is there any safe dry skin treatments for dogs?

[Donnachaidh]

I know someone will come up with something that's purchased from a vet for a big price, but we're under-employed and I'm trying to find something less pricey.

Weebles, a long-haired chihuahua/poodle mix is really having problems with dry skin this summer. We just clipped her coat, so we can see the flakes, etc. I want to bathe her, and possibly put something on her to help with the itchies, but I don't want to use anything toxic. Would anyone have any home remedies?

[lukasahero]

1. We give Bella salmon oil

Just a teaspoon in her food (am and pm) seems to keep her dry skin under control. It might be worth a shot... :shrug:

[Dover]

2. Changing her diet might make a big difference.

What is she eating now?

lukashero's recommendation is a good one. I'm a little paranoid about mercury and other toxins
in salmon, but that's just me.

Alternatively you might consider adding ground flax seed to her food.

For immediate relief I used to use Tropiclean's OxyMed medicated rinse on my dog for his occasional
hot spots and skin itching. It soothed and hydrated his skin (contains oatmeal,
omega 3, vitamin E and Beta-Hydroxy Salicyclic Acid). Quick and long lasting relief (relative to some others I've tried).

But there is one product I love above the rest for this problem, though maybe a bit pricey depending
on income, that I'd recommend trying asap.

It has made the use of the topical treatments unnecessary and made all the difference to skin/coat health. It's Solid Gold's Seameal powder which is sprinkled onto their food. My vet was so amazed at the results that he's started to recommend it to everyone. You should see the changes within the first week or two. And of course this seaweed powder has many other health benefits.

Best to you and your little sweety.

[lukasahero]

3. Point taken about the salmon/mercury

I should have also pointed out that we actually switch up the oil we use between salmon, flax and sardine. There are a variety of oils on the market and it was recommended to us that we mix it up to prevent her from becoming too 'adjusted' to it.

I'm also going to look into your Solid Gold recommendation. Thanks for the tip!

[Dover]

6. Using a variety of oils makes good sense. Thought you might be interested in this about the Seameal

I just found this online and see that it describes even more severe skin/coat issues with
dramatic results from the use of the SeaMeal...which doesn't surprise me at all. And it explains more about the ingredients and what they do. The most dramatic changes I've seen was with one of my outdoor cats that has always been a little weak and sickly due to a compromised immune system. I began using SeaMeal religiously for her and all the animals (along with more raw food in their diets and the use of turmeric), and she is now a normal weight (added muscle too) and is strong and healthy and looks absolutely beautiful! It has taught me just how important diet is to overall health.

--

Excellent for helping to boost up the immune systems of dogs who chew at the base of their tails and lick their feet. Assists with improving hair growth. Improves coat color. Helps to restore lustre to the coat and remove a red tinge in black coats. Contains digestive enzymes to increase digestibility of Solid Gold foods from 73% digestibility to 92% digestibility. A rich source of trace minerals which assist with proper skeletal development." Contains minerals important for stong, resilient hooves, and for the prevention of Developmental Orthopedic Disease in horses.

Ingredients

Dried Sea Vegetation, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dehydrated Lemon Powder, Carotene, Chlorophyll, Vitamin B12 Supplement (Cyanocobalamin), Drid Aspergillus Oryzae (var) Fermentation Product*, Dried Aspergillus Niger (var) Fermentation Product* Pineapple* and Lactose. *These items are sources of digestive Enzymes, Amylase, Protease, Cellulase & Lipase.

Guaranteed Analysis

Available sizes Available in 1 lb, 5 lb and 25 lb sizes

INFORMATION about Solid Gold Seameal Powder

Our #1 seller - 19 different types of sea vegetation, 60 trace minerals. Excellent for dogs that chew at the roof of the tail and lick their feet. This helps to boost up the thymus and thyroid glands which control the immune system, hormone system, and enzyme system of the body. Must be given with AM & PM feeding since it stays in the body only 12 hours. Takes about 22 days to work. Takes about 22 days for the healthy cells beneath the surface of the body to come to the surface of the body.

The hormone system grows hair-especially over areas where the dog has pulled out hair. Hormones intensify coat color. Helps to keep the nose black. Helps to get rid of a red tinge to a black coat such as in Rottweilers, Dobermans, etc.

When the light enters the eyes in the fall of the year, the brain tells the body to hold on to cold weather minerals. In the spring, the brain tells the body to get rid of the cold weather minerals - iron being one of them. If the body does it too fast, you may deplete the iron too fast so you get a red tinge to a black coat. This is enemia. This is not sunburn on a black coat. SeaMeal contains iron to help get rid of the red tinge.

The oriental dogs, Arctic dogs, dogs from England, Scotland, Ireland and all water dogs were fed fish and sea vegetation in their diets. Without this sea vegetation, the dogs may scratch at the root of their tail and lick their feet. There is fish in our Hund-N-Flocken dog food. Dosage - a 50 pound dog would need 1/2 teaspoon of seameal in the morning feed and again in the afternoon feed. We suggest you put 1/4 inch of warm water in the bottom of the FOOD bowl and then put in SeaMeal. Stir so it is dispersed evenly. Then mix in dry food with water/SeaMeal combination all together.

Dogs are 11% trace minerals and only 4% vitamins. Without trace minerals, the vitamins don't work. Seameal is 60 trace minerals. It is harvested from the ocean, not from the ground. The ground is polluted, also minterals and trace minerals need to be chelated (bound with a protine ion to be better absorbed). Due to the electrical movement of the ocean, the minerals/trace minerals are naturally chelated-not bound artifically by man.

Of all the 19 different types of sea vegetation, only one is kelp. We use kelp for its iodine content. But kelp contains arsenic which may contribute to blindness. The other 18 types contain arsenate which bind with the arsenic and takes it out of the body. Never give kelp by itself to dogs for that reason.

Colors are important to the body. Naturpathic healers tell you to take red fruits and vegetables for heart and circulation problems. The pectin beneath the red surfaces help dissolve excessive cholesterol. SeaMeal uses the red classification of seaweed for this purpose. For digestive system and intestinal tract, use yellow fruits and vegetables. They contain digestive enzymes. We use the yellow classifcation of seaweed. If you looked under a microscope at a molecule of chlorophyll and a molecule of whole blood, there is only one atom difference. The chlorophyll contains magnesium and the blood contains hemin (iron). Green or green/blue classifications of seaweeds are to repair damaged tissues, such as may occur from the dog chewing himself. We use the blue/green algae, chorella, spirulena, dulse, Irish mosss, etc. We do not use the blue/green algae from Hawaii. The SeaMeal has a 5.5 or slightly acid Ph.

SeaMeal can be used for it's own healing properties or in conjunction with our other products-example, as with our Solid Gold Yucca. Yucca penetrates the tissues and helps to take down the swelling which causes the pain. SeaMeal is used with our red raspberry leaves for pregnant bitches (not to be confused with the English red raspberry tea leaves, which is a different plant and is ineffective for pregnant bitches). Sometimes, the bitch will lose her coat during pregnancy since the hormones will go to the puppies rather than the coat. Since SeaMeal helps to support the hormone system, you may be able to retain the coat.

"We experimented on ourselves with the SeaMeal. Our hair came in thicker and our nails grew longer and rarely broke. Sissy takes 1/2 teaspoon of the SeaMeal and 1/2 teaspoon of Yucca in the morning and 1/2 teaspoon at night, mixed with apple sauce, yogart or cottage cheese. Be sure to take second dose before 6:00 PM because it gives you tremendous energy."

Why isn't SeaMeal put into our dog food? Because it contains digestive enzymes. The enzymes can't be heated over 120 degrees or they become inactive. Food is cooked at over 300 degrees.

The lighter the color of the dog the more ultra-violet light it absorbs. This is what destroys the immune system. The SeaMeal helps to rebuild the immune system.

SeaMeal is available in 8oz, 1 lb, and 5 lb and 25 lb (for horses) sizes.

SeaMeal is always fed with the Solid Gold dog food. It contains the digestive enzymes and trace minerals needed.

Some dog foods give you one source or protein, we give you two. Some give you one source of fat or oils, we give you three. Some give you one source of carbohydrates, we give you four. The more ingredients the body has to choose from, the better the health. But now the vit/minerals must be balanced. The SeaMeal balances the vit/minterals. Without the SeaMeal the food is 73% digestible. With it you get 92% digestibility.

These dogs were scratching at the root of their tails, licking their feet, and pulling out chunks of hair. The vet told the owners that if they didn't put the dogs on Hund-N-Flocken and SeaMeal, the dogs would die of bacteria infection.




On edit: BTW just thought I'd add this. Sea greens are, of course, also highly beneficial for humans, and a product I found and take is by Nature's Plus called Ultra Green Juice, a multinutrient supplement tablet, supercharged with a variety of algae, kelp, and other sea greens.
I know it works cause I don't chew at my tail or lick my feet anymore!

[lukasahero]

8. Holy cow! That's a lot of great info

Thank you for taking the time to write that up. (Complete with pictures even!)

I'm due a visit to Pets Gone Healthy this weekend anyway, I'll have to check this out.

That said, Bella will finally eat the kibble we've started feeding her plain/dry - that's HUGH!!!11 We recently switched to Instinct by Nature's Variety. She loves it so we're sticking with it. :)

[emilyg]

4. Mix a little olive oil with food.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

5. I've heard/read that adding a raw egg to the food once a week

helps.

The Tropiclean prducts are good. I als use a Rio brand with Tea tree oil, oatmeal, etc.


Dinovite is offering free samples of their anti-itch products:

http://marketing.dinovite.com/sample_order2.html

[david13]

7. Well I'm glad to see some real good responses here. I was going

to say calamine lotion, but I don't know if it would work on dogs. The olive oil works good for me, I put it on my salad.
dc