Dry skin in pets is a serious condition for many animals. Dry skin can cause itching, flaky skin, and lot of discomfort for your pet. In order to understand how to prevent dry skin your pet, you must understand the many reasons why their skin is drying out so that you may get to the root of the problem.  Some common causes of dry skin in pets include: over or under bathing, use of the wrong shampoos, under-grooming, nutrient deficiency in diet, dry climate or forced air heating, neutering/spaying, and many other potential causes.

If your dog is itching more than normal or its fur coat has lost its luster, your dog may be suffering from a deficiency in its diet.  A lack of protein or an improper balance of essential fatty acids in your pet’s diet could cause dry skin. An imbalance in your pet’s nutrition is a common cause for dry skin in pets because pet foods are notoriously low in certain proteins and fatty acids. Pets that are on a dry food diet are more at risk for dry skin problems because there’s a lack of moisture in the food. The moisture helps to keep the essential nutrients from breaking down before digestion. Knowing how important nutrition is to your pet’s skin, make sure to feed your pet a balanced diet of both wet and dry food to maintain your pet’s healthy coat.

Another important tip for preventing dry skin in your pet is to bathe your pet properly.  Giving your dog regular baths with high quality shampoo is a major factor to the overall health of your pet’s skin.  However, if you don’t use quality shampoo, or if you use a shampoo that is composed of lots of synthetic ingredients, you can strip your pet of its natural oils that will keep it moisturized. If your pet is short on its essential oils, it will cause its skin to become flaky and itchy.  The best type of shampoo you can use to help combat and prevent dry skin is a natural shampoo containing Colloidal Oatmeal.

The last tip to prevent dry skin in your pet is to groom regularly. All pets need to be groomed and brushed frequently to get rid of dead skin that accumulates over time. If you don’t groom on a regular basis, the dead skin will buildup on the surface of the skin and cause more scratching and flaking.  Depending on your pet, you may need brush daily or up to 3-4 times a week.  

In some cases your dog will have dry skin as a result of some other underlying cause such as an infection or allergies. An easy way to help main the health of your pet’s skin is to add fatty acid supplements to its diet such as salmon oil or fish oil. Prevent dry skin your pet by providing your pet with adequate nutrition, healthy baths, and regular grooming. With these tips, the only scratch your pet will have is the one you give them.