NorthfieldNick Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 Both of my boys have been insanely itchy lately. Nick does have dry skin, and he can not have fish oil as any fish causes him to have explosive diarrhea. I've been feeding TOTW Prairie (I think, yellow bag) for a couple months since I got a good deal on it from my awesome feed store owners. The boys are doing well on it, look good, etc. Hoot actually eats TOTW, which is amazing, considering he usually quits eating for a day or two every week or so. I don't recall the boys being itchy until we'd gotten through ~2 bags of TOTW. I'm now about 3/4 through bag #3. Could it possibly take this long for the itchies to set in? I'd be more inclined to relate them to the weather, shedding, and dryness from indoor heat, but who knows. Nick will eat anything, and would probably be just fine on a diet of rotten oatmeal & dirt, but Hoot is fussy, picky, and hard to get enough food in to. I'm going to be bummed if I can't feed him TOTW. Also, any ideas for oil/fats that aren't fish for Nick's dry skin? He gets flax oil, but it's probably a waste, as I don't think dogs utilize it very well. He'd happily eat lard every day, but this is a dog who gets fat breathing. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 Also, any ideas for oil/fats that aren't fish for Nick's dry skin? He gets flax oil, but it's probably a waste, as I don't think dogs utilize it very well. He'd happily eat lard every day, but this is a dog who gets fat breathing. Thanks! I have heard good things about virgin coconut oil. It has medium chain fatty acids and Vit E. You want the kind that comes in a jar and is solid at room temp but melts really easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivehill Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 What were you feeding before? Did they have dry skin and itchiness issues previously? If not, switch back and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 He'd happily eat lard every day, but this is a dog who gets fat breathing He must be related to me! Really, my dogs are going through a real itchy time at the moment too. We live far apart so probably not the same issues. But....I don't think ours is dog food. We actually had fleas a few few months back. I swear we didn't', then we did. WTH...I used advantage cause I think frontline isn't working. Then a few months later I see a flea on one of the dogs. AWWWW, this can't be happening so I used a new product my vet swears by Vectra. only available through vets. We'll see, I haven't seen a flea or flea dirt at all. I've decided fleas were an issue, but what's really getting them itchy is the warm fall we've had. I think there's more out there growing than normal years and we've got allegories to something going on. It finally got cold here (below freezing at night) so it's starting to calm down but then I think the dry blowing heat is getting them too. And to tell you the truth I've never seen a difference to adding fishoil or any sort of oil. I think it's external. I'm a hairdresser in a previous life, (people don't even believe me now!) and you can't eat something and effect your hair or skin. Your general health is reflected in your hair and skin and dry heat can affect your skin but that's on the outside not the inside. MEdicine can eventually come out in your hair but you have to take it for quite some time to see that happen. So what does it mean? I don't think it's dog food and my bet is on external issues. I never bath my dogs but someone gave me the idea of washing their feet when they come in the house to see if we could wash off the allergen. Haven't gotten that desperate. Good luck and let me know if you solve it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 I'm a hairdresser in a previous life, (people don't even believe me now!) and you can't eat something and effect your hair or skin. Your general health is reflected in your hair and skin and dry heat can affect your skin but that's on the outside not the inside. MEdicine can eventually come out in your hair but you have to take it for quite some time to see that happen. What a dog eats absolutely affects their skin and coat, but it can take many months to notice a difference. Maybe a human's diet is so variable that you couldn't notice a difference when someone took a supplement. This could be a food issue (not the right balance of fats and nutrients), but it could also be a dry heat issue or a medical issue (like parasites, allergies, etc). Dogs do not utilize fats sources from plants very well. You can try plant fats like olive oil and they might help, but they also might not. Is he allergic to all fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 What about wheat germ oil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthfieldNick Posted December 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 Coconut oil never crossed my mind. I hate coconut & think it all tastes like sunscreen, so I never buy the stuff. Before the TOTW, I was feeding Blue Buffalo. It's pricey, but I can go back to it. I'm going to compare the nutritional analysis & see if anything stands out. Any fish Nick has ever had has caused explosions. I'd rather not deal with the consequences of trying any more! I'm talking near constant liquid poop. Thank goodness for tile floors. Definitely no fleas. Dogs just had their once-a-year professional grooming, and she saw no signs of fleas, but did comment on Nick's dry skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 I still think the odds of outside contaminates like dry heat is more likely the culprit than not adding oil to your dogs diet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 Coconut oil never crossed my mind. I hate coconut & think it all tastes like sunscreen, so I never buy the stuff. Betty Gillis swears by coconut oil for any number of things. I use it for my one itchy dog. It's worth a try. ETA: I think skin condition can certainly be affected by overall health, and so by one's nutritional status. If nothing else has changed in their lives but the diet, then it could certainly be the culprit. I've actually been battling with itching, chewing, and hair loss on one of my dogs, and it occurred to me the other day, that the hair loss at least has all been on one side, and it's the side affected by her FCE incident two years ago. I don't know if there's a connection, and her hair is growing back now, but it's something I intend to explore (in this case, that means a discussion or three with my vet(s)). My other approach is to do a full blood workup as well, to make sure there are no unexpected metabolic issues going on. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 For a real food allergy, the results can be quick. I've known a dog who would get red, inflamed ears within 24 hours of eating something with dairy in it. Dogs, like humans, can develop allergies to things they've been exposed to before and had no problems with. The food that Shonie did best on was an Avoderm hypo-allergenic food with soy and pea meal as a protein source. It made a huge difference for her, but I don't know if they still make it. However, for both your dogs to be so itchy speaks more to the environmental things rather than diet. You could try flax oil, with some cottage cheese mixed in. I heard/read/came across remarks years ago that the cottage cheese helped with absorption. Try bathing in an oatmeal shampoo, if you want to experiment further. Good luck! Ruth and Agent Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 However, for both your dogs to be so itchy speaks more to the environmental things rather than diet. Not necessarily. If the diet doesn't have an ideal balance of fats and nutrients, both dogs could be showing that deficiency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 Coconut oil never crossed my mind. I hate coconut & think it all tastes like sunscreen, so I never buy the stuff. LOL! I like it, and use it as a moisturizer and hairdressing on myself because I'm allergic to a lot of common skin care ingredients. My husband tells me I smell like a pina colada and that I make him hungry when I use it. Two of my dogs love it and one hates it and won't go near it. It doesn't make any of them smell like cocnut though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 So Liz I guess you're saying TOTW is not balanced in nutrients? My dogs did great on it for years. For 2 dogs to come up with the same food issues seems odd to me. If it was crappy food, then maybe. But to be itchy with nothing else going on, sure seems environmental to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 Every dog has different nutritional requirements. A food that works for one dog might not have the right balance of fats or levels of nutrients for another dog. If there was one perfect food I would be recommending it to everyone. I am not saying it is definitely the food or definitely not environmental, just that you can't rule out the food just yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaBluez Tess Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 I added redpaw fat to my dog's diet and it helped with the dry skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 It took my pup about 3 months on a food he was sensitive to before he was obviously having a problem with it. And it took about 2 months after a food change until I could no longer see a problem. Giving pre/probiotics and digestive enzymes really helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Bo Boop Posted December 24, 2012 Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 My dogs have the same problem this year ;-( OMG, driving me nuts! them too I'm sure ;-( No fleas, I've switched feed 3 times now...red skin, just itching and itching. I've resorted to giving them Benadryl at night, and that seems to help..but still can't figure out the problem. A friend that lives up the road says she's having the same problem with her Border Collies...we are in sand country, thought it could be that, but was leaning more towards food allergy...I have been lax on the C oil ;-( probably ought to double up on that and see if it doesn't fix the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted December 25, 2012 Report Share Posted December 25, 2012 Mine can't handle grain or high carb. I switched him to high meat protein, moderate fat, low carb kibble and raw and now he's like a completely different dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjones Posted December 27, 2012 Report Share Posted December 27, 2012 How much coconut oil do you give a dog per day? 2 of my dogs have been so itchy off and on this year. The vet told me they had hot spots and that with the unusually dry summer we had this year he was seeing an influx of dogs with allergies/hot spots. If coconut oil would work, I'm willing to try, or even fish oil but really don't want my dogs smelling like fish. Samantha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted December 27, 2012 Report Share Posted December 27, 2012 My dogs eat a deep water fish based food and get fish oil capsules every day. They do not smell like fish. In fact, they are quite pleasant smelling despite being working dogs and rarely getting a bath. Dogs only smell when they are unhealthy or filthy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted December 27, 2012 Report Share Posted December 27, 2012 My dogs get fish oil capsules daily and don't smell like fish. I sometimes also use coconut oil, and they don't smell like that either. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronHorse Posted January 2, 2013 Report Share Posted January 2, 2013 I am a big advocate of Emu oil as a preventative of dry and itchy skin on my dogs. It can be used topically as well as internally and I have never had any adverse reactions in any of my dogs with it. The benefits of Emu oil go far beyond just maintaining a good healthy skin and coat and if your not familiar with it I highly reccomend abit of research. If I have any cons about Emu oil it would be the price of high quality oil, its not cheap, but the overall benefits more then compensate for the cost imo. Fish oil and products are totally out of the question around here as all Thunderbolt has to do is smell a fish and he's got diarrhea. Here's where I get my Emu oil and they have quite abit of information on its uses. http://www.emuoildep...mu-articles.htm Another big plus is that the benefical attributes of Emu oil is good for us humans as well, so its a win/win product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.