Boosting coat and healing skin?

[wolfsoul]

Visa normally blows her coat once a year, but since Solo has come along she is doing the BIG coat drop.

Her skin is always terrible when she sheds -- she stops scratching and biting as long as I keep her well-groomed. I bathed her in natural Tar/Sulfur/Aloe/Oatmeal shampoo and blowdried and brushed all of her undercoat out, so she's no longer itchy, but her skin is still looking pretty terrible. She has alot of big huge flakes that she only gets when she sheds, and she has some red patches and scabs from where she chewed herself before I bathed her, when she was at Marla's.

I give her Bio Vet NX Skin and Coat, kelp, flaxseed, marine oil, and sunflower oil to help her skin through the shed. Is there anything else good for the skin that I'm forgetting?

And is there anything besides the Bio Vet that helps boost coat? Poor girl is going bald lol. She's literally almost bald on her nose, around her eyes, and the tops of her feet. Looks terrible. But I just keep telling myself that even though it's terrible now, it will grow back ten times better than it looked before!

[Corinna]

It happens to most of us moms (losing hair after giving birth.) I can't thinkof any thing you have missed for adding moisture to the skin.

[MajesticCollies]

wolfsoul

Is there anything else good for the skin that I'm forgetting?

I would throw in 400 IU of vit E. I use that along with the Norwegien Kelp for all my collies. Do you also add Vit C to thier diet. I give each Collie 1000mg Vit C a day to keep thier immune system high. that may help your dogs skin also.

[Glacier]

Adding some zinc to her diet might be helpful too. It is often given to sled dogs to help them keep their coats and maintain skin(especially paw pads) when they are working.

[angelbow20]

is it some kind of hot spots shes getting or allergies since the season is changing? i know my one golden has that problem? and we found medicine to give him and steroids when the season changes or when alot of pollens out... and they actaully have certain lotions for dogs with dry skin out there im sure u could ask ur vet.

[wolfsoul]

Visa gets Vitamin E from her Biovet Skin and Coat. I'm not sure about Vit C, I worry about supplementing with it as I've heard good things and bad things, not sure what to think.

Zinc is a great idea, I was giving Visa zinc last year but I stopped -- I should start that up again. It's great that it is good for pads as she runs beside me on my bike everyday.

angelbow, it's not allergies -- just hormones. All double coated breeds drop their coat after giving birth. Shedding makes the loose hairs poke and irritate the skin, and alot of dogs (like Visa) shed their skin with their coat. They don't grow their coat back fully for about six months, which sucks so bad -- she'll finally grow it back just to get pregnant again a few months later and do it all over again! lol. I get to keep her next time during her whelping and when the puppies grow up, so I know some preventative measures to take during this time so that she won't drop her coat.

[angelbow20]

so do you have pups from her? what kind is she? we had a dog that had pups in january it was accidental, but she only had 2 becuase they were so big and we found them great homes and i even get to see them still!!! but i dont think she ever really shedding or it wasnt noticable so i learned something today

[wolfsoul]

Yep, she is a Belgian shepherd and she has one pup. You're lucky your dog didn't shed LOL -- it's rare they don't!