Natural way to combat flaky skin

[Silver]

What can I give him to eat or with his food that could combat flaky skin. I'm sure some of it is the dryness in the house. I'm working on buying a huge humidier and boiling water in the mean time.

But he has this flaky skin on his back towards his butt end.

The lady at the pet store recommended Linotin or something like that to feed with every meal (I didn't buy it, I had to check here first) First ingredient was linoleic acid (sp) and it was for shedding, dry skin, flaky skin and dull coat, but he doesn't have a dull coat and his shedding is minimal.

I feed him Canidae.

Your advice is highly appreciated :)

[DNeff]

I'd recommend adding anything rich in Omegea 3 or 6. Canned salmon and flax seed oil are both good choices for improving dry skin.

Dawn
U-CD Cammcastle's Mystic Riven CDX OAC OGC NA NAJ NJC TT CGC
http://members.aol.com/dplantier
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[Carina43]

...also canned mackerel & sardines...fish oil capsules, just the people kind, are good too. Not cod liver oil, though. I also give my dogs vitamin E caps along with fish oil...they eat them like treats.
And eggs - raw or soft boiled, a few times a week are good.

[Silver]

Can I give him flax seed meal? I have that at home plus the seeds which I grind to a meal. I have canned salmon also

Would I feed it at every meal or as snacks?

What about the bones in the salmon, I should remove it right?

How much of things mentioned do you give your dog per day?

Thanks, I'm all excited :D

[DNeff]

I would not recommend using flax seed meal, use flax seed oil. I get mine from the refrigerated section in the health food stores. It may cost more, but the quality is very high. I use about a teaspoon of it in his food twice a day.

I give canned salmon at breakfast and dinner about two heaping tablespoons. The canned salmon I get has only tiny bits of bone that aren't dangerous, so I don't have to worry about picking them out. If you find large pieces, I would remove them just to be on the safe side.

Dawn
U-CD Cammcastle's Mystic Riven CDX OAC OGC NA NAJ NJC TT CGC
http://members.aol.com/dplantier
http://members.aol.com/rottweilerworld

[Carina43]

My dogs get about 1000mg fish oil gelcaps, plus 400IU vit E most days. I split up a can or two of mackerel over their food about once a week, plus they get whole raw smelt (little fishies)sometimes for treats.
I feed raw, so don't worry about the bones in canned fish- they are soft enough for a human to eat, won't hurt your dog at all!
I've heard some dogs can get itchy skin from flax seed oil...lots of people use it with great success, though - just FIY.

[ladypinktonge]

Why not give Cod liver oil?

[Carina43]

Originally posted by ladypinktonge
Why not give Cod liver oil?

It is very high in vitamin A...depending on what other food you are feeding, there is a chance of vitamin A toxicity....I cannot recall the symptoms, but I think it builds up in the liver. The same goes for overfeeding liver itself, for those who feed raw diets to thier dogs.

[Gabby's Mom]

I too had problems with dry skin in the past. I switched to Canidae and started giving 1 vitamin E capsule each day and the dry skin problems went away. Gabby's coat shines like a brand new car.

[My3Rotties]

I'm having a real bad problem with my 2 yr. old male, he's got the driest skin problem that I have him on Wellness Fish & Sweet Potatoe Formula, Brewer's Yeast, I also moisturize his coat twice a day...but, now i'm really thinking he has a thyroid problem so he is going to be tested next week for that. I also give him a tin of mackarel once a week in his food same that I give the 2 7 month old pups now their coat is not so shinny either so maybe some one here also could give me some idea on what else to use or give speciall the pups to make their coat better. In a way i'm hoping that the male does have a thyroid problem cause at leat that will solve that problem in trying to figure out what it is since it's not a food allergy. So, again any idea's would be appreciated.

[joquendo]

Fish oils. You can get a good salmon oil - that should take care of it. - other than that supplement at least once a week with a can of mackrel, salmon or sardines.. as they are oily fish - Omega 3 fatty acids play a large role in maintaining healthy skin and coat. Many doctors now adays are using Omega 3 fatty acids to clear up skinn conditions in humans...

I give 3 caps of salmon oil (Carlsons) to my dogs each morning - great skin and coat.

Cod liver oil is too right in Vitamin A and D, too much vitamin A and D can over toxify the system - and the liver, so give cod liver oil very very sparingly (depending of course on what you are feeding as a regular diet). Stick with Salmon OIl caps that will certainly take care of it.

[yuki]

My dog used to have beautiful shiny hair until winter. Now it's also a little flaky, some dandruff. I give her 1 casule of vitamin E daily. I actually have a question, just didn't want to start a new thread since it's the similar question. I understand that fish oil, some oily food is good for skin. But what to do if dog has IBS and has diarrhea if eats something oily (like piece of bacon). Wouldn't fish oil start her to have diarrhea again? I know a lot of you have dogs with sensitive stomach. Did it affect your dogs, can you still add fish oil to their diet?

[My3Rotties]

My male has a very sensitive stomach and it didn't give him diarreah..thank god! I also give him Brewer's Yeast tablets and he loves them. I also give him and the 7 month old pup 1 can of mackarel in their food once a week and i'm going to start on flaxseed oil also. I might give the Vitamin E a try also. He's going to be tested for thyroid this coming week. So, give it a whirl and see what happens. Good Luck!

[yuki]

What are Brewer's Yeast tablets for? May be my dog needs it? And do you give mackarel in oil or in water? Thanks for your reply.

[Silver]

Ok I bought Vitamin E (1000 iu) and Omega 3 caps (fish oil) Great bargain at Sams' Club. Anyway, my question is:

Can I give him the whole 1000 iu's of Vit E?

I was thinking of giving him the Omega 3 in the morning and E in the evening - 7 days a week. Can I do that or would that be too much?

I gave him one of the fish caps last night and he started playing with it and trying to chew it, left it and finally finished it this morning. I think I'm going to prick the capsule and squeeze it out on the food.