Pet Owners- I need some dog advice.

[Lady Neysa]

I have a Sheltie (shetland sheepdog) 7 yrs. old.  What can I do to improve the condition of his coat?   He always seems to be itchy, and his coat just doesnt feel "good".  That and even just a day or so after a bath, the stinky doggy smell comes back.  He's up to date on his shots, flea meds,etc.  and the vet never has any major concerns.  She says the itching is probably a grass allergy, or dry skin.   I've ofen heard that giving a dog a hard boiled egg and a spoonful of canola or olive oil will help improve the condition of their skin and coat. Has anyone had success with this, and how often do you give it to them?  Any other supplements? 

[SirRichardBear]

We give our dogs a raw egg a week and a raw chicken breast a week.  They get carrots daily you might also look into dog food that has no chemical perservates I've found Muenster dog food to be very good for my dogs.  Even the 14 year is active and has very little problems.

[Lady Mikayla of Phoenicia]

Your Sheltie is probably allergic to processed grains.  Your post did not indicate what type of food you are feeding however what we put inside reflects on the outside.  If you put in high quality food on the inside your dog will feel and look better.  I feed my dogs a primarily raw diet.  It is what they would eat if they were still in the wild.  In my area we have someone who processes it locally called Blue Ridge Beef.  For breakfast mine get either raw beef with fat or raw beef with ground raw bone, internal organs and green tripe.  For dinner, it's a couple of raw chicken wings parts 2 & 3 (flapper and drumstick.)  For an average sized Sheltie, I would recommend 4-5 chicken wing parts (or 2 full chicken wings) for dinner.

I still occassionally supplement with Purina Shredded Blends kibble, however it's rare and usually when I am trying to put weight on a dog.  Mine do also receive fresh fruits such as apples & bananas, fresh veggies such as carrots and traditional dog biscuits.  You will find with feeding raw dogs shed less, smell better and have MUCH smaller poops with less smell! 

[Becky10]

I have a four year old sheltie and we've found out that what food you give them can have a major change in the quality of their coat. Jake used to have a "good" coat but would also itch and smell, it was odd cause he hated eating i would have to lock him away from the other dogs and basically wait it out of him, we switched to Dogswell Vitality and all he does is eat and his coat has improved (more fur for me to sweep up!).

If he does have an allergy to processed grain(which it sounds like) feeding raw is another option. We've always had problems with our Scotties's skin, coats and itching. The last time we followed vet recommendations they pumped her full of steroids (and expensive dog food) it just put into a major decline until she had to be put down. This time we feed raw and they have shiny clean coats, clean ears (major sign of allergies to food) and they don't have that dirty dog smell. Its best to do some research on it first but i really think its a great option. If you have any places like ValuePlus or Payless foods you can get ten pounds of chicken for cheap and freeze it and it comes up to about the same amount you would pay for a 10lb bag of good dog food.

[Merlin the Elder]

We've never been able to correct the itching/allergy problems with our Akita, and we've tried every bloody thing that's come along. She only gets high quality natural dog food.  I'll be following this thread to see if any new ideas come through...

[LadyStitch]

My grandmother's American Eskimo  had TERRIBLE allergies from the age of 5-7 years and up.  We tried different foods, and shampoo's.  We ended up taking her to a Vetrinatry allergy  specialist . They did an allergy test on her. (Same as they do humans).  Turns out she is allergic to an enzyme that is surcreted in animal dander.
Translation: She was allergic to her own sheading, and that of any animal in the house. 
We ended up shearing her down to half an inch and giving her a bath with a special shampoo every other day to get it under control.  We had her on brewers yeast, Vitamin E pills, aloe sprays, all kinds of things.  The best thing we could do for her was ease the symptoms, and keep her from having bad flare ups.  This meant vacuming and cleaning the house of dust/dander as much as we could. 

I wish you luck.

[Lady Neysa]

Thanks all very much for the input so far!   
Becky that's very interesting what you said about the dog's ears, because Max has had several ear infections over the last few years that was attributed to getting water in his ears while bathing.   It's starting to sound like changing his kibble might be the way to go. I looked and yes, unfortunately the first ingredient listed is corn.  Natural inexpensive foods and remedies are much more appealing to me than the vet wanting to run umpteen expensive tests, and pump him full of costly drugs that may not work or make him sick. No offense meant to any veterinarians, but sometimes it seems like they go overboard on that kind of thing, cause I guess thats where they make their money.  I love my pets dearly but I can only afford to do so much, you know? 
Keep the suggestions coming, I really appreciate it!   

[Lady Lil]

I just happen to be a surgical vet tech at your service I do agree with Lady Mikayla. A raw diet is great if you are fully commented to the feeding schedule. This time of year I see more dogs with itchy skin than every left untreated that becomes staph infection. Allergy testing is great but very costly and most of the time it is almost impossible to completely remove whatever it is the dog is allergic too. A prescription diet is also costly but works however it generally takes up to 3 months to show results. If the coat isn't looking so shiny, just add oil to the food an all natural oil, you'll know if you are adding to much because you'll get very loose stools. Fish oil pill are great but for a 30-50 pound dog you would need 60 pills a day to make a difference. There are shampoos that clean out the pores just like acne medicine, it needs to stay on the dog for about 10 min. before rinsing off and should be used every 5 days until the itching has stopped. bad smells usually means infection and if sores are forming because of itching you'll need antibiotics most likely. Watch out for too many cortisone injections, over time can be wear the internal organs down, and if your dog has ever had mange, cortisone can make it reappear. I hope some of this is helpful to someone. Theses are my personal options not professional.

[LadyFireKissed]

Ok now that we have had a vet tech talk I am a Professional Groomer at your service.     I wholeheartedly agree with all that has been said here,  concerning the dogs diet anyway.  You have to start from the inside out.  I know many people who show dogs and let me tell you they are not going for bargin brand Ol Roy or some such.  What, if I may ask ARE you feeding?  I am not a nutritionist but it appears that there are many people here who DO know a great deal.

Now to touch on some grooming teqniques.  The first thing I have to ask is the dog COMPLEATLY brushed out?  By that I mean to take a grooming comb with finely spaced teeth and run it through the dog.  If you can smoothly run the come from nose to tail on every part of the dog all the way to the skin without getting a single thick spot or more than a combfull of hair for the entire dog, then it is brushed out.  The reason for this is firstly, if air can circulate, it will natrually start to help the coat and skin.  THe other reason is that once you get the dog brushed out you can do it on a daily to every other day basis and the brushing will help to stimulate the hair follicles and start new healthy growth.  If a dogs coat is loaded with undercoat the skin gets dry and that dead hair just builds up without the shiny new coat coming in because the dead coat drys it up as soon as it comes in.  is that understandable or do you have questions on that?


The second thing that I have to ask is what type of shampoo do you use?  That makes a HUGE difference.  Personally I do not care for the oatmeal shampoos, I think that they are much touted for being more than they are.  A good quality shampoo can work wonders, as well as a good conditioner.  Does the shampoo that you use have alot of dyes, scents, ect?  Try one without scents, and dyes.  Sometimes that is the bigest culprit.  When you shampoo them make SURE that they are totally and fully rinsed.  I cant tell you how many times somebody will come in and say their dog is itching and I will get them in the tub and the soap suds just ROLL off the dog   When you are done bathing the dog how do you dry her.  The best thing for him would be to squeeze the water out of him, NO RUBBING, use a few extra towles and then let air dry.  Takes longer I know, but if you use even a hair dryer on that you will only dry out the skin more and by rubbing you are just encouraging the itching. 

The smell to me sounds more like a internal issue.  If you could list all the products that you use or feed him, then may be we can give you some more information and ideas, for my part specifically on grooming products.  Hope I helped some

[Lady Neysa]

Wow, ask and you shall receive!   As far as food, I'm kinda embarassed to say that we use the cheapo low fat purina kibble.  Low fat, cause a few years ago he had some weight issues, not so much anymore, but we never switched to anything else.  I agree that it would probably be best to gradually switch him to something better.  As far as grooming and bathing, yep I've learned that having a sheltie is a lot of maintenance.  Matted up hair is not a good thing!   I don't remember right off the brand of shampoo, but I can tell you it was clear, and said it was conditioning shampoo, and I believe it has tea tree oil in it, but I may be wrong. When I bathe and rinse him I rinse until I'm sure the soap is all out, then I continue to rinse for a while longer.  It still wouldn't surprise me if I found I was leaving residue though, partly because of our hard water.  We have our little ritual when getting out of the tub.  He gets all excited and  will rub himself all over the towel. He loves getting dried off.  I always let him air dry, blow drying would take forever.  He's not a show dog so he doesn't need to look all poofy.  He hates the hair dryer anyway.  I've tried oatmeal shampoo and never noticed a marked difference but my  vet tech said its not supposed to be as drying as other types of shampoo. 

Ok so heres another question.  Does it sound like the main culprit is likely food related, or could he have a grass allergy as well?  I forgot to mention that as well as being itchy all over, he also chews on his feet  alot. He's pretty much done that since we've had him.   Without getting tests done, is there a way you can tell if it's one or the other, or maybe both?  Sorry if these are dumb questions, these are things I shouldve been asking ages ago.  I guess if we were to wash his feet off after coming in, and he stopped chewing on his feet, we'd know. 

[LadyFireKissed]

the  I guess if we were to wash his feet off after coming in, and he stopped chewing on his feet, we'd know. 

Not Necessarily.  I also have a dog that has EXTREAMLY bad skin issues, we fight with it constantly, and that is one of the things that we have tried that as well.  I am pretty sure that she has issues with grass as well, but frankly we dont have those kinds of funds to invest in testing

Tea tree oil is a very good thing for skin issues, I have a all natrual teatree spray for when my dog starts licking the feet and it helps her alot.  One shampoo that I have also found that helps alot is a shampoo that is called FURst Aid, by Groomers Edge.  You can find it online at Petedge.com.  Their whole line of products is good.  Another thing, do you dilute your shampoo?  Most every shampoo is designed to be diluted.  if you put it straight on a dog then it makes it much harder not only to spread thru the dog but to rinse out.  Not to mention that way you will go thru the bottle slower and save money.   Oatmeal is not as drying as other shampoos as a general rule depending on the quality of the other shampoos but I could take it or leave it.

[Rowan MacD]

  We have a Scottish Terrier, a breed that has known issues with corn and grain allergies which can make the coat dry and brittle as well as give the dog dry skin, so we started him on a grain free diet as a 9 week old pup.
  We feed Inova, (available in some feed stores and online) which has NO grains in it, only meat and vegetables, and our laddie has a shiny coat and plenty of energy.  The groomer has remarked on every visit that she sees few dogs with such a healthy coat and skin.
  Canidae, champion, EVO and only a couple of varieties of Diamond brand food are also grain free, and may be easier to find. Always read the labels, never just assume because one flavor/variety of kibble within a brand does not have grain that they ALL are grain free. Corn and wheat are used as fillers in the vast majority of dog foods, including ALL the Iams and Science Diet varieties.  My vet sells both and he acknowledges they all have grain, primarily corn. The higher in the ingredient list the grain is, the higher the content.
  Not all dogs are bothered by grains, my daughter has always fed her German Shepard and Akita Iams and they are both 12 years old and in excellent health, but if your dag has skin issues, switch to one of the grain free kibbles and see if there is an improvement after they eat through a large bag of it.
  Grain free is expensive-a 30lb bag of Inova or any of the above mentioned kibble will set you back $50-$55, but a raw diet is not cheap (or convenient) either.   
  Good luck!
~Rowen Mac D

   

[irish]

I have a Black Lab/Newfoundland mix, age 12. When he started with the dry itches, we found out he had thyroid problems. He is now on medication and no more itching.
Also, make sure there are no fleas under all that hair. He could have an allergy to the fleas. We had a collie mix who had that problem.
Like some have said, look at the ingredients of what he is eating. I give our 'pup' as natural as I can find, now.
I bathe him, twice a month, as this will not dry his skin out. It will take away the natural skin oils, if bathed more than that. Try bathing twice a month, rinse well, use good conditioner and towel dry. (I use Pantene...lol!) When I take him to the groomer, I also have him cut down as his hair is so thick. This way in the summer, his skin can breathe somewhat. He looks like a lab, then. He really suffers in the heat if I don't.
Make sure you groom him at least once a day to keep the coat nice and clean between bathing. I use a fine tooth comb or the shed ender comb for this. Brushes do not seem to work on his coat at all!

[Lady Lil]

Irish brought up a good point about flea allergies, depending on the breed all it takes is 1 flea to have an allergic reaction. Because of the food recalls a few years back, grain-free has been the way to go, not that the food was recalled because of the grain, but it brought attention to the different brands of high amounts of grain used as filler in the foods. Hills by Science Diet has a great website regarding canine nutrition to give you an idea of the different types of food. It has also been brought to my attention that the serving sizes are also a good indicator of the amount of quality of food. Where as a 50 pound dog might have a 1 cup serving of a high quality of food, a lower quality might suggest a 2 cup serving for the same weight to be sure that the dog is getting the correct daily amount of nutrition. When in reality the dog eating the lower quality food is over eating because of the amount of filler in the food.  Unfortunately, you sometimes get what you pay for, there are a lot of mid-grade foods out there it's just a matter of finding one that works for you and your pet. I hope some of this made sense. Best  Wishes.

[Luciana]

I have German Shepherds. Talyn had major skin allergies when I got her, she was scratching all the time. I put her on a no corn, no soy, no wheat diet and now she's much better. I buy the food at Petsmart or Petco, not the cheapest food but does the job done. I tried raw food but, unfortunately both Talyn and Brinks' stomachs get very upset after eating chicken.