Tips for Dry/Irritated Skin?

LlsbnLlama

Hi everyone,

 Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue. Chessie has some really dry patches on her skin and we are hoping for a recommendation for some cream or ointment that might help to heal it. We have already switched her food (to Fromm) and will bathe her less frequently going forward (we used to bathe almost weekly which isn't really necessary anyways) but her skin is still pretty dry. I assume it will get better with time, but we do have gas heating in our apartment, so that may be contributing.

In the meantime, she has some patches on the inside of her elbows and on her neck. The neck area was being rubbed by her collar so we're using just the harness now. Sans collar it is beginning to clear up, but is still sort of irritated and she has a small abrasion. I am looking for recommendations of anything we could put on these spots to help heal her more quickly and get her comfy again.

 PS:  I swear one of these days I will post some pictures of our new baby (sorry!)

SparrowGreen

Has she been to the vet to have a skin scrape?  If it is allergy-related you might have to do a little switching around to find the right food; not all dogs tolerate all foods, even high quality foods. 

Caz1221

I give both of my dogs salmon oil and Vitamin E, which promote skin and coat health, so you may want to try that.

As PP said, it could be a food allergy (unfortunately not all dogs do well on every high quality food).  If the Fromm formula you are using as a common allergen (like chicken) as its main protein, you could try switching to a fish-based food (a less common allergen).  It could also be some sort of environmental allergy/reaction or simply her legs rubbing when she walks.

LlsbnLlama

Thanks for the replies! Sorry, I should have mention she has been to the vet for a skin test and it didn't show any allergies in particular. The vet told us the irritation is probably from the rubbing of her collar on her neck or just from sensitive skin. I think the spots on her legs are from her "nighttime sweater" that she wears on night walks because she gets very cold. We've been walking her earlier in the day and only briefly at night when it's cold so she desn't have to walk as far with the sweater rubbing her (it's made of fleece but still seems to irritate her, probably from the rubbing). It does seem like it's healing now, especially since we took off the collar but I was wondering if there was something else we could put on it to help it heal faster.

 We've been giving a vitamin E capsule about once a week - the vet also suggested it but didn't indicate how much is desirable to give. Are there some guidelines for this? She is about 9 lbs, not sure if that helps dictate how much she should get or if it's just a standard amount. Sorry for the clueless question.

TheLinkBride

In addition to the vitamin E, you really want to add an oil.  I would do fish oil and coconut oil.  As for the amounts, it's going to be difficult to find such a small amount of vitamin E in a capsule.  Probably the lowest you can get is 200 IU and that should be fine.  I give wholistic pet salmon oil but you could also give a human version if you prefer.

TheLinkBride

I forgot to say that you can also rub some of the coconut oil directly on the skin that is irritated.  I would try a small area just to make sure she doesn't have a reaction.

LlsbnLlama

Thanks so much, LinkBride, that is very helpful! Your dog is so cute and fluffy - I just want to give him a huge snuggle.

mypower610

Natural Paws has a bottle spray called Gentle Paws. It can be used for cracked paw pads, dry skin, and hot spots. We use it on our black lab, his chin has dry skin. He has no food allergies, just dry skin. When we notice him itching we spray it for a couple days and he's fine. That's the only dry spot he gets though, so not sure if it works everywhere. Good luck!