# Dry Skin Due to Food?



## Finster10 (Jan 29, 2013)

Hi Everyone! This is my first time, so please bare with me. 

Our little guy is 10 months old and he is our first dog/GSD.
His always been scratching himself but it wasn't that severe.
The past 2 weeks, his been licking and scratching and shedding like a crazy man...to the point where he has 2 bald spots on his side(1 per side). 
We have been feeding him Acana Ranchlands for pretty much the whole time we have had him. Thought maybe we'd switch his food to Acana Pacifica and it seemed to have gotten worse. So now, we switched him to California Natural Kangaroo(only has 3 ingredients + vitamins) to see if his allergic to the food or has environmental allergies.
We do have carpet all around the house, so I'm not sure if that contributes to his itching... and today there are lots of white little flakes around his back and down his spine. We were also doing fish oil supplements, but have decided to stop that as we try the California Natural Die (on day 2).
Any suggestions? We did give him 3 benadryl and that doesn't stop the itching at all for about 3 days and that didn't stop the itching at all. 
I have taken him to the vet multiple times on same scratching/dry skin issue and they have given me a shampoo and recommended fish oils. So I'm hesitant to go back to hear the same thing and waste $. We did just bathe him last night with the vet shampoo mixed with oatmeal based shampoo we had.
Thanks for listening and your help!


----------



## GusGus (Oct 24, 2012)

I am definitely no expert on this but could your pup be allergic to chicken? I am not sure what exact ingredients are in that food. Hopefully the experts will chime in.


----------



## Karma6577 (Jan 22, 2013)

Is the shampoo from the vet "soap free"? I had used something from the vet with my Rottie an he just broke out and lost so much hair and did the whole flakey and dander thing. I had found that using Neem shampoo really helps him..scratching and flaking also helps keep fleas away. I would also try a different fish oil..salmon,anchovy or cod. Some pups have a hard time in the winter. Also have you changed any habits in the house ie: laundry soap softener carpet freshened febreeze? I have a Dogo that has allergies to everything grass included. Hopefully someone will chime in with more ideas!! 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Finster10 (Jan 29, 2013)

The shampoo is Hexadene? I'm not sure if it is soap free... I'll have to look into that.
This is his and our first winter, so I wasn't sure if this was "normal" or if I should really be concerned. The fish oil we were using before came from a more "natural" store where the 2nd time I bought them was from our local pharmacy. Not sure if that makes any difference. 
His not on any type of chicken formulation. The Acana Ranchlands is beef and bison based dry dog food. 
Thanks everyone for your help!


----------



## Karma6577 (Jan 22, 2013)

I have never used fish oils from a health food store but wouldn't see the difference other than the capture of the particular fish. I would think you would be getting enough omegas due to the grass fed beef and bison. I would call your vet and ask them and let them know that it's not getting any better and see if they have a soap free shampoo. Then you could also call a holistic vet and ask for advice on other options. Dry skin sucks!! Another option I just thought of is coconut oil. You can rub it on the dry skin areas..it's anti fungal and bacterial..won't hurt is they lick it off.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Marnie (Oct 11, 2011)

Is dry skin the only symptom? Is the dog shaking its head or scratching its ears? Is there a strong 'doggy odor"? Gunky eyes, scooting its bottom on the floor? These are food allergy symptoms. When I found myself the owner of two dogs with these symptoms, I switched to an LID food, one with a rare meat (duck, buffalo, deer) source and no grains. It takes 8 weeks to see improvement so don't feed anything but LID for at least that long. I also started them on Zymox medicated shampoo and Zymox 'leave in' medicated rinse. Topical allergies are also a problem but can be controlled by applying the Zymox medicated rinse full strength and leaving it on the dog.


----------



## Finster10 (Jan 29, 2013)

So far the dry/flakey skin is the only issue. He does shake his head and scratch his head, but I don't see any flea around his head or his body. 
Zymox? Is that prescription or something I can buy at the store? We were thinking of trying gold bond on his bald spots bc it seems to be a bit red. 
We don't condition him when we bathe him, so a leave in conditioner might be a good idea..? 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Marnie (Oct 11, 2011)

Zymox is otc. I get mine at amazon.com. Don't know who else carries it. It is the best! But, it won't do any good if the dog has food allergies. You need to find out.


----------



## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

Finster10 said:


> So far the dry/flakey skin is the only issue. He does shake his head and scratch his head, but I don't see any flea around his head or his body.
> Zymox? Is that prescription or something I can buy at the store? We were thinking of trying gold bond on his bald spots bc it seems to be a bit red.
> We don't condition him when we bathe him, so a leave in conditioner might be a good idea..?
> 
> ...


Just because you can't see an actual flea does not mean he isn't having a flea sensitivity reaction. One bite can send a hypersensitive dog into a severe reaction.

Allergies to food follow WAY behind Flea Bite Hypersensitivity and environmental.

I would do a white sheet test, just to be sure. Then I would wash all bedding in hot water, no soap. Vacuum everything.

You can get allergy testing done at the vet for the environmental allergens to see what is going on. Food allergy testing is extremely unreliable, and an elimination diet is still the best way to pinpoint potential allergens.

A friend has a Shepherd who has environmental allergens (pollen, grass etc) and she has used this with great success:

NZYMES.COM: Official Site! Natural Supplements for Pets and People


----------



## Marnie (Oct 11, 2011)

N Smith said:


> Just because you can't see an actual flea does not mean he isn't having a flea sensitivity reaction. One bite can send a hypersensitive dog into a severe reaction.


True, I should not have assumed that your vet had eliminated that possibility. Some dogs are highly sensitive to fleas.


----------



## Finster10 (Jan 29, 2013)

Thanks. I'll look into that as well. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Jrhodebeck (Nov 29, 2012)

My puppy had the same issue and I started putting about a teaspoon of olive oil in her food twice a day and Within days it was much better. Our vet said that it might be due to her not getting enough fat in her diet so he suggested that.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

human grade, cold first press, no additives.



Karma6577 said:


> I have never used fish oils from a health food store but wouldn't see the difference other than the capture of the particular fish.
> 
> 
> I would think you would be getting enough omegas due to the grass fed beef and bison. I would call your vet and ask them and let them know that it's not getting any better and see if they have a soap free shampoo. Then you could also call a holistic vet and ask for advice on other options. Dry skin sucks!! Another option I just thought of is coconut oil. You can rub it on the dry skin areas..it's anti fungal and bacterial..won't hurt is they lick it off.
> ...


----------

