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#1
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My dog's dry skin
Greetings to all:
My dog Molly is about 4 years old (former pound puppy), 14 lbs, chihuahua/beagle mix. I know I'm not supposed to bathe her "too" often, and I use gentle dog shampoos - but, she still has flaky skin. She eats a brand-name dog chow, drinks plenty of fresh water, and is otherwise fit and healthy. Does anyone out there know of a good "home remedy" I could put on her coat - something safe and inexpensive - to help moisturize her skin, and not give her diarrhea or otherwise make her feel sick? Thanks for any help - Freckledgrrl |
#2
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Let's start with basics. Are you combing and brushing your pooch
frequently? That will remove a lot of the dead skin flakes. Brush the hair all directions and with each direction wipe with a damp terry towel. What are you feeding? Cheaper is Not better. Your dog may need additional fatty acids... not just fat. This will take a few weeks/months to take full effect. Switch to a better dog food, if you are feeding something inexpensive. Add fish oil caps (from health food store... not terribly expensive... 1-2 per day, depending on size of dog) to the food; I snip off one end of the cap and glop the liquid on the food, then leave the casing, which still contains some of the liquid, in the food. Unless the dog stinks to high heaven, don't bathe at all. If the dog has a mild to moderate odor you can't stand, use a pet wipe (bathing cloth)... kinda like baby wipes, but somewhat different... to wipe off when brushing. On the whole, scent hounds have a fairly oily coat, so if this is a nutritonal problem, a food change and addition of fish oil should work wonders. Jo Wolf Martinez, Georgia |
#3
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Jo:
Thanks! I do use pet wipes, they help...and she gets brushed about once every 1.5 weeks. I need to get a different, softer brush though. I'll try the fish oil caps - she's about 14 lbs, so not too many per day. "Jo Wolf" wrote in message ... Let's start with basics. Are you combing and brushing your pooch frequently? That will remove a lot of the dead skin flakes. Brush the hair all directions and with each direction wipe with a damp terry towel. What are you feeding? Cheaper is Not better. Your dog may need additional fatty acids... not just fat. This will take a few weeks/months to take full effect. Switch to a better dog food, if you are feeding something inexpensive. Add fish oil caps (from health food store... not terribly expensive... 1-2 per day, depending on size of dog) to the food; I snip off one end of the cap and glop the liquid on the food, then leave the casing, which still contains some of the liquid, in the food. Unless the dog stinks to high heaven, don't bathe at all. If the dog has a mild to moderate odor you can't stand, use a pet wipe (bathing cloth)... kinda like baby wipes, but somewhat different... to wipe off when brushing. On the whole, scent hounds have a fairly oily coat, so if this is a nutritonal problem, a food change and addition of fish oil should work wonders. Jo Wolf Martinez, Georgia |
#4
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You mention a brand name dog food. Just because it is brand name, doesn't
mean its any good. Let me give you an example. Most dog foods can change what their mix is depending on the price of lamb, beef, chicken, etc... they can change this for up to 6 months without violating common dog food standards. Science Diet is the only one I know of which does not change their formula based on what type of meat is cheap that day. Additionally, I feed my dogs their "Sensitive Skin" product and it has done wonders! Good food (not just name brand) makes a huge difference. Good Luck! Allen "Freckledgrrl" wrote in message t... Greetings to all: My dog Molly is about 4 years old (former pound puppy), 14 lbs, chihuahua/beagle mix. I know I'm not supposed to bathe her "too" often, and I use gentle dog shampoos - but, she still has flaky skin. She eats a brand-name dog chow, drinks plenty of fresh water, and is otherwise fit and healthy. Does anyone out there know of a good "home remedy" I could put on her coat - something safe and inexpensive - to help moisturize her skin, and not give her diarrhea or otherwise make her feel sick? Thanks for any help - Freckledgrrl |
#5
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On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 07:58:46 GMT Teeny & Allen whittled these words:
You mention a brand name dog food. Just because it is brand name, doesn't mean its any good. Let me give you an example. Most dog foods can change what their mix is depending on the price of lamb, beef, chicken, etc... they can change this for up to 6 months without violating common dog food standards. Science Diet is the only one I know of which does not change their formula based on what type of meat is cheap that day. Additionally, I feed my dogs their "Sensitive Skin" product and it has done wonders! Good food (not just name brand) makes a huge difference. Actually there are a lot of dog foods that don't change their formula with meat prices. Reading the ingredients makes a big difference. Meat meal can be anything, but chicken must be chicken. In any case the most common source of skin allergy in the diet is corn, so I choose foods without it. Diane Blackman |
#6
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On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 19:13:56 GMT Freckledgrrl whittled these words:
Greetings to all: My dog Molly is about 4 years old (former pound puppy), 14 lbs, chihuahua/beagle mix. I know I'm not supposed to bathe her "too" often, and I use gentle dog shampoos - but, she still has flaky skin. She eats a brand-name dog chow, drinks plenty of fresh water, and is otherwise fit and healthy. Does anyone out there know of a good "home remedy" I could put on her coat - something safe and inexpensive - to help moisturize her skin, and not give her diarrhea or otherwise make her feel sick? Most dogs don't need bathing at all. So don't bathe her unless she really stinks. Then look at allergy sources http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/medica...html#food-flea And make sure your dog has normal thyroid levels. Diane Blackman |
#7
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This is excellent advice! Dogs are after all carnivores.
Joe www.boxerx.com wrote in message ... On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 07:58:46 GMT Teeny & Allen whittled these words: You mention a brand name dog food. Just because it is brand name, doesn't mean its any good. Let me give you an example. Most dog foods can change what their mix is depending on the price of lamb, beef, chicken, etc... they can change this for up to 6 months without violating common dog food standards. Science Diet is the only one I know of which does not change their formula based on what type of meat is cheap that day. Additionally, I feed my dogs their "Sensitive Skin" product and it has done wonders! Good food (not just name brand) makes a huge difference. Actually there are a lot of dog foods that don't change their formula with meat prices. Reading the ingredients makes a big difference. Meat meal can be anything, but chicken must be chicken. In any case the most common source of skin allergy in the diet is corn, so I choose foods without it. Diane Blackman |
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