Xander, my Newfie, has horrendous dry skin. He's itching, scratching and pulling his hair out.

I know, I know... vet vet vet. However, this has been diagnosed already (seborrhea, otherwise known as dandruff and dry skin), but no suggestions were given as this vet is not holistic. I would like to try some holistic remedies first before medications.

I have heard that adding olive oil to his food can help, but I've also heard it can be dangerous.

I've heard that we can spray him with some tea tree oil, but heard that is dangerous as well.

We are going to change his diet to a much higher grade kibble tomorrow. I think it's called Black Gold.

Any ideas?

Does he spend enough time outdoors, with his thick Newfie coat? Indoor air is so much dryer than outside in winter.

I suffer a lot myself. My Jack Russell does too, a bit more and more as she gets older. I find that baths actually help more than hinder, and I use only a dime of soap (I use Neutrogena) with a tiny bit of olive oil in the water. Maybe once a month.

I add olive oil and an egg yolk and a bit of raw hamburger to her good quality kibble. I have never heard that olive oil is bad for dogs. And a bit of fresh vegetable, whatever I have for dinner. Just a tiny bit overall, and yolk not every day.

The fats in kibble go rancid. I buy big bags but keep all but a small bag refrigerated. And in the summer, who knows how many bags of kibble cooked on trucks and in warehouses? I can understand why so many people make their own dog food.

I wonder if you dog is getting mites (mange, the dog version of scabies) that hasn't shown yet as the crusty hairless skin?

It's not mites/mange, like I've said, we've been to the vet. A scraping was done.

As far as the dog food, we buy big bags, but have 3 big dogs, the food barely lasts a week.

You are correct that he spends a lot of time in the house. He doesn't like the outdoor heat of the deep south. My husband suggested this, but we weren't sure. Even though he barks his head off, I'll try to keep him outdoors more.

I will try adding an egg yolk to his food. Glad to know that the olive oil is okay.

I'll increase the baths as well. I just thought that baths given too often actually dried out the skin, so I guess we weren't bathing often enough.

This may sound odd, but my golden seemed to benefit from swimming in a lake. His skin actually seemed healthier and I used to wonder if had to do with some algae in the water. I realize that a Newfie is a big wet mammoth in a car on the way home... I almost never gave him baths because he was outside so much and swam a lot.

J, does he have any allergies that you know of?

If not, I'd try sardines. Sardines are a natural way to hydrate a dogs skin. The oils also help prevent moisture from leaving the skin.

I don't agree with increasing the baths. Soaps do dry out skin. Most vet recommend that you only bathe your dog once every 6 months, unless needed.

Do some research on sardines. Many people that show their dogs add sardines to the diet because of it's benefits on the dogs coat and skin. :)

Does he have allergies? Owen does and dry skin and issues with him scratching and causing infections were the norm for awhile.
We had to change his food, put him on fatty acid supplements, Reactine a day (changed to Benedryl now) and weekly baths using a vet shampoo.
The vet shampoo from what I remember helps get rid of germs on the surface of the skin so that if he scratches he won't get infections. If you are going to increase baths I would ask your vet to be honest as if it is not necessary it could make things worse.

There is actually an omega fatty acid out that is a topical solution (like frontline) that bypasses the gut and is streamlined right into the skin. It s said that this product works better for the chronic dry skinned dogs.

Despite what many people will recommend, bathing him more will only make it worse. Every time you give him a bath, you are stripping the skin of its natural oils. And he already is having issues with maintaining a healthy skin/coat, washing him more will only make it worse.

Has he had this thyroid checked? Sometimes low thyroid levels will show has dull coat and severe dandruff..

Another food for thought, when it is bath day, try washing him in head and shoulders. That shampoo is designed to help us humans with our dry, itchy scalp.

But if I were you, I'd seriously look into the omega fatty acid topical solution.

Lucky, I used to wash my dog only every 6 months, but as she aged, she got out in the fresh air less and less, and she got poochie faster (word I use for dog-smelly). I use just the tiniest bit of soap, the size of a dime. I tried an oatmeal bath but it didn't seem to matter as much as just a lot of water, a tiny bit of soap, and a teaspoon or so of oil in the water. It really does cut down on her scratching.

Thanks guys!

We know he is allergic to fleas, but those are the only allergies we know of. He gets Comfortis every month for this, so we haven't experienced a flea outbreak in over a year.

As far as thyroid, no, I don't believe he has been tested for that.

He's an older dog, he's probably around 11 or 12 now. He was a rescue that we took in. He was my father's dog and mom couldn't afford him after dad died.

Last night hubby picked up some Dermaquin Omega-3 Fish Oil supplement to add to his food. Should we add this with the olive oil as well as the sardines? I don't want to mess up his gut too much.

Also, his shampoo is formulated for dry skin and has an anti-itch formula in it, but doesn't seem to help for very long. A couple of hours at best.

Joy.. you're dog wasn't having dry skin issues. My dogs get bathed a lot too, but they don't have skin issues. Dogs with skin issues need to be washed less. They also need to be washed with a shampoo that is low sud to avoid anything being left over.

Once again, if you're dog is having such a horrible skin problem, oral fish pills or omega fatty acids may not work. The topical omega fatty acid will probably work better.

Update... I haven't had the chance to get out and get the topical, but we have changed foods and are using the omega oil on their food. It's only been about a week and there is a dramatic change in the itching. The itching and scratching has significantly decreased. I only have to vacuum once a day versus two or three.

Thanks for your help guys!

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Originally Posted by J_9

Update... I haven't had the chance to get out and get the topical, but we have changed foods and are using the omega oil on their food. It's only been about a week and there is a dramatic change in the itching. The itching and scratching has significantly decreased. I only have to vacuum once a day versus two or three.

Thanks for your help guys!

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So glad to hear it's helping. Great news. :)