Dry weather causing dry skin and itching?

Hi all!

Hope you are having a good weekend!

My little guy appears itching and I don't think it is from outside, fleas, showering, etc.. I think it is from the dry weather.
I put some vitamin E lotion on him and it helps a bunch but does not completely solve it.

Does anyone else share this similar issue? I just want to confirm this is a common problem

Thanks.

Hello.
Yes dogs to get dry skin. As long as you have ruled out other things like you mentioned then I would add some Omega Fatty Acids (fish oil) to his diet. They will help better than lotion will. OFA's are a good idea in any diet as they help many areas of the body.

Thanks Bigpoodleperson!

My guy does receive a lot of OFA 3 and 6 from various food sources.
Perhaps age is another factor that is catching up to him as his sensitivity to dry weather is increasing. I think will try to get him a humidifier to see if that alleviates the issue. Thanks again!

my cousin's dog is also going through the same thing. Let me try and ask him if he has had any solution so far.

That would be nice of you Alpha1. Thanks.

My senior dog gets dry skin in winter. She also gets plenty of Omega 3/6 in her food so I didn't want to add fish oil. Instead I use coconut oil. It does not add any OFAs but is full of MCFAs (medium chain fatty acids), which are digested quickly and have many health benefits.

It's a solid at room temp, so I add ~1 tablespoon every 2-3 days to her food, then pour some hot water over it to dissolve it. She loves the flavor, and it cuts down on flaky/itchy/dry skin dramatically.

I will try coconut oil too then. Thanks!

But first the itch maybe coming from some weed that is growing in my back alley and my guy brushes against it when he goes pee. Someone said you shouldn't touch the plant. I will try to ID the plant and let you know.

The humidifier helped a bit I think but it did not go away.

So first, I will wait a week to see if the itch goes away by avoiding the weed on our walks.

Just wanted to provide an update on this matter and wrap up this thread.
The itching finally did go away for about a week's time after ensuring my dog avoid unknown weeds and wilderness for 2 weeks. This was great!

However, the itching came back yesterday after he busted loose in the neighborhood brushing himself against everything. So equally as good, it appears we have found the source, but not the exact plant.