How to Treat a Dog With Dry Skin & Severe Odor

When you notice a problem with your dog's skin, take him to a veterinarian. There are a number of skin diseases that need to be ruled out before you should attempt home treatment for your dog's dry skin and odor problems. Scaliness and odor can be caused by seborrhea, or vitamin A dermatitis, both treatable with home-care regimens, but they can also be caused by more serious issues such as bacterial infections or fungi that may require veterinary care. Once your veterinarian has ruled out anything more severe, you can then attempt home treatment.

Things You'll Need

  • Skin-health specific dog food
  • Omega-3 supplements (optional)
  • Vitamin supplements (optional)
  • Moisturizing and soothing shampoo
  • Moisturizing and soothing conditioner
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Instructions

    • 1

      Change your dog's diet. Dogs most commonly manifest allergies through their skin, so if your dog is suffering from dry skin or a lackluster coat, you may need only change its food to see improvement. Vitamins A, B and E are all important for healthy skin, as are omega-3 fatty acids and protein. Within a few weeks of changing your dog's diet you should begin to see improvements in its skin and more shine to its coat. When changing a dog's diet, do so gradually over a week to prevent disrupting the dog's digestion. Changing to a new diet suddenly can cause vomiting or diarrhea.

    • 2

      Add supplements to your dog's food. Dog food additives are made specifically to enhance the health of the skin and coat of dogs. Oils containing omega-3 acids can be added to your dog's food, and vitamins can be administered daily in pill form to ensure your dog is getting a healthy diet. Sometimes fixing a dog's dry skin problems can be accomplished from the inside without any need for topical treatments. You can add supplements to your dog's diet in lieu of changing foods or in addition to if you feel the food is making some improvements but not to your satisfaction.

    • 3

      Shampoo your dog weekly with a moisturizing shampoo to help with dry skin and odor problems. Choose a shampoo with a scent that is pleasing to you, although unscented or sensitive-skin shampoos may be less likely to irritate your dog's skin. Even using an unscented shampoo will help rid your dog of offensive odors simply by washing away whatever was causing the odor. Dog's don't sweat like people do -- they pant. So the causes of odor tend to be limited to health conditions or simply being dirty or getting into something smelly.

    • 4

      Use a soothing conditioner for your dog's dry skin. Dry skin is usually accompanied by itchiness and inflammation, so an oatmeal or lavender conditioner will help condition the coat, moisturize the skin and soothe any irritation associated with the dry skin. Always rinse shampoo and conditioner out of the dog's coat thoroughly, as residue can build up and cause skin problems of its own. The key to getting the maximum benefit out of any dog shampoo or conditioner made to treat a specific problem is to leave it on for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer. If an oatmeal conditioner says it takes 11 minutes to work, don't short-change your dog of the benefits by leaving it on for only five minutes.