Tis the season for chilly days, snow and Christmas time! I can't believe how fast this year is going by! Along with all the winter festivities and cold weather often comes dry, flaky and itchy skin for our dogs. The constant cold outside creates drier air which is extremely drying to the skin and indoors, you have the same dry air plus heat, which pulls even more moisture from the air. Nothing is worse than being kept up all night while your dog has a scratching frenzy!

Your woofer's skin is the largest organ of the body! It has 3 major layers: the epidermis or outer layer, the dermis or middle layer, and subcutis or inner layer. The skin is super important because it creates a protective barrier against the environment, regulates temperature, and gives your dog its sense of touch.

We are mainly talking about the Epidermis today - the outer layer of skin. It is the body's main defense against harmful substances and is composed of special cells called "Keratinocytes".

These special cells are what creates the protective layer and it is constantly being renewed through a process called "keratinization". During this process, the new skin cells are created near the base of the outer layer of skin and move upwards, which creates a compact layer of dead cells on the surface of the skin. This top later of dead skin cells are constantly being replaces by cells from the lower layers. This rate of cell replacement can be affected by a number of factors such as hormones, genetics, certain medical conditions and of course, nutrition.

There are a few ways you can improve your dog's skin overall and get rid of the seasonal itchiness that drives us all crazy!

First, as my usual recommendation when looking at any problem with your dog, are you feeding a properly balanced diet? Many homemade and commercial foods can fall short in crucial ingredients needed to keep the skin healthy. Nutritional factors heavily influence the condition of your dog's skin. Protein and energy are required for the development of new hair and skin; fat is the most concentrated source of dietary energy. Therefore, for normal skin, it is important for your dog’s food to provide optimal protein quantity, appropriate levels of essential amino acids and digestibility.

If you're feeding an imbalanced diet, this can cause keratinization problems, hair loss and changes in the overall natural oils on the skin's surface. The skin then loses its protective barrier function and becomes more susceptible to secondary bacterial or yeast infections and excessive dry, flaky skin. Working with a nutrition professional, you can look at all aspects of your dog's diet and find what else could be lacking - shortage of Zinc and Vitamin E can also cause skin problems, but the individual diet needs to be accessed to determine this.

Brushing on a regular basis

- The brushing increases circulation to the skin, which is great for skin health. It also helps distribute the natural oils in your dog’s coat, which is moisturizing and protective.

Keep baths to a minimum

- Generally, unless medically necessary its best to only bathe your dog once a month (or less). Frequent baths, even with moisturizing shampoos will strip the skin of natural oils and cause the skin to dry out. There are many grooming wipes and dry shampoos you can purchase in place of a regular bath! When you do need to bath your dog, using a moisturizing or hypoallergenic shampoo will be beneficial. I recommend the EarthBath line! Buy their hypoallergenic through this link or stop in locally at the Bone & Biscuit (Fort Sask, AB). Dogs suffering from harsh dry skin may benefit from a weekly or bi-weekly bath with a moisturizing treatment until symptoms improve, but then go back to only bathing once per month or less. Following up your bath with a coconut oil rub will help lock in moisture and soothe skin as well.

Adding Apple Cider Vinegar

- If you do need to bathe your dog, follow up the shampoo with a soothing ACV & Green tea rinse. This will help restore the pH of the skin's surface, remove yeast and soothe itchy skin. Combine 1/2 cup AVC, 1/2 cup brewed Green Tea and 1 cup water. Mix and spray into wet coat and rinse thoroughly after sitting for 10 minutes.

- Feeding ACV has many benefits as well , apple cider vinegar helps digestion by increasing the stomach’s acid levels, which results in better absorption and fewer gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating or gas. ACV also promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the dog’s digestive tract creating a healthy microbiome.

- Dose: Small to medium dogs – 1 teaspoon, Medium to large dogs – 1 tablespoon

- An easy way to feed is to freeze into small ice cubs and add to meals!

Adding quality Omega 3 oils

- Dogs with skin abnormalities due to low-fat foods have lower levels of fatty acids in serum, skin, liver, kidneys and heart muscle than do animals with healthy skin.

- Even if you are feeding a quality food containing Omegas, your woofer may need a little extra. Even though commercial kibbles often advertise as adding their own Omega 3's, they are often rendered useless or rancid during the processing so it is best to add your own quality oils. Omega 3's combat overall inflammation and can significantly reduce shedding and skin problem such as dryness, flakes and itchiness. Hemp Oil, Whole fish, fish oil, krill oil, and green-lipped mussel powder are all great sources of omega 3 fatty acids.

Adding Coconut oil

- Like, ACV this can be used both topically and orally to combat itchy skin

- MCT's are coconut oils secret weapon. Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) is good fat, the kind that provides an array of benefits which include digestion improvement, immune system support, metabolic function that assists with weight loss, skin and coat health and thyroid health. MCT is made up of Lauric Acid, Capric Acid, Caprylic Acid, Myristic Acid and Palmitic. Coconut oil also contains about 2% linoleic acid (polyunsaturated fatty acids) and about 6% oleic acid (monounsaturated fatty acids). Lauric acid has antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal properties. Capric and caprylic acid also have similar properties as lauric acid and are best known for their anti-fungal effects.

- Scientific studies (see study here) show that coconut oil hydrates the skin and increases skin surface lipid levels. This makes it an effective moisturizer if your dog suffers from dry skin or has dandruff.

- Dose: work up to 1tsp per 10lbs of body weight per day

Adding a quality Probiotic

- While probiotics won't directly stop your dog from scratching, they do promote gastrointestinal health. Having a good population of healthy bacteria in the gut will drastically reduce and prevent allergy flare ups.

I recommended the Adored Beast line for pre and probiotics.

For dogs will more severe itchiness that is related to food or envrionmental allergies, supplementing with Quercetin may be very benefical

- Known as "Natures Benedryl", Quercetin is a bioflavonoid that has anti-oxidant, anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory properties. Histamine contributes to inflammation, redness and irritation. Research has shown that Quercetin can stop histamine production and suppress the inflammation. *This is to be used as needed only, not as a daily consistent supplement.

If you've tried all the above and your dog still suffers from dry, itchy skin consider doing an elimination diet as your pet may be reacting to an ingredient in their food, which is where you feed only a SINGLE protein for a minimum of 4 weeks to find out what your dog is allergic too.

When to see a vet

Typical dry flaky skin can be managed with a few diet changes, but if despite these changes your dog is still suffering from constant itching or is displaying other symptoms such as low energy, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss or scabbing/rashes you should make a trip to the vet to discuss options. Medical conditions such as thyroid and hormone problems as well as certain parasites could be your problem and would need a different treatment regimen. In some cases, a skin scraping or blood test may be preformed to get more answers.

Sources:

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/skin-disorders-of-dogs/structure-of-the-skin-in-dogs

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/care/how-coconut-oil-benefits-your-dogs-health/

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/care/non_traditional_healing/apple-cider-vinegar-for-dogs/

SACN 5th Edition, Chapter 32: Skin & Hair disorders