

Overbathing, even with moisturizing shampoo, can also cause excessive dander.

 

Not saying any of this applies, but just throwing it out there.

[LaFlaca]

Parasites can contribute to skin conditions as well as diet. I think I saw you posting in the hook thread?

 

Also with diet, it may not even be a matter of proper nutrition, as sometimes allergies or sensitivities to certain ingredients can lead to flaky skin. Sometimes a different food can cure things, and it doesn't even have to be a better food.

 

Sometimes the flakyness will get worse before it gets better, as the older skin will exfoliate even as the newer healthier skin grows below, so any change you make may not be immediately apparent in terms of improvement. I made a diet change one time and my grey started with giant flakes for a week or more, then things cleared up completely.

 

Overbathing, even with moisturizing shampoo, can also cause excessive dander.

 

Not saying any of this applies, but just throwing it out there.

 

All of the above...Lola has been fighting off hooks on and off since she came home in August, She also has allergies. An injection of CADI (canine atopic dermatitis injection) has helped 99% with the intense itching. I've bathed her 3 times since August - twice when she first came home to get rid of the kennel reek and again just recently because she loves to lie in the dirt in our yard and was absolutely filthy.

 

Hopefully once the hooks are dealt with, her skin and coat will improve. Thanks for the advise!