GR with dry skin and lots of itching... HELP
Tom Fuhs
itchng. As my wife was brushing her last night, flakes of dry skin were
coming off. I'm wondering if I should try changing her food. I don't think
it's a skin allergy, but maybe her current food dosn't have enough of the
'right kind' of fats for her skin. I'm currently feeding her Natural Blend
from Royal Cannin, with two shots (pumps) of Vitacoat and 1/2 tspn of
Biotin (both from Drs Foster & Smith). I figured that the Vitacoat and
Biotin would help, but they haven't. Last summer I was feeding her Wysong
maintenaince. She wasn't itching then but it was summer/fall and the air
wasn't nearly as dry. I switched because she only ate the Wysong
reluctantly, but she generally likes the Natural Blend. Should I try
switching her food? Should I do anything else?
She drinks plenty of water BTW.
Thanks,
Tom in PA
Suja
Tom Fuhs wrote:
> reluctantly, but she generally likes the Natural Blend. Should I try
> switching her food? Should I do anything else?
> She drinks plenty of water BTW.
IF the problem is just due to dryness and not allergies or some such,
you could try adding a little oil to her diet. Flax seed oil, olive
oil, even canola oil might work. I've heard from others that have done
this that adding canned mackerel (they're a *very* fatty fish, so add
very little to start with and build up) to the diet works wonders for
the coat.
Suja
Tom Fuhs
canned mackeral had salt added. Is this a problem? Is there a source for
canned mackeral without added salt? I also got some sardines that had no
salt added. Are sardines as good as mackeral? Thanks again.
Tom in PA
"Suja" <span...@nhgri.nih.gov> wrote in message
news:3DFF4776...@nhgri.nih.gov...
Suja
Tom Fuhs wrote:
>
> Thanks for the tip. I checked at the grocery store at lunch. All the
> canned mackeral had salt added. Is this a problem? Is there a source for
> canned mackeral without added salt? I also got some sardines that had no
> salt added. Are sardines as good as mackeral? Thanks again.
Forgot to mention that. Do not get canned fish if it is stored in
brine, or has salt added to it. You should be able to find Mackerel w/o
salt added, but it might take a little bit of looking around. Sardines
are also pretty fatty fish, so they'll probably be fine, and salmon will
do in a pinch.
Suja
Pennie
>Thanks for the tip. I checked at the grocery store at lunch. All the
>canned mackeral had salt added. Is this a problem? Is there a source for
>canned mackeral without added salt? I also got some sardines that had no
>salt added. Are sardines as good as mackeral? Thanks again.
Hi Tom,
I feed canned sardines, salmon and mackerel. What I do before feeding
each is to dump into a strainer and run water over it for a bit. This
gets rid of a lot of the salt.
I also agree with Suja on adding oil to your girl's food. I use flax
seed (which needs to be refrigerated). I add a tablespoon to each
meal. Didn't do it last year and my lab had the same problems in the
winter...this year is much better.
Also, our house tends to be very dry in the winter as we have radiator
heat. A humidifier has helped the dogs as well as the humans in our
family. =)
Pennie
The great pleasure of a dog is that you make a fool of yourself with him
and not only will he not scold you, he will make a fool of himself too.
--Samuel Butler
------
add mail to "thedoghouse" to reply.
Suja
Pennie wrote:
>
> Hi Tom,
> I feed canned sardines, salmon and mackerel. What I do before feeding
> each is to dump into a strainer and run water over it for a bit. This
> gets rid of a lot of the salt.
>
> I also agree with Suja on adding oil to your girl's food. I use flax
> seed (which needs to be refrigerated). I add a tablespoon to each
> meal.
One more thing. I am told that adding fish oil (supplement found at
pharmacies) to the food can also be beneficial. I don't know if it can
take the place of adding fish, but it most likely wouldn't hurt.
Suja
Tom Fuhs
Thanks to all who replied. I added 1/2 can of sardines (no salt added
variety) and I truly believe it has made a difference already. She really
seemed to be scratching less this morning. (Mornings are when she seems to
scratch the most. ) I'll continue to look for no salt Mackerel. Also, I
checked the label on the Vitacoat (from Fosters and Smith) and the first
ingredient is 'soybean oil'. I don't think soybean oil would help much. It
also has fish oil, but I think I'll look for a different supplement that the
first ingredient is fish oil.
Thanks again
Tom
"Tom Fuhs" <tom...@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:atnfhq$a...@dispatch.concentric.net...
Marshall Dermer
Tom,
On another thread, I suggested that my dog's scratching diminished after
I started hydrating his kibble. That is I soaked his entire day's
supply in water before portioning it out to him. My dog is not a
big water drinker but he goes for every drop of water when it carries
some food or food taste! :-)
--Marshall