Pooch has itchy dry skin..help!

[mikkehla]

[IMG]Our approximatley 4-year old Beagle/Lab mix, Honeygirl, has very itchy dry skin, especially on her back end. It seems to be worse now that the air conditioning is on. You can feel the difference in texture of her hair on her back end as it is very rough and sheds very easily. She almost has a bald spot!

She is protected from fleas and other critters, so I know that is not the problem and I know that labs and beagles can tend to have dry skin, but there has to be some sort of help for her!

Is there anything that we can do for her naturally? Add something to her diet? Vitamins? Is there a doggy skin lotion out there? There are just so many products out there to choose from, I don't even know where to begin without spending a fortune on things that don't work!

Much appreciated,
Honegirl and her Mom [/IMG]

[Dorothy39]

Is there redness, irritation?

It could be anything from dryness, to allergies and to her diet.

I 've read about bathing a dog with a gentle "Oatmeal" shampoo", even Aveeno !!!

Honeygirl's picture is so adorable!!! Poor baby, I would try using a "senstive skin" shampoo on her , one for dry skin. Check out the dog food she is eating too.

[joycenalex]

alex gets salmon oil, and has for years, and his coat is fantastic. the essential fatty acids help alot, maybe you'd consider that. i buy the carlson norwegian salmon oil, 180 soft gels about $12 at the local health food store, i drop them in his food. HTH

[mruffruff]

Honeygirl looks a lot like my Samson. He has dry skin too. I've been giving him Omega fatty acids in a capsule called VitaCoat Plus from Doctors Foster & Smith. When I got him 4 years ago or so, he had very little hair on his lower back and now it's much better. The vet thought he would never grow any at all. He doesn't scratch nearky as much as he did before.

My sister swears by Missing Link for her pugs.