What can I do for a dog with really dry skin

Question

I have a 15 year old Pekingese that we rescued about 5 years ago. He has always had food and drug allergies and we have been careful about what shampoos we use, and what we let him eat. Over the last year his skin has gotten really bad. It causes him to itch almost constantly which has created several sore spots. It got so bad over the summer that he got it all matted and we were forced to cut his hair very short. When we did we saw how bad his skin really was. There are several large patches of really dry skin he has managed to get raw.

We have tried hemp lotion which helps some (mostly because I think it keeps him from licking it) but Buddy (the dog) hates it to the point if he sees the bottle he runs the other way. Is there anything that can be done to make him more comfortable?

The allergies here have more to do with what we can give him rather than being the cause of the problem. They are food and drug allergies rather than seasonal allergies. — , Oct 09 '13 at 15:33
@JoshDM we have him on a special food that the vet recommended because of his allergies. — , Oct 09 '13 at 21:11
We recently tried changing it to Blue Wilderness Duck(the no grains or filler would be cheaper to feed him gold bars version). This has not changed his skin condition though he loves the food. — , Nov 12 '13 at 16:04

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 15 '13 at 20:12

Some food related things I know to be a help from working with pet food and supplements are: - Coconut unsweetened sprinkled over the food can help the oil in the skin and coat to promote its health, or also coconut oil rubbed into the skin. they love licking it off though (its fine for them to eat) so you got to rub it in good before they get a chance to lick it off. - An oatmeal based food and or shampoo can help as well - Their are also many treats and supplements at pet stores that are tasty and if given according to the instructions on the packaging are great for promoting skin and coat heath.

What can I do for a dog with really dry skin

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