Dry skin

[juxie]

My 9 week old chocolate lab pup has dry skin. She was constantly scratching so when we took her for her vaccination, we asked about it and she showed me the flakiness of her skin. She was eating Puppy Chow, because thats what the breeder was feeding her (not a very good choice on their part) and we decided upon Iams Puppy. We have been gradually switching her over to avoid stomach upset, and now are completely on the Iams. I see an improvement, but its still too soon to tell I suppose.

Is there anything else I can do for her to help her skin? Thanks!!

[dragondawg]

You could try giving puppy 1000 mg of fish oil once a day. It takes a couple of weeks, but might speed up the skin recovey a little. Sounds like something was lacking in the diet (or food allergy) per the Purina. If puppy is showing improvement then stay with the Iams.

[juxie]

I bought a product called K9 Shine that is pure herring oil (I live in a fishing community in Nova Scotia, so it is actually made locally). I thought maybe she was too young for something like that, but I will give her a little each day and see if that speeds things up. Thanks!

[dragondawg]

Worst thing that can happen is if it's too much for puppy the stool might get a little loose. Just cut back if that happens. They really like the taste of it. So just throw the gel cap into their food dish, and it will disappear. When my 1/2 Lab had Lymphoma the last year of her life I gave her 4000 mg of fish oil 2X daily without any problems. Of course her weight (80lbs) was a little more than your puppy's. ;)

[Catlady711]

I'm told puppies naturally go through a period of dry skin, although as I recall it isn't quite that young, I'm thinking it was more like 3-4 months.

[DannysMommy]

I was reading this as my 3 month old new puppy has this issue also. Seeing what else I could do for him.

I will try the fish oil.

BUT I was also told it was OK to give them benadryl. I give him 1/2 tsp when needed. I try not to do it to much, just when he scratches non stop as it does make him sleepy and he already is a baby and sleeping all the time.

His is from a treatment for mange. (Shleter dog) But it dries ALL the skin out and he itches like crazy poor lil guy!

Hope it works and your baby feels better soon!
Rayna

[DannysMommy]

OH forgot to say. I use childrens benadryl liq.!

[dragondawg]

I was reading this as my 3 month old new puppy has this issue also. Seeing what else I could do for him.

I will try the fish oil.

BUT I was also told it was OK to give them benadryl. I give him 1/2 tsp when needed. I try not to do it to much, just when he scratches non stop as it does make him sleepy and he already is a baby and sleeping all the time.

His is from a treatment for mange. (Shleter dog) But it dries ALL the skin out and he itches like crazy poor lil guy!

Hope it works and your baby feels better soon!
Rayna

My little guy had puppy mange courtesy of an embattled immune system recovering from shelter induced kennel cough. It took about 1.5 months of oral ivermectin to get him over the Demodex mange. That was close to 3.5 years ago. Although his black coat shines, and he has no itchy problems, he none the less does have doggy dander when brushed. Don't know if it's pure genetics, or a left over result of the Demodex he had as a pup. Possibly a combination of both.

When dealing with puppy mange, besides the fish oil (Omega-3 fatty acids), Vitamin-E (dry succinate salt form) will help the skin heal from the mite damage. Consult with the Vet for the appropriate dosage.

[SunsetRose]

My dogs used to have flaky skin too until I switched them over to Nutro Ultra. That by itself got rid of dry skin and gave their coats a beautiful shine.

There is one product called Hair of the Dog

http://www.docsblend.com/H-Info.html

I've heard some pretty good things about.

And regarding puppy mange (demodectic mange), I had to go through that with my GSD. The vet prescribed Ivermectin which I gave to her every other day. What I also did was put some vasoline on her nose (which is where the mites were and the hair was coming off and skin was flaky). The vasoline helped by smothering the mites and providing some moisture and oils to her skin.

[aschlecht]

I have a black lab that as well has dry skin, I have found that fish oil tablets you can get from your vet and they are very inexpensive helps the dry skin. Also, the Nutro lamb and rice formula is a good food for dry skin because it doesnt have corn or I believe the other one is flour. Those two things in dog food are something you want to stay away from it helps control dry skin and shedding.





My 9 week old chocolate lab pup has dry skin. She was constantly scratching so when we took her for her vaccination, we asked about it and she showed me the flakiness of her skin. She was eating Puppy Chow, because thats what the breeder was feeding her (not a very good choice on their part) and we decided upon Iams Puppy. We have been gradually switching her over to avoid stomach upset, and now are completely on the Iams. I see an improvement, but its still too soon to tell I suppose.

Is there anything else I can do for her to help her skin? Thanks!!