People aren’t the only ones to have dry skin. It can also happen to your pets. But how do you go about taking care of a dog’s dry skin?
Some may find it weird to hear that dogs can get dry skin, but it is very common. It can be caused by a number of things, like a poor diet, bathing your dog too much, or not drinking enough water. Here are a few things to try to alleviate their dry skin:
Food: A better quality food is good because commercial dog food has so many additives and preservatives. You can also add some olive oil to their food every few days. Here are a few more things you can mix in their food: spirulina, nutritional yeast, kelp powder, flax seed oil, or EPA/DHA from fish oil; look online or ask your veterinarian how much and how often to use these.
Water:Dogs need to get plenty of water, just like us, so keep refilling the bowl. If they seem to shy away from the water bowl you can add some water to their dry food. It’s surprising but adding healthy sports drinks to their water can help. Be careful not to add too much and ask your veterinarian for brand recommendations.
Bathing:Don’t bathe your dog too often and when you do use warm water and a moisturizing shampoo that is especially formulated for dogs. Another good trick is to grind up oats and add them into some warm bathwater. Vitamin E isn’t only good for us, it’s good for dogs too. You can massage it into their skin, put it in bathwater, or give them a supplement that contains Vitamin E.
Grooming: Brush your dog every week or so. This will allow their skin to make more natural oils, and helping to keep their skin moisturized. If you have your dog groomed tell them to lower the heat on the blow drier, as they usually have it very high.
‘Lemon Rinse’:This method is good for helping dry skin and preventing fleas. You simply cut up a whole lemon, put in about 2 cups of water and bring it to a near boil. Let it cool and keep the lemons steeping overnight. Apply the cooled lemon water to your dog’s coat with a spray bottle or sponge.
If none of these suggestions work for your dog, go to your veterinarian to see if there is an underlying condition that is causing the dry skin.
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