Owner question - solution for very dry skin

[pekka]

Hi! Hope posting a question here is okay.

I have a ~2 year old spayed Bernedoodle with super thick, curly hair (like a sheep) and EXTREMELY dry skin.

I give her Welactin Omega-3 oil on her food daily, and she is groomed every 6 weeks using Pure Paws Oats N’ Aloe products. She also gets a cytopoint injection for allergic/atopic dermatitis (i.e., she’s an itchy little b*tch).

Her coat looks great - very soft and shiny. Like a freaking shampoo commercial. However, her skin is so dry that it’s almost like she has dandruff.

Does anyone know of a product that might help keep some moisture in her skin?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Edited to add: we are in Denver so it’s very dry here.

 

[frankems21]

@pekka What is she fed?

In my experience this is almost always highly influenced by food.

 

[pekka]

@frankems21 She is on Science Diet Large Breed

 

[logmantm]

@pekka Try something that’s primarily fish, especially Salmon, based for some natural fish oils or try supplementing her diet with real raw salmon if you are committed to your kibble. There may also be toppers you can try.

That said, it sounds like she’s allergic to something in her kibble. Likely chicken. Many poodles are allergic to chicken. You’ll likely have better luck if you switch entirely.

 

[frankems21]

@pekka

She is on Science Diet Large Breed

Science Diet brands are not highly regarded in the dog community- here is a review that explains why.

I would personally recommend something like a fish based diet- I like Taste of the Wild 'Pacific Salmon' but Blue Buffalo and Fromm are also great brands.

If your vet has scared you away from grain free formulas due to recent cardiomyopathy concerns then you can choose something else- I mix mine half and half with another formula with grains to cover my bases. But I had a discussion with my vet just last month about this and she mentioned that recent studies found pea/lentil formulas to be the problem, not simply "grain free." But that's a whole other discussion.

I would seriously suggest getting her off of Science Diet.

Over the 40 year span of my grooming career I saw COUNTLESS skin issues completely resolved purely by getting the dog OFF of Science Diet. Dandruff, seborrhea, allergies, and even ear infections clear up when you get off it.

And you do not need a large breed formula as a puppy OR as an adult.

Welactin Omega-3 oil

Personally I would use cold pressed salmon oil.
The very nature of fats means that they degrade in shipping and storage conditions unless climate controlled. That bottle you bought was likely not cold pressed, subjected to heat and light during processing, shipped in hot trucks, warehoused for who knows how long, and then sits on a shelf for yet another period of time.

Degraded fats are of no benefit and actually contribute to free radical production.

So I buy my healthy fats in busy health food stores where I know the turnover is rapid and the product has been refrigerated.

This is an extreme view to many but that's how I do my own nutrition and I won't give my dogs anything less.

Healthy fats are part of the structure of every single cell in both your and your dog's body, and IMO seeing that they are built with the best product possible seems like a good idea to me.

 

[pekka]

@frankems21 Thanks everyone for the help! I will start by getting her off the science diet and see how much she improves.

Thank you!

 

[tmur]

@pekka Another thing you could look into would be antifungal shampoo, since there may be an underlying yeast issue. It's often exasperated by diet. So there could be a connection.

 

[kissthedream]

@frankems21 this is so interesting! I am a guilty doggy parent here. Recently had some medical hardships and changed our lifestyle including our dog's. He went from Taste of the Wild Salmon to Costco brand. We bounced around a few flavors until he settled on Chicken October 2022. In November he started itching. December 2022 we took him to vet (juggling my own medical journey). The vet said "he's not sure" but probably the diet change and suggested a Cytopoint shot. I called after holiday to ask about if they had ruled out Candida? The tech said there were no notes. I had to go back and test and our baby has atopic dermatitis. We opted for the Cytopoint and Zyrtec as suggested. I immediately switched him back to Taste of the Wild Pacific Salmon. I will try the salmon oil, thank you so much.

 

[ch4dd]

@pekka Science diet is trash. Look at rhe ingredients .

Vets push it because they get a commison percentage.

 

[sacm]

@ch4dd What country are you in that pays vets commission? Can't imagine how that would even work, how would the food company know they'd recommended it?

 

[frankems21]

@sacm

What country are you in that pays vets commission?

USA.
ANY foods sold in the veterinarians office provide income to the vet.

Further, there is a bit of an "unholy alliance" between Hills/Science Diet and the veterinary profession. I exaggerate for emphasis but the facts remain.

If you 1) understand that veterinary school education in feeding and nutrition is a very small parcel of information that is very rarely given more than a day or two to cover.

Then 2) understand that all of the educational literature provided to the students in veterinary schools is provided by Hills/Science Diet itself you can see where a conflict of interest could easily happen.

It's a topic for a different sub perhaps, but this is part of why Science Diet pervades veterinarian's offices and is often recommend.

The Hills prescription foods are wonderful and useful.

But plain old 'regular' dogfoods not so much.

I wouldn't go near it.

ETA: I am aware that this will be downvoted and refuted yadda yadda.

But I have been passionate about animal nutrition and educating my client base for 40 years and I'm not stopping now just because of a few imaginary votes.

I would only suggest making friends with your vets and having frank discussions.

You'd be surprised.

 

[tmur]

@frankems21 Eh, that's why I unsubscribed from the dogs forum. I feed my personal dogs Orijen, and I felt like I was constantly attacked there.

 

[sacm]

@frankems21 Ah, wouldn't be surprised given its a country that let's doctors push branded medication to humans...

From what I've heard from vets, the reason it's such a short course is because it's pretty clear cut science, so don't need a lot of time to cover it.

Not refuting, but feels like something that if it were true, ex-vets, or more ethical vets would have come forward and said something. Unless I just haven't seen any of the evidence.

I'm in the UK, had many discussions on food with my vets and they don't push certain brands.

 

[tmur]

@sacm Most of the time, during vet school, they only get maybe 30 minutes to an hour total of nutrition discussion. And these big companies like purina & hills provide free food to the vet students, so they build trust & a positive association. These companies are willing to take the initial profit cut, cuz once they have built that emotional bond, the freshly graduated vets are more willing to push and carry those products.

Pet nutrition is underfunded, since the big pet companies don't want to risk their top dollar foods being the same quality as bottom dollar foods... so the actual science is limited.

It also came out that the link between grain free foods & heart failure was void, and the FDA just said talk to your vet & feed what you think is best.

 

[justasmalltowngirl]

@pekka Purina Proplan sensitive skin and stomach is amazing and helped my dogs skin a lot