Dry skin?

[Marci]

I have a beautiful tiny mini blk/tan longhair baby with dry flaky skin!! This condition is not too severe and has only just surfaced. She is 10 months old and this is her first winter!! Could it be the weather in the Northeast? Does anyone have a remedy they could recommend? I have read about Vitamin E and olive oil or Vitacoat...I need advice from you experts on dachsies!! Lucy is soooo sweet and I hate to see her itchy for even one second! Thanks!

[Krista]

My smooth mini has dry skin too. Rudy is almost 6 months old. Our vet said this sometimes happens when dogs are growing out of their puppy stage - especially true if you have forced air heating (I do)because it gets so dry in the house. I too have heard of using vitamin E oil, but I have not tried it. Our vet reccommended using Avon's Skin So Soft spray or something similar from a pet store. I have tried NovaPearls Spray from Tomlin that I bought from a pet store and it seemed to work okay, but I plan on trying the Skin So Soft as soon as I can get some.

I would also like to hear from a dachsie expert on this subject so that Rudy will be happy and healthy.

[Krista]

Marci

I forgot to mention that flaky skin can also be caused by external or internal parasites (such as mites or worms). So make sure to have Lucy checked out by your vet if you haven't already.

[Mark]

Both our mini WH Dachsies have dry skin and we mix a little Olive Oil into their food . . . solved the problem.

[Dolly's Mom]

Just a thought on dry skin. You might try adding about 2 teaspoons of Olive Oil to her food. Sometimes just like people who don't get enough essential oils in food, this can probably happens with our puppers too. I'm no expert, just a suggestion.

Sandi
Dolly's Mom

[Owen's Mom]

Owen has the same problem, and he's a black and Tan too, so the dandruff looks especialy bad. I concur with the fellow "posters" about Olive Oil. I add a tablespoon or so to Owen's dinner and he hardly ever flakes any more (and So. Cal is a tough climate for dog's skin). When he's stinky, I spray him with something called Nova Pearls so that he will be welcome in bed with me http://dachsie.org/ubb/smile.gif (Frito Scent is acceptable). You can see how Shiny he is by going to this link....http://www.doggiefun.com/owen.htm and maybe you can vote for him too http://dachsie.org/ubb/wink.gif

~~Amy & Owen~~

[Mandy]

Our boys also tend to have dry skin....instead of olive oil, I add a little bit of bacon grease (when it is liquid) to their food. They love it and it really helps with the dandruff. I use a medicated shampoo also...it doesn't really help with the dandruff, but it does help to sooth the irritation that dandruff can sometimes bring.
Good luck with your little one.

[Cindi]

Congrats on those owners taking the internal method of helping to alleviate flaky skin. The external preparations might help alleviate the symptoms but not the cause. Any essential oil additive will help, whatever you have available. Just add it in small amounts to begin with as the oil can have side effects on the stool consistency and they need to build up a tolerance or you will have a mess http://dachsie.org/ubb/smile.gif.
Black and tans tend to show the dandruff MUCH more than the other colors. You will notice that under stress they can 'blow' dandruff, too. At shows you will frequently see people with small towels (dampened) wiping the smooths before going in the ring (this is smooths of all breeds) because of the stress - they just throw the dandruff out!
Good luck with your dry skin and yes, the furnace does cause an outbreak of it just like on us. Even those of us in Texas experience it on our dogs in winter.

[mariel@financier.com]

All dachsies need EFAs (essential fatty acids) regularly. Their coats feel soft within hours of eating oils. Mine get flaxseed oil with Omega-3 daily and cod liver oil 2 times a week. Both are purchased from health food stores and stored in fridge.

For other tips, see The Ultimate Diet, Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schultze.