Can I Use Vitamin E on My Dog for Dry Skin?

Skin conditions in dogs are as varied as they are in humans -- from reactions to insect bites, like ticks and fleas -- to excessively dry skin due to cold weather. Scratching in either case, only makes the condition worse and dries the skin even more. One of the most natural remedies for dogs, is the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory vitamin E.

  1. Antioxidant Defined

    • Antioxidants stop, limit or possibly reverse damage from free radicals created by the oxygen the cells in your body encounter daily. This applies to humans and dogs. Both need oxygen to live, but it causes the chemical process of oxidation. That is, things like secondhand smoke, sunlight, toxins in the air and alcohol are processed through the oxygen in your body to create free radicals by changing the chemical makeup of these elements. Eventually free radicals start a domino effect that harms everything in your body; from cells to DNA. This speeds up both aging and the development of chronic and terminal diseases, such as diabetes and cancer. Antioxidants prevent this from happening to humans as well as dogs. Likewise, the skin is the largest organ of either a human or dog; so any disruption -- like dry skin -- can be considered a chronic condition.

    Vitamin E Topically and Orally

    • Besides being an antioxidant, vitamin E is also a moisturizer. It comes either in a capsule form that contains liquid or as the main ingredient of wheat-germ oil. The liquid can be applied directly to the dry skin, either from the broken capsule or the wheat-germ. This is the immediate treatment. The long term or preventive treatment is to put the vitamin E in the dog's food.

    Dosage and Treatment Time

    • The amount to be given depends on the size of the dog. Some veterinarians recommend between 400 and 800 international units (IU) per day, depending on the dog's age, not size. One IU of vitamin E, or d-alpha-tocopherol, is the physiological result of administering 0.671 milligrams of it. Orally, the length of treatment would be the entire life of the dog. Topically, it would be until the dry skin becomes moisturized again.

    Additional Benefits

    • Other than being an antioxidant, a moisturizer, anti-inflammatory and a disease-fighting natural drug, vitamin E also aids in memory and cognitive ability, in both dogs and humans. As an anti-inflammatory, the vitamin would help reduce the swelling caused by the continual scratching of the affected dog.