Hello. My 2 year old lab/american bulldog mix has dry skin. He has suffered with this since we got him - but a change of his food has helped. We feed him a food formulated for skin and coat. He has eaten this for about a year or so now.
Well, winter is coming and he is scratching all the time. It goes along with us turning the heat on.

What can I do to help? Is there something I can add to the food (which has been good for him)?
He lost a patch of fur last winter - that started to grow back after the heat was turned off.
Do we have that to look forward to again?

I feel so bad for him.
Any suggestions?

How often are you bathing him? If very often, cut the baths out. Brush him everyday with soft bristled brush. That should control odor without drying his skin.

I guess you could try adding a teaspoon a day of an ordinary, corn oil based, cooking oil. Corn oil is richest source for the linoleic acids dogs need for their skin and coat.

You have discussed this with the vet?

My dog suffers from alopecia (hair loss) and dry skin during the winter time also, besides year long allergies. Labman and I don't completely agree with the addition of oils to the diet. I find that it has helped my dog in the past to add a teaspoon of flax seed oil, olive oil, canola oil,. pretty much whatever I have on hand, on a daily basis during the winter months. He doesn't agree with my madness so I will wait for him to give his sage advice on what he believes is the best oil to add.

I have also found that running a humidifier in the room that the dog is sleeping in (my bedroom) at night, helps the problem tremendously. I think this is really the best solution. Last winter after doing this, she only lost a small patch of hair on her tail. The previous year, prior to my using the humidifier, the poor thing looked like I haphazardly ran an electric razor over different areas of her body!

P.S. Hi labman. I was writing this and didn't see your post. Yes, daily brushing is an absolute MUST, as well. I chose to let you explain the linoleic acid. :)

I have talked to the vet about it. Not much help there. I was told that some dogs have drier skin than others.

He doesn't really get baths - only in the summer when he is out a lot and starts to smell.

I think he has this alopecia. He lost a patch of fur last year. I looked as if he had had surgery when they shave just that spot. It grew back in. He hasn't lost any yet, but the way he rubs his back and scratches - it won't be long.

He sleeps in his kennel at night - which is in our basement. There is a lot of moisture down there - so much so that we have to use a dehumidifier (that can't keep up).

I will try the oil. All I have on hand is olive and vegetable oils. I can get any kind if one is better than the other.

I just feel so bad for him. He looks miserable when he has a scratching fit. When we pet him - he just freezes almost saying "don't stop".

When this first happened to my dog the vet wasn't much help at the time either. Just diagnosed the alopecia and wanted to put her on steroids. I flatly refused the steroids and told her that if this was brought on by lack of sunlight during the winter months (as she told me it was) then it stood to reason this was temporary and the hair would grow back during the warmer months. That is exactly what happened. Over the years in speaking with other vets, they all said there isn't much you can do for this condition, although one suggested the flax seed oil. I had been using it myself for a dry eye problem during the winter, it helped me, so I figured I would give it a shot. It did help, but she still lost some hair. I asked if they sold a skin moisturizer for dogs. One vet did. I am sorry I forgot about that yesterday when I was answering your question. I do use that once a month during the winter months. I spray it on and brush it through. I do not rinse it off. That also helps. This is what I use. Hylyt EFA Bath Oil, 8 oz. - 10302 I give my dog a bath once or twice a year only when it is absolutely necessary and I only do it during the warmer months. I just brush her out with a man's soft bristled hair brush every day. If you keep corn oil on hand, which labman feels is the best thing to use, then I would suggest using that.

During the warmer weather, the dehumidifier is a good thing to use in the basement but it may be adding to your dog's dry skin problem. If you are now in the fall season, stop using it today. I understand not wanting to use a humidifier in the winter but you may might want to consider buying a small inexpensive humidifier and place it near his crate to see if this might help him.

Since my dog has such short fine hair to begin with, I also invested in a doggy coat to keep her warm outside in the cold weather. She definitely likes to wear it outside. Without it, she will barely step outside to do her business.

I have clothes for the dog - and I get laughed at for it. He doesn't really like them - but he does look cute. Because he is so broad across the chest - none fit him well. But, we do have something for him.

I tried olive oil this morning and he ate like he has never had food before. The only other oil I have on hand is vegetable. So, I will go out and get the corn oil.

From what you are describing, ruby, I definitely think he has alopecia. Because as soon as it started getting warmer - his fur started to grow back. By June, you couldn't even tell.

I agree that it does sound as if your dog is suffering from alopecia too. As long as you are diligent in trying to minimize the problem in winter, I would just stick with that plan. I was truly horrified by the vet pushing the steroids. I would rather she suffer the hair loss during the winter months than put her on something that will create more medical issues later on and shorten her lifespan.

I have considered one of those "natural sunlight" lamps but I just can't bring myself to spend the money on something that may not work.

I don't like the idea of medicating him either.
And I wonder if steroids would make him more aggressive? We don't need that.

When he is rolling around on his back and making these noises of "AHHH" - I know I have to do something for him. I really hope the oil helps him. I am going to get the moisturizer too. Something has to work, right?

My dog does the same rolling around and rubbing herself on the carpet. All the things I have done have helped tremendously. Last winter I started with the humidifier on top of the moisturizer and oil, and her hair loss was much less than the previous years.

Regarding the steroids, I am sure you have read about all the damage they do to these "professional" sports people. Steroids have so many side effects, not only the possibility of aggression, but they damage the organs as well. Due to the condition, the dog would be forced to be on them long term. I would rather she deal with a little hair loss during the winter time. It may be uncomfortable and unsightly, but it doesn't hurt her.

I know the effects that steroids have on children mentally as well as phyiscally... my son was on them off and on for 2-3 years. But... the vet told me that Dogs do not have the problems with them as humans, to his defense I also read this in another article... but I chose not to let my dog be put on them... because I can't take the chance that it will harm her. With my son I did not have a choice.
Nowwhat my mom picked up a couple of itchy strays and gave them baths in a product called sulfodene medicated shampoo. It doesn't smell to great but it works well for itching. They may have a product that you can just rub on the itchy spots. I know it has given my dog with skin problems some relief several times.

I am sorry to hear about your son bushg.

Interesting that your vet stated what he/she did. Maybe it has to do with the type of steroid being prescribed? When I first discussed this issue 3 or 4 years ago with my vet at the time, I specifically asked her about the side effects. She admitted that it might cause any number of health issues or damage to the organs. More specifically she stated that the studies she read showed that with the steroid she was suggesting to me, when taken long term as my dog would require, the majority of the dogs developed diabetes.

BTW, I tried the sulfodene shampoo early on. For my dog, it made the itchy dry skin so much worse to the point where it created a scaliness in some areas, so it isn't something I would normally recommend for anyone else to try. But, if you have had success with it, maybe it would be of help to Nowwhat's dog. I don't know.

Itch Relief - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company! Here is an article that deals with itchy dogs and the treatments.
Ruby this article sure is not favorable for the use of steroids. I agree that steroids are not good esp. long term. I would love to run across the article that mentioned about steroids not taking the toll on animals as they do humans... and see who wrote it and check out their credentials if possible.
My son also used cyclosporine for about 2 years it was 248 dollars for a 2 oz bottle, that was in 1995 I wonder if it is that expensive for dogs.
Fatty acid suplementation, I wonder where a person could find these, and if that is what they would be called on the label.

Well, I have been trying the oil. How long should it be before I see a difference? So far, nothing. But, I am an instant gratification kind of person :)

I am sure somebody sells a little bottle of fatty acid supplement at a big price, but the common corn oil shortening is a great source of the fatfy acids the dog need as I mentioned in this thread. .

Linoleic acids -corn oil Is what your post said to try... Wasn't trying to over look your post.. I did not know it was the same thing as the fatty acids.

Nowwhat, I think it took at least a month for my dog's dry skin to start getting some relief, but as I said, didn't resolve the problem entirely and didn't stop the hair loss. The humidifier seemed to be the thing that helped the most.

As it appears that your vet has ruled out any serious reasons for your dog's itching, I would also be inclined to think it is directly related to the winter months. If it was a continuous thing I would suggest tests to rule out kidney disease and diabetes, and I presume that there is no problem with fleas or mites as it has happened at the same time of the year previously. However, please note that fleas often hatch from eggs that have remained dormant in the home once the furnace is turned on. As I said, though, I doubt that is your problem here.
It's funny, you know, even some kennel dogs which have never been in heated rooms will suffer from dandruff in the winter and even summer. As suggested previously by others, please ensure that your dog receives a good, hard brushing daily. This will go a LONG way in preventing dryness as it stimulates the natural oils. In fact, most dandruff will disappear with a daily, hard brushing.
I also agree that you need more humidity in your air – no more than 40% humidity. This will reduce your heating bills, too. J I will say that in my years working both as a vet assistant and a dog groomer, a good coat conditioner for dogs is lanolin. It contains about 25% water and is easily absorbed into the skin. If you can get some and rub it evenly onto your dog's coat it should help the dog's skin from drying out considerably. It also won't hurt him if he licks his coat. When I worked as a groomer, I often would rub lanolin into a dogs coat and everyone commented on how healthy their dog's coat was after a grooming.
I don't like to bathe my dogs in the winter as they are large and it takes them a long time to dry. However, and I know labman and I butt heads on this, I do feel that if the dog is going insane with itch, I would bathe it in a tepid oatmeal bath and very thoroughly rinse and towel it dry as much as possible, then finish drying it on the cool hair dryer setting. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association has an interesting page – Not All Dogs Need a Bath - in which they state in part “Two or three baths a month is not considered excessive.”, and “The frequency of bathing rarely causes any significant problems in dogs, provided that the appropriate shampoo is used. In fact, the major cause of problems tends to be due to improper rinsing afterwards.”.
Antihistamines only work in about 10 to 15% of the time in controlling itchiness in dogs, but if the dog is seriously affected, they may be worth trying. Only use a veterinary prescribed antihistamine. If this is combined with adding a fatty acid supplement (also vet prescribed) the results are more likely to be beneficial.
I would like to add that personally, I would be concerned that if the dog gets a bald patch that there may be a secondary skin infection. So, if this happens and if there is any sign of redness then your dog should be seen by the vet just to rule out any problems in this way. Also, I would recommend changing the dog's bedding weekly and wash with hot water, and to replace a dog bed that is very old. Cigarette smoke and perfumes may irritate the dog's skin, as well.
Hope this helps! :)
Hugs, Didi

Ruby, Nowwhat I found this article from a link that ruby provided... you may find it helpful. Ruby you may have already read it since you posted this site, on a different topic.Therapies to get patients through a tough allergy season - DVM

Just a little update. I have tried the corn oil and it seems to be working! :)
And, he seems to really like it.