Hi all, i have been trying ti identify whats causing my dogs dry skin, its mostly on the hind qaurters and underbelly.

and this is on both of them. i have been to the vet and everytime he gives them something it relieves their itchiness for a while but never gets rid of the core problem, the dry flaky skin.

i have been feeding them all natural raw diet since they were much younger, no wheat in their diet.

they have minces beef + sheep ribs, chicken pieces, tripe, veggies(pumpkin, carrots, squash, potatoes) and fruit(oranges, apples minus the seeds, watermelon and bananas).

obviously those are not all given at once.thats just a list of everything they eat. nothing more.

then they are on salmon oil and vitamin E.

they have beautiful coats and i dont have shedding problems or any other health issues. they are perfectly healthy otherwise.

i was almost tempted to get an all natural aloe creme thats made here in SA just outside of the city i live in. and apply that to them once a day because i kno that worked for a GF i had.

but id like to kno if there is something im missing in their diet or something else.

please note, my GSDs are completely outside dogs. they have their pens and kennels outside and unfortunately have sandy areas in their pens due to them pulling out the grass. not all the grass. just the same spot all the time. and thats where they prefer to lay. so they are almost always lying in the sand.

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

My two Dogs live outside in Wood Kennels inside a Metal 7ft Pen, But the difference between your set up and moi ne is that the Ground which the Pens are sat on is Conceted, and when i mean Concrete it has a 3'' layer then a damp course then another 3'' layer of Concrete slab
The reason for two layers and damp proof between is to stop rising damp
You can then wash out the Pen and the Concrete will dry , if you do not put in a damp course then you cannot stop damp rising and the Concrete will be wet or damp permently
My Dogs are Fed Orijen Kibble,with Salmon Oil and Vit E Capsules from Leerburg every day on the morning feed, and they look great. Clean skin Beautiful Coats, and Clear Bright Eyes
A couple of times a week i give them a raw Chicken Leg
I would feed Raw but its not possible but so long as they look as well as they do now i have no worries about there well being
My advice is to put in a Concrete floor in the Pen
If you do not want to go to the trouble of doing the floor twice put down 2'' Concrete then lay a Polythane sheet the correct damp proof stuff from the builders, then lay another 3'' concrete straight over the top of it. It will do the job just the same

that was an idea, but does all the hard floor not have an adverse affect on joints in the long run? i only left teh grassy areas in so that teh ground they tread most is softer and not hard concrete!
it would have been easier to conrete the area though. as for the cleaning of the area, thats not a proble, the poop is always solid and they go early in the day and by the time i get home from work in the evening its dry and just rolls when i sweep it up.

Hello
No' the Concrete Base on the runs will not have any effects on there legs, they are not running around on it all day long and it is easier to keep clean, remember the urine soaks into the ground and Sand and this cannot do the dogs any good they are living in it, but a solid base can be washed out and disinfected which i do every day
The size of my pens i put wrong
they are 3.5m long and 2.5 m wide with a Height of nearly 2 m
With a Corrugated roof over them
this shades them from the heat of the day in summer, and stops the rain beating on them, the Pen is made up of Steel fencing with the bars 4'' apart so plenty of fresh air circulating from all four sides, the partion between the Dogs is the same metal bars so they can see and play each side of the pens each has a water and feed bowl 18''High from the base, bolted to the pen frame work, they look and keep well of course they get taken out for excersise and training twice a day and they work on the Schutzund Field Three times a week training also
all in all they have a good and i think a happy life

Yusrie,

I have the same problem and was going to PM Connie today but i saw your post and decided to ask here - maybe her answer will help someone else.

I have an indoor dog and, as Connie probably remembers, he has allergies. But his itching seems to be different.

He seems to be very itchy on his legs, to his chest.

Connie, I wonder what is out there that can help with itchiness that isn't necessarily related to allergies. I think my dog's skin is dry because I'm rinsing him off and or bathing him too much. The weather here is cold and dry and when we hike (every week) he gets filthy. I just can't bring him in the house this way so I rinse off his chest, belly and legs or, if he's too dirty, I'll wash him with oatmeal soap or lavendar and mint soap. I even bought doggie conditioner to try. It didn't seem to help.

Is there something topical I can apply?

hey Judy, i dont know if our situation or question is the same, but hopefully the answer will help us both.

i dont wash or rinse them too often. but they do love playing in the water when they hot.

i have their pens more or less like Steve's. the difference is the poles are wood and they dont have concrete floors, and instead of teh whole thing being roofed its only a bit over there kennel so that all around their kennels is shaded and protected from rain. but they can also get some sun if they want.

When i check my dogs skin it doesnt look like anything is wrong, just a bit red from the scratching but not broken or bumpy or blotchy or anything and i am sure the itching is being caused by the layer of dry flaky skin.

any suggestions??

I rarly give my Dogs a Bath perhaps only three times in the summer
and never in the winter, they get brushed three times a week, I have done this with all my Dogs now of Mixed Breeds for 50 plus years, and never has any one of them ever suffered a skin complaint
Perhaps you are being over Clean with all this bathing. it must take out the natural oils out of the Skin,
Plus do you rinse them enough remember the undercoat, If my Dogs get Muddy i simply wash off the muddy bits with a wet cloth and dab it a little dry and leave them alone to tidy themselves up

are you replying to me?
i dont wash them that much...so far ive washed thm 3 times since i got them... and i have had them for just over a year...bt the last time i washed them was just a light scrub. and i myt not be rinsing properly im no sure..my 2 dont being rinsed or washed..but when it rains then they want to roll around in the puddles...

i also brush them regularly..a quick brush once a week..and thn once a month they get a full grooming ...where i spend almost an hour just brushing them.

There are only three of us participating on this thread so Yes, it applies to you or Judy, The rincing off is very important, Plus You say your Dogs can play or lie about in Sand, Sand is like small chards of glass vert sharp edges and remember your Dogs probaly have a undercoat where these sand particles may get trapped hence this could cause your problems with the skin if the sand gets into the Undercoat the Dogs may scratch that alone will cause red and itching and flaking areas
Thats my two pence worth on the subject

Hi Steve,

I know washing your dog only 1 or 2 times a year is best. But I don't know what else to do after our hikes . Brushing my dog clean is next to impossible because he's a long-coated GSD. The dirt and mud get entangled and matted in his long hair making it impossible to take a brush through it. At best, I'm able to rinse only but this still seems to be making him itchy.

I should add that I brush my dog several times a week. If I don't, his hair, especially behind his ears gets knotted into one giant mess and I'll have to cut out the matted portion. I've already had to do it twice now and so I've learned; brush him just about every day and it will be OK.

Have you ever heard of anything topical to apply?