# Flaky & Dry Skin



## armgwag (Sep 22, 2017)

Hey All,

I checked some older posts but I didn't see anything that was specific to Jaxson's situation so starting a new thread. 

He's got dry flakes coming off his back and only in the middle of his back. There's also small faint patches where the hair is thinning on top. I took him to my vet and quite frankly she confused me. She would not give me any definitive answer or even a medical opinion one way or the other. She kept saying it could this or that, lets rule out XXX. Unfortunately my normal vet wasn't in and I got some stand in. At the advice of the vet I bathed him, the flakes went away for 1 or 2 days and came right back. Her concluding opinion was to just monitor it and see if it gets worse. I didn't notice this until it started to get hot, we live in Houston Texas. Just prior to this starting he broke out in hives which I gave him some Benadryl and cleared up the hives. 

I don't know if I should find a new vet? Get skin samples? Has anyone seen this? :sad


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Did he have hives, in the same place as the dry skin? If so it could be related, and just need time to go back to normal. 

I've used fish oils, coconut oils in the past, and they do okay. What has worked best for my dogs, is adding low sodium salmon to their diet. Just a couple if times a week was all that was needed.


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## armgwag (Sep 22, 2017)

texasred said:


> Did he have hives, in the same place as the dry skin? If so it could be related, and just need time to go back to normal.
> 
> I've used fish oils, coconut oils in the past, and they do okay. What has worked best for my dogs, is adding low sodium salmon to their diet. Just a couple if times a week was all that was needed.


Hey,

No, the hives were everywhere except his face. Yeah, I tried using some coconut oil in with one cooked egg. A friend just gave me some wild oregano oil and she said it really helps with skin issues. I'll definitely try the fish and continue with the coconut oil. But it sounds like this isn't something to be overly concerned about. 

Thanks texasred


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Dry, flaky skin is usually the result of contact with some contagion, be it bugs or plants.  And although it makes sense to bathe them..once, to remove that....frequent bathing will result in further drying. So, as long as there's no discomfort, your vet is right about keeping an eye on it. If you see bald patches, esp. in puppies, itls often mange which would require treatment.

Otherwise, stay away from potions like wild oregano, and stick to a little coconut oil dissolved in warm H2O with the kibble.


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## armgwag (Sep 22, 2017)

gingerling said:


> Dry, flaky skin is usually the result of contact with some contagion, be it bugs or plants. And although it makes sense to bathe them..once, to remove that....frequent bathing will result in further drying. So, as long as there's no discomfort, your vet is right about keeping an eye on it. If you see bald patches, esp. in puppies, itls often mange which would require treatment.
> 
> Otherwise, stay away from potions like wild oregano, and stick to a little coconut oil dissolved in warm H2O with the kibble.


Hi Gingerling,

Thanks for the feedback. I thought it could also be something growing related to the season, as mentioned it appeared once the temp changed. I am not seeing any bald patches, but thinning in his coat. Specifically in his back in 2 small areas, unnoticeable unless you see him everyday. 

Can you educate me a bit on the wild oregano oil? Why should I avoid this? I was given it by way of a homeopathic vet who uses this for her dogs that have skin issues in addition to another oil to put on his coat which I have not used yet. 

I have continued the coconut oil in his kibble once per day. I'm using about a teaspoon, not sure if this is too little for a 51 pounder? 

See ya!


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Pics would be helpful.

Bug bites look like small, raised bumps, and the hair could thin or even fall out. Mange..a common problem caused by a fungus....results in flat, bald spots that can turn red. My bet is bug bites.

I'm not one to treat even with "homeopathic" unless Ilm sure what it is I'm treating...all these things have powerful active ingredients (which is why they're prescribed), so just b/c it's "Oregano" doesn't mean it's necessarily OK for him. Coconut oil (a teaspoon is fine) has been shown to be very safe and highly effective with skin and coat issues, so there's no worry.

My experience with coat issues is that they either get better very quickly, or get worse..so you (and the vet) should know soon enough if this is something to be concerned about. Until then, less is more, so I/d go with a little coconut oil once a day.


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## armgwag (Sep 22, 2017)

gingerling said:


> Pics would be helpful.
> 
> Bug bites look like small, raised bumps, and the hair could thin or even fall out. Mange..a common problem caused by a fungus....results in flat, bald spots that can turn red. My bet is bug bites.
> 
> ...


That's fair, I'll share pics next time. Over the past few days it's shown enough improvement to where it's not a good use of everyone's time. Yeah, it's definitely not bald spots that are red so we can rule that out. Fair enough, it's not getting any worse and since I am seeing improvement I'll keep with coconut oil based on the suggested amount. It appears I am always learning :angel

Thanks for the feedback gingerling!


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