Our dog has dry skin - any advice?

[CalvertNewbie]

Our black lab has a patch of dry skin on his side and his fur is very thin there. Otherwise, his coat is really thick, shiny and soft. Does anyone know what could be causing this? We've tried conditioning shampoo but it didn't help. He isn't scratching at it so it doesn't seem to bother him at all.

I'm wondering if we should make an appointment with the vet now. His last visit was in October. TIA.

[jp2854]

I would take him to the vet to make sure it really isn't dry skin it could be something else you know.

[CalvertNewbie]

Originally Posted by jp2854

I would take him to the vet to make sure it really isn't dry skin it could be something else you know.

Yeah, that was our concern - what if it's a sign of something more serious than just dry skin? My hubby and I went to Mexico for a few days about a month ago and left Jake at a local kennel. I don't know if that had anything to do with this but we noticed his fur thining there a few days later.

[thatcat22]

sounds like a hot spot. if you want your dog to have soft skin...feed them a raw egg every now and then

[cattitude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by thatcat22

sounds like a hot spot. if you want your dog to have soft skin...feed them a raw egg every now and then

Dogs should NOT eat raw eggs.

Make sure you are feeding a quality dog food and give them a fish oil capsule daily.

[DEEKAYPEE8569]

I'm not a Vet, but it sounds like Puppy Dog could have the beginning stages of mange or some other degree of dermatitis; or is it possible he got into something; perhaps a cleanser of some type?

Originally Posted by CalvertNewbie

Our black lab has a patch of dry skin on his side and his fur is very thin there. Otherwise, his coat is really thick, shiny and soft. Does anyone know what could be causing this? We've tried conditioning shampoo but it didn't help. He isn't scratching at it so it doesn't seem to bother him at all.

I'm wondering if we should make an appointment with the vet now. His last visit was in October. TIA.

[CalvertNewbie]

Originally Posted by cattitude

Dogs should NOT eat raw eggs.

Make sure you are feeding a quality dog food and give them a fish oil capsule daily.

We feed him IAMS and he doesn't eat table scraps (exept for an occasional pizza crust). The fish oil makes sense. I'll give it a try, thanks!

[CalvertNewbie]

Originally Posted by DEEKAYPEE8569

I'm not a Vet, but it sounds like Puppy Dog could have the beginning stages of mange or some other degree of dermatitis; or is it possible he got into something; perhaps a cleanser of some type?

Hmmm. Not here but I can't know for sure if he did at the kennel. The dogs there roam freely in a large fenced area and have access to a barn to sleep in. I doubt they would keep anything around that the dogs could get into but who knows?

We decided that we need to find a pet sitter anyway. I'd feel more comfortable having him in his own house if we need to leave town. Then I'll know for certain that he didn't eat anything he wasn't supposed to.

[Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by CalvertNewbie

Hmmm. Not here but I can't know for sure if he did at the kennel. The dogs there roam freely in a large fenced area and have access to a barn to sleep in. I doubt they would keep anything around that the dogs could get into but who knows?

We decided that we need to find a pet sitter anyway. I'd feel more comfortable having him in his own house if we need to leave town. Then I'll know for certain that he didn't eat anything he wasn't supposed to.

Sleeping in a barn? Where in the world did you board him?

[Nanny Pam (Premo)]

Originally Posted by cattitude

Dogs should NOT eat raw eggs.

Make sure you are feeding a quality dog food and give them a fish oil capsule daily.