Caring for your dog involves many things, such as getting enough exercise, feeding them the right food and keeping them properly groomed. Grooming itself involves a lot more than a haircut every few weeks.
For some dogs, depending on environment, you may run across dry skin conditions. Dry skin, usually noticed as patches of flaky or dry areas around your dog’s body, can mean a variety of things, but here are a few remedies that can help.
Not Just for Cooking
Believe it or not, olive oil isn’t just for cooking. A simple home remedy for dogs with dry skin is simply applying a few drops of olive oil to their food everyday.
The natural vitamins and minerals in olive oil not only help alleviate dry skin, but help your dog’s coat grow thicker and shinier as well. Nothing more than a few drops to dry food may be able to work wonders while providing your dog with a delicious meal.
Check Their Food
Dry skin can simply be an allergic reaction your dog is having to the food they’re eating or the environment. Naturally, dry air can suck up moisture and form flaky splotches on your dog, so a humidifier might help cool things off.
Their food, though, can easily be the cause of their affliction if you’re not paying attention. Switching to 100% all-natural food can help reduce the chance of them having a negative reaction to any processed ingredients or preservatives found in other brands of dog food.
Test Time
Like other symptoms, dry skin can be a product of an infection. Depending on how bad it is, the infection can vary in level of seriousness. That said, it’s important to note that if all other methods fail, get your dog checked out by our vets. Some allergies and infections can only be discovered by performing tests. Once those tests are run, our vets can prescribe proper antibiotics or special shampoos to help combat dry skin.
Helping Your Pet Stay Healthy
Whatever the reason, caring for your furry friend requires a certified team of professionals. At Valley Animal Hospital, you and your pet are important to us, and we are ready to spring into action when the time comes. To learn more about how we can help, look us up or call 956.787.2709.
