Other Remedies for Your Pet's Dry Skin and Shedding

Stop itch and dry skin

With dietary changes, supplementation and other measures, any dog with excessive shedding, dry, itchy skin, and flaking can see improvement. There are many factors that could lead to dry, flaky skin and excessive shedding in dogs. When your pet does not have fungus, allergies, or parasites, his dry skin is probably because of his diet. Although make sure to have your pet examined by a qualified vet to ensure parasites, fungus, or allergies aren't to blame.

Often, some pet owners are not aware that diet has a huge effect on a dog's skin and coat. Many dog owners think all dog foods are the same. The truth is, dog foods are not made equal and cannot fulfill a dog's individual need. So what will fulfill a dog's dietary needs? A healthy diet. This will eliminate dry, flaky skin and excessive shedding. Little by little you will notice reduced amount of fur on your furniture and clothes, your dog will itch and scratch much less. It will also boost your dog's immune system and overall health.

Here are a few tips that could reduce your dog's shedding and dry skin:

Feed on Good Quality Food  

Find a dog food that is balanced nutritionally, with more meat and less grain. You could check on the ingredients, the first few ingredients should be meat rather than grain. 

Add Fresh Foods to Your Pet's Diet

To improve your pet's skin and coat, you should work on improving his overall health. Feed him with fresh foods like meat and vegetables which are high in vitamins and essential nutrients. Add fresh meats, vegetables such as celery, broccoli, carrots, apples to every meal. Gradually introduce new foods to avoid upset stomach. 

Hydrate

Water is very important to avoid dehydration and other health problems. Some dogs don't drink what they should which makes them more prone to dry skin. Try adding fluids to your dog's dry food or serve wet wood interchangeably. When adding hot water to kibble, allow it to sit for several minutes to let it swell with water. Fresh vegetables also contain high amount of water.

 Provide Oils

Another way to improve your pet's dry skin is by adding oil to his diet. You could either directly mix a teaspoon of olive oil for every 15 pounds of body weight or by simply soaking a bread or two in oil and adding it to his food once a day.

Multivitamins

Multivitamins will provide for your pet's nutritional deficiencies. This together with complete, balanced diet will make your dog's skin and coat healthy in addition to overall good health and a robust immune system.

Skin and Coat Supplement

Adding skin and coat supplements like Lanoline to your dog's diet will also provide oils and other nutrients that are important to fight dry skin and excessive shedding. Most pet supply stores like Petco and PetSmart have them available in syrup form.