# Fish Oil Alternatives (or? dandruff/itchy dog!)



## thaliasmom (May 3, 2007)

Puppy is itchy itchy itchy and has got some really dry skin and dandruff. 

I'm somewhat convinced its due to a combination of air conditioning and grass allergy and something else. I'm pretty sure its not fleas because a)no visible bites or flea dirt, she's always been on a treatment *and* was recently checked at the vet and b)I'm the kind of person bugs will fly a mile to bite, and I'm bite-free. 

She was showing some grass allergy symptoms earlier this summer.

Puppy has sibo, and I think some general food sensitivities. She eats Nature's Variety raw, which has vitamin e, flax seed, fish oil, etc. Its 6-8% fat, which seemed like a lot to me - but still, dry skin, itchy. She just finished a course of rimadyl, and someone told me that could cause itchiness in some dogs, too.

Baths are currently not an option due to a leg injury, and DH is wildly, projectile vomiting allergic to fish. Even the mild smell of fish gets this reaction -







. So we'd like to avoid fish products as well as kelps and seaweeds.

Any ideas? Tips? Thanks as always for your help! B


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

There is a great thread on coconut oil:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=677131&page=0&fpart=1

(although, I have not used it, I just remember getting some good info on it from the thread; and it is something I might consider in the future)


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

Olive oil can be good as well. FYI, some dogs do have problems with flax seed which I noticed is in the food you are feeding.


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## Maedchen (May 3, 2003)

I would get her off the food asap, as the flax seed could cause her to itch. My girl is very sensitive to flaxseed oil and even one dose makes her itch all over!

No need to feed fish- it's much better to put her on a high quality fish oil -like Carlson brand or similar. I would give her several grams (like 9-10 capsules a 1000mg) a day for a couple wks until the itching hopefully improves. Fish capsules don't smell at all, so hubby should survive.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

I ditto the advice to change foods. Flax can be a common allergen.


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## thaliasmom (May 3, 2007)

Oh heavens. It is the only food (and boy, have we tried...) that doesn't give her terrible stomach upset.
















I thought about the fish oil tablets, but (so embarrassing...) my SIL takes them, and *swears* they don't smell. But they do. We notice. Did I mention DH's projectile vomiting?

Edit: What about just plain old olive oil? Would that work? We usually have gallons of it around.

Thanks again, gang. As usual, more stuff to look into! Thank you!


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## LJsMom (Jan 6, 2008)

Olive Oil is ok. Maybe it would be worth while to have allergy testing done. At least you would know if the flax is the problem.


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## TheGermanShedder (Nov 11, 2005)

*Re: Fish Oil Alternatives (or? dandruff/itchy dog!*

I've heard of using raw eggs to help with dry skin. They are normally given two to three times a week. I do not know much about SIBO, and I'm unsure if the eggs would be an issue or not. I use fish oil, so I do not have experience with raw eggs being used for dry skin. I have fed them as a treat.


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## Maedchen (May 3, 2003)

Do you mean the person smells after fish when she took the capsule?? 
If you ment the capsule smells, then I would doubt the quality of the product- bc there is absolutely no smell with high quality capsules (I have a very sensitive nose too).

Did you try Natural Balance duck & potatoe or similar allergy foods?

Olive oil doesn't has the same anti-inflammatory properties as fish oil has, but neither oil won't be any good in helping, unless you switch the food (should the flax be the culprit). I also would rather give hemp oil or borage oil before using olive oil.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

*Re: Fish Oil Alternatives (or? dandruff/itchy dog!*

If this were not a puppy, I would say to add a multivitamin for the dandruff, since it seems there is enough fat.

My girl (spayed at 8 weeks) has always required fresh ground flaxseed and a multivitamin, or she will get dandruff. I think the flax provides some natural estrogens. Fish oil makes her limp, and digestively she can't tolerate any oils.

The itchy part makes me wonder if it isn't a food sensitivity.

You might try some organic spirulina powder for the GLA, similar to what borage oil contains.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

*Re: Fish Oil Alternatives (or? dandruff/itchy dog!*

I've bought this omegas liquid for vegetarians before, it was from flax and seaweed I think.


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

*Re: Fish Oil Alternatives (or? dandruff/itchy dog!*

How old is your puppy?


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

*Re: Fish Oil Alternatives (or? dandruff/itchy dog!*

How old is puppy? I think I'd be really hesitant to start tinkering with her system a lot (like we like to do with older dogs) until/unless I ran a few tests. What is she REALLY allergic to? Do we know for sure? I thought for a long time that my puppy was allergic to beef and chicken (as well as corn and wheat) because he had terrible reactions when he ate foods containing those proteins. I had him tested. Nope, he was allergic to all grains -- including rice and potato --, many weeds and grasses, and is terribly allergic to mites (dust mites as well as mites that show up when food is stored too long, like can happen with kibbles). 

So we pulled out a lot of the offending landscaping in our yard, and I vacuum and wash bedding like crazy. He's now on a home made raw diet, eats almost no food that's stored for any period of time at all (his meat treats have short expiration dates on them) and eats beef and chicken all the time. Who would have thought it? 

I know that tests are expensive. But the tossing darts and guessing what might work approach is frustrating and can be very expensive too. 

BTW, I love Nature's Variety. I feed Instinct to my senior and intend to get my puppy on to Prairie as soon as she can tolerate it. But NV likes to include kelp, flax (as mentioned) and alfalfa in their products. Great ingredients, if our dogs can tolerate them. Mine is really allergic to alfalfa (not surprising, he's allergic to a ton of different sorts of grasses and weeds). So that great ingredient isn't so great for him, which is too bad, because otherwise I could feed him Instinct as a back-up. We have to look at EVERY ingredient, which means to having as much information about what our dogs are allergic to as possible is very helpful. 

Just food for thought.


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## thaliasmom (May 3, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: DianaMOlive oil can be good as well. FYI, some dogs do have problems with flax seed which I noticed is in the food you are feeding.


DianaM, I apologize for my later question. I'll try reading for comprehension next time!









Puppy is actually a year and a half old now! 16.5 months, half of that little life spent on various medications and steroids and antibiotics. Fun times. 

I was inspecting her again this afternoon, because she's acting like she's got bug bites. She is itchiest in very specific areas - a spot on her chest, a spot at the top of her back, a low belly spot and a left flank spot. I wonder (and I'm feeling a little left field here) if these are some kind of energy spots. Like for acupuncture? Nerve endings?

The most recent round of rimadyl coincided with our official "summer grass" season here. I wonder if the combination of events (plus the ligament and muscle tear) set her system out of whack somehow.







There are *no* bug bites, and while she's got some dandruff, she keeps going back to the same spots for serious scratching. 

Thanks as always for your input! We really wouldn't have made it this far without your help!


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

It sounds allergy related, and I bet some of that is food.

Those specific areas could be nerve endings -- she could have some kind of twitching areas that aren't itchy, but are bothering her. Try massaging them, stretching them, etc. and see if that at lease temporarily relieves the itching.

It's sounding like you might need to get her some acupuncture or chiropractic care. Acupuncture can do great things for digestive issues too.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

My dog was on allergy shots. I now feed him *raw * _local _honey for his environmental allergies. No more allergy shots for him. At all. None. No antihistamines either. It took about 2-3 weeks to see considerable improvement. (www.whole-dog-journal.com, september 2007 issue outlines why raw local honey can work so well for environmental allergies. Well worth reading.) 

Honey, raw diet, and as I mentioned above, diligent control of his environment, and my dog is nearly itch-free. (When we mow the lawn and he goes out and rolls on the grass, he is itchy for a day or so.







) 

If you could have read my posts 1 1/2 years ago (I was pulling MY hair out!), you would think it's a miracle!


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

Pretty much ditto to what Lori (3K9Mom) said!!!

We did the raw diet first...it drastically reduced the itching on its own (and we eliminated antihistimines). At the same time we started doing allergy shots. Come winter, the itching began again. Allergy shots didn't seem to be working too well (so we stopped them). Started with the raw local honey and Organic Apple Cider Vinegar about the same time (two weeks apart) - and no more itching and the hair on his ears grew back!


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## LJsMom (Jan 6, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: mspiker03Pretty much ditto to what Lori (3K9Mom) said!!!
> 
> We did the raw diet first...it drastically reduced the itching on its own (and we eliminated antihistimines). At the same time we started doing allergy shots. Come winter, the itching began again. Allergy shots didn't seem to be working too well (so we stopped them). Started with the raw local honey and Organic Apple Cider Vinegar about the same time (two weeks apart) - and no more itching and the hair on his ears grew back!


How much Organic Apple Cider Vinegar do you give?


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

Here is a thread on the ACV:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=641268&page=1&fpart=1

I give about 1 tbs a day.


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## sprzybyl (May 15, 2008)

I supplement with peanut oil and vitamin E. Helped my puppy's itchies... but the vet said it was probably because she was growing so much and the growth took fatty acids away from her skin. 

The peanut oil worked great and is cheaper than fish oil. (she loves the taste too). Although carlson laboratories has a cod liver oil that is flavored with lemon and keeps that fishy breath at bay. I've used it before (but like i said- the peanut oil worked just as well and is about a quarter of the price!)

http://www.carlsonlabs.com/product_detail.phtml?prodid=00205


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