My dog has a Skin Condition...what should I do?

My dog is a "mutt" he is 3 years old and is a German Shepard mix. Sweetest kindest most loving dog you'll ever meet. He's got a skin condition and the vet doesn't know what it is. He itches CONSTANTLY and does not have fleas. We think that he has dry skin. He is a big baby and will not let us bathe him, what is the best thing we can use to help the dry itchy skin?

My dog has a Skin Condition...what should I do?
See your vet, the dog may be allergic to whatever you are feeding him. Make sure you are feeding a high quality food without corn or wheat in it as these are both known to cause allergies and itching. (Note: most grocery store bands contain both)


Frequent bathing could actually worsen the condition as it strips the coat and dries out the skin, esp if you use the "wrong" products, like dish soap or human shampoos, however a professional groomer does have products that cleanse the skin gently and also the experience to handle large frightened dogs, so that might be an option.


Once your vet rules out medical conditions such as flea or food allergies, there are products that you can add to his food, like DreamCoat, NutraCal, or even a couple Tablespoons of fish or olive oil. Do not feed a dog raw eggs. I mention this because some people think it improves the coat, but it can also cause salmonella poisoning.
Reply:I used cortisone spray on my lab that was allergic to grass.
Reply:take him to the vet
Reply:cortisone spray is a great suggestion.





he won't "let" you bathe him? Who's incharge here? Bathe the dog with a nice, gentle, oatmeal shampoo, you might even be able to find an anti-itch shampoo and when you are done LATHER on the conditioner (dog conditioner, of course)





You should do this once or twice a month.
Reply:I will tell you about my dogs ,if they've got a dry skin ,give em' a human medicine ,and if he doesn't want to take a bath ,slap him a little in his mouth ,that will teach em' to obey
Reply:Maybe he's allergic to something in your home or if you don't bathe him do you give him dry baths or use dog powder because he may be allergic to that too? have you tried benadryl??
Reply:easy, just add a little vegitable oil on his dry dogfood that will help out his coat, it wont give him worms or any thing or you can just rub it on him. But I mix vegitable oil in my dog food go an nice shiny coat. Also try mixing his dogfood with an egg. If he have patches in his coat he has tha manes their microscophic pestisites that make them scratch their hair off, you can go to the vet to medication or you can put used motor oil
Reply:Don't bathe him too often or the skin will dry out further.


Try brushing him to promote oil release.


Also, look into the possibility of it being a food allergy. Talk to your vet about bendryl to see if the symptoms get better. If so, try changing his food. The most common allergen is chicken so find one without it.
Reply:Brush %26amp; comb him often, to remove dead skin %26amp; excess hair - even better then bathing him too often with dry skin. If you're only feeding him dry dog food, add about 3 tablespoons of olive oil to his food... if he has really dry spots, put some of the oil right on the spots %26amp; gently rub it in. Some people do shave them in summer time, tho am unsure if it helps, fur is usually protective to dogs, I use a shedding brush - rounded for horses ( available @ pet stores ) %26amp; a metal pet comb, they come in fine %26amp; extra fine, both are good to use %26amp; usually in pet or grocery stores !
Reply:I have a beagle and had the same problem. First i would consult with a vet. I use a spray that conditions the skin every time i brush his hair. And they sell this vitamin supplement that you pour on his food and it helps with dry skin. You can buy from a vet. I bought mine from the store it was more affordable.
Reply:Feed him only California Natural for dogs. Mine had excema so bad from store bought crap. I had to experiment but this one is the best and she is perfect now.
Reply:Cortisone spray does work really well, but I ALSO would get a second Vet to check him. He might come up with something the first Vet missed or didn't think of.
Reply:I have a German shepherd who has numerous health problems, one being flaky skin. After numerous tries I think we finally found the problem. Her thyroid was underactive. She's been on thyroid medication now for over a year and the problem has improved greatly. Have your vet test his thyroid. My vet told me that this skin condition occurs with underactive thyroid. I also give my dog a bath once a week with medicated shampoo purchased from my vet.