Causes of Dry Skin in Dogs: What's Happening?

1. Weather Conditions: Both summer and winter can pose challenges for a dog's skin health. During the summer, intense sunlight can lead to dryness, while the winter air tends to be dry, exacerbating the issue. To combat this, it's important to protect your furry friend from excessive sun exposure in the summer and use a humidifier to maintain indoor humidity during the colder months to help alleviate dry skin issues.

2. Overbathing: Dogs naturally have oils on their skin that help retain moisture. Frequent bathing can strip these oils away, leading to dry skin. It's crucial to avoid washing your dog too often. Typically, a bath should be given only when necessary, not as a routine practice. While it's tempting to keep your pet clean and fragrant, doing so excessively can weaken the skin. Aim to bathe your dog about every seven to ten days in summer and every two weeks in winter. Always ensure the coat is thoroughly dried to prevent moisturerelated issues. Avoid bathing your pet when they are ill or before they are two months old, as their immune system is weaker at these times, and bathing can worsen their condition or lead to colds.

Regular grooming, such as brushing your dog's fur daily, helps distribute the natural oils evenly throughout their coat, which is essential for maintaining healthy skin and a shiny coat. This practice also helps prevent oil buildup and reduces the risk of skin irritation and dryness.

3. Allergies and Parasites: External and internal parasites, as well as conditions like diabetes, can cause or worsen dry skin in dogs. Identifying the root cause is key to effective treatment. For external parasites, a product like Frontline can be used, while Bayer can be effective for internal parasites.

4. Nutrition: A deficiency in vitamin A can lead to severe dryness in a dog's skin. Vitamin A is vital for maintaining the integrity of epithelial cells, contributing to the function of photoreceptor cells in the eyes, and promoting normal bone development. A lack of vitamin A can manifest as slow growth, corneal keratinization, and more. It is often found in green forage, but can be destroyed if the forage is overcooked. Symptoms of vitamin A deficiency include poor growth, weight loss, dry skin, increased dandruff, conjunctivitis, photophobia, and more. In males, it can lead to testicular atrophy and poor sperm quality, while in females, it can cause infertility, miscarriage, and stillbirth.

Treatment: To prevent this condition, ensure each dog consumes about 100 grams of green forage per day or add a multivitamin supplement to their diet. Avoid overcooking the forage. For dogs showing symptoms, oral administration of a vitamin supplement like ScheringPlough's tablet once a day for 3 to 5 days can be effective. Alternatively, fish oil can be given at 5 to 10 ml per dose, once daily for a week, or vitamin AD injection can be administered intramuscularly at 0.5 to 1 ml per dose, once a week. For dogs with conjunctivitis, antibiotic eye drops can be used.

In addition, it's important to be mindful of your dog's diet. Avoid feeding them highsodium foods, as their digestive systems are not as efficient as ours. High salt intake can lead to difficulty in excretion and, consequently, affect your dog's skin, potentially leading to dryness.