Canine Dry Skin

by Mr. Roger (Reader Question)

My Sharpe has a canine dry skin condition. Can I treat him with Biotin, Vitamin E and Zinc?

Canine dry skin - Dog Health Guide editor suggestions

Dear Mr. Roger,

Thank you for your question.

The drying of dog skin may occur for several reasons. Allergies, nutritional deficiencies, weather conditions, mild parasitic and fungal infections and some endocrine disorders etc can cause dog skin dryness and dog skin dandruff.

It is always suggested that the exact cause of any dog health problem such as a dog with dry skin, whether it's minor or major should be identified and treated specifically by a veterinarian.

Supportive measures are important too, but remember that if any underlying cause when a dog has dry skin is not treated, it can lead to more severe health problems. This could become true in this case where the severity of the canine dry skin condition and secondary infections can cause more severe symptoms such as skin lesions, alopecia (hair loss) and generalized illness.

Biotin, Vitamin E and Zinc are good for canine skin health, but they all tend to be only supplemental and supportive measures. An underlying cause needs to both be identified and treated with specific drugs that address the specific cause of the canine dry skin problem, as directed by a veterinarian.

Biotin e.g. helps in the growth and health of dog hairs, and its deficiency causes the shedding of hairs. Vitamin E on other hand has strong moisturizing properties if applied directly over the skin. Zinc oxide or zinc pyrithione is considered the best dog skin protective, bactericidal, and anti dandruff agent respectively. So, all these agents seem supportive only, if an exact cause is not definitely diagnosed.

Just to repeat, an owner should also seek to find the underlying cause when a dog has dry skin. If you are not sure, better to consult a nearby veterinarian for a diagnosis.

If extraordinary symptoms such as itching, chewing, scratching and progressive scaling of the skin are not present and the canine dry skin condition is the only mild symptom, you should try a shampoo containing herbal oils and conditioners such as Ultimate Conditioning Shampoo.

You can try biotin and vitamin E in lower quantities, but zinc is not recommended since we are not sure about the cause of the condition and also there are some severe toxicity problems related to zinc.

Also, to improve skin health you could try a natural dog skin remedy such as Skin and Coat Tonic. These types of products have antioxidant properties and will surely help to reduce the affects of any possible cause of this canine dry skin condition.

Please keep us up to date so that others will know how to treat a dog with dry skin.