# Lots of dander/ dry skin



## vizslaLUvr16 (Dec 29, 2014)

So Gracie is about 12 weeks or so now, she's growing so fast! It has been very cold here as of late, and I have been noticing a lot of dander/ dry skin on her lately. She's eating well and drinking plenty of water. Any suggestions as to how I can help her get more oily?


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## organicthoughts (Oct 9, 2012)

Add wild salmon oil to her diet.


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## vizslaLUvr16 (Dec 29, 2014)

Ok! Does that tend to make them smelly at all? Just curious.


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## gem2304 (Mar 7, 2013)

My wire V has had a lot of dry skin through the winter. I have started adding tinned sardines to his food and salmon oil, i was also worried that it might make him smell fishy but he doesn't at all.


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## riley455 (Aug 27, 2011)

I use coconut oil, just add a teaspoon to every meal.


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## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

Lua gets dry skin too---we use coconut oil to combat it. It works great in the spring, summer, and fall, but in the winter, dry skin and dander is basically inevitable. Her coat is lovely and noticeably softer on coconut oil. A couple things with it as a dietary supplement, though:

1. You need UNREFINED (or "virgin" or "pure") coconut oil---the benefit of it is in the medium-chain fatty acids and the antioxidants. Refining the coconut oil involves heat, which damages the antioxidants and may convert some of the saturated fats in the oil to trans-fats (which, in humans at least, are quite unhealthy). 

2. The recommended dose is 1 TEAspoon per 10 pounds of body weight. BUT, starting at that dose will in all likelihood cause vomiting and/or diarrhea. For Lua who weighs just under 40 pounds, she gets about a tablespoon with breakfast. But she started with 1 teaspoon and gradually increased over a couple weeks. 

3. The oil's melting temperature is around 77 degrees I think, so it'll be solid in the jar. Lua doesn't care---she'll eat hunks of the stuff whole---but you could melt it it for some reason your pup doesn't like it (most do, though).


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