HELP with Itchy, Dry Skin...I am at a total loss here! Warning - this is going to be SUPER DUPER LONG as I need to explain everything :rolleyes: Ok, so I have been doing alot of reading here about itchy, dry skin and I am just totally confused LOL. Tatum has really dry and itchy skin...it is mainly around her nose area and I have noticed that she has started to lose some of the hair around her nose/mouth. I think she is losing the hair because she is constantly pawing/scratching at it. Today she started itching SO bad on her nose (she was pawing, scratching and rubbing her face all over the carpet trying to itch it, which she never does...so it must be getting bad :() that I had to give her some Benadryl because she was just so restless. She would get up, run over to one spot...itch, itch, itch around her nose/mouth area, and then just plop down :( Poor little thing just couldn't get comfortable. I could tell that she was just plain miserable, so I gave her some Benadryl and that seemed to help. However, this is only a temporary fix of course, and I need to get rid of it PERMANENTLY. First off, she is going to the vet next week and I am going to see what he has to say about it, but I wanted to post as well and get some of your thoughts/opinions on it too. While researching on YT, I read so many different things....it could be allergies, her food, me bathing her too often, the cold weather, etc., etc. and I am just totally confused. So, here is a breakdown of what I do with her and the things I use: She gets bathed once a week USUALLY....sometimes I do slack off though :rolleyes: She and Stedman both are on Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers Soul Both babies get bathed with Minksheen Both babies get Missing Link sprinkled on their food (I have ordered a bottle of Dream Coat and once it comes in, I will be taking them off Missing Link and switching them over to Dream Coat as I read on here that it works WONDERS for dry skin) Now, I have wondered if it could be the food that is causing the dry skin and all the itching, however, I think she has always had dry skin...only not ever this bad and she has never itched this much...and I DEFINTELY have never seen her losing any hair around her nose/mouth until recently. One problem I have though, is that if it IS the food she is on...I don't know what I am going to do as Stedman is an EXTREMELY (and I do mean EXTREMELY) picky eater, and he LOVES this food. I had them on Canidae previously and he didn't eat it well at all. He started losing weight and got too skinny as he just didn't like the food. I WOULD be willing to buy 2 different foods for them, however, I free feed (I have to with Stedman as he has never in his life been a big eater, so I need to have food available for him at all times) - and if I keep two different types of food down at once, Tatum will just end up eating them both as she always wants what isn't hers (I think most dogs are this way :p). Sooo....I am just totally confused here and don't know what to do :( Also, I wanted to ask...I read that bathing them with an Oatmeal shampoo can help for dry skin. Can anyone recommend a good Oatmeal shampoo for me to try? Does Petsmart have one that's good? We don't have a Petco here and I really didn't want to have to order any online as I would like to get the shampoo ASAP. I do have a bottle of Cranberry Fields shampoo (oatmeal scent) and Cranberry Fields conditioner (lavender) - would these be good to use on her or should I just get a regular bottle of straight OATMEAL shampoo? If so, please tell me Petsmart has one that's good so that I can go and get it tomorrow lol... There are just sooo many different things that people tell you to do and try, and I always get totally confused and never know what to do lol. Sorry for the billions and billions of questions, but I truly am at a loss here. I just want my baby to feel as good as she possibly can and I know that the itching has got to be driving her totally crazy :( |
P.S. - Is dry skin just a Yorkie thing or what??? :confused: I have been reading so much lately about babies on here with dry, itchy skin :( |
my lab has dry skin, in the winter I put Avon Skin So Soft original bath oil in her water and that helps tremendously. (It's good for human skin too) just be careful if you use it in your tub, it gets really slippery |
poor Tate... well have you tried a fish oil suppliement?? you need to give Vitamin E when you give an oil suppliment. what about homecooking??? if it is an food allergy you are able to eliminate things to see what it is.. and something tells me that Stedman would eat it ALL :) esp if you grate cheese on top :) Layla has RIDICULOULY dry skin.. esp on her belly... |
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I did homecooking for a little while when all the food recalls were going on...but then eventually ended up putting them back on Chicken Soup. Stedman just really, really likes this food and I hate to take him off of it because he eats it better than anything else I've ever given him...sigh....I just don't know what to do! :( Do you have Layla on the fish oil/vitamin e? If so, has it been helping with her dry skin?? |
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we are at a loss... she chews her paws.. her eyes itch... BUT actually i think i've narrowed it down to chicken... the more i think about it.. she has been SUPER good this month with chewing.. her eyes are still a bit watery but not nearly as bad as they were... something to think about :) they say chicken can be an allergen... i dread taking her to the vet because i don't want her on meds... so it was a matter of elimination :rolleyes: only took 8 months! |
I have been battling the dry itchy skin with Roxy for about a year now. She is feed home cooked meals, get fish oil, cocont oil and vitamin E everyday. I use hypoallergenic laundry soap, no fabric softners. I vaccum 1x a week. I bath her every other weekend, but I am pushing it off another week b/c after baths seem to be the worst time for her. I bath her in Minksheen and NO Conditioner. I have resorted to spraying her down with the water for about 5 mins to make sure there is no residue of soap left on her. The main area that effects her is under her arm pits and behind her ears. Once bathed, I have to apply Skin Works by the Coat Handler, it's the only cream that seems to help her areas. I don't have anything else to blame it on, I just think she has dry skin or environmental allergies. Also her eyes water and get globs of clear goop ALL the time. |
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My maltese has the same problem. He has been itching alot lately and its mainly on his nose. He has some hair loss around his nose also. I stopped bathing them both weekly and have been doing it every 2 to weeks now. Suprisingly they are not stinky.:) I switched from Canidae to NV Raw and have noticed that he has been scratching a lot less and they do not have that doggy smell:thumbup: . I am currently looking for a oatmeal shampoo for him because his hair is looking a poofy:D Hopefully someone else has an ans. |
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I use Aveeno Oatmeal body wash (I think it is) for Ellie. You can get it at the drugstore. I would try fish oil and vitamin E. When did this problem start? |
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You know, I forgot to mention the thing about the chicken in my post. I was sitting here thinking today and I do remember my sister telling me that her Bulldog, Lily, cannot have food with any chicken in it what so ever. Our vet told her this as she has skin issues also. And as some may or may not know, Bulldogs are prone to skin problems. In fact, I may call her and see what she is feeding Lily...whatever it is I know has been working for her, I just can't remember the name of the food for the life of me. Thanks for all your help girl and I sure do hope that Layla and Tate can get rid of all this darn itchy skin! :( |
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