Dog Dry Skin: Causes, Treatments, and Prevention

Keeping your dog’s skin and coat healthy is an important part of being a pet parent.

A dog having dry, flaky skin can indicate a wide range of potential underlying issues. Knowing what causes dry skin on dogs can help guide you to the best remedy to resolve the issue.

Dog Dry Skin Symptoms

All pets are different—so the symptoms of dry skin in dogs can vary. Many pups have multiple symptoms.

Some of the most common signs of dog dry skin include:

• Hair loss (also known as alopecia)

• Redness of the skin

• Itchiness

• Dandruff/flaky skin

• Pimples

• Odor

• Greasy feel to the coat

• Scabs

• Scaliness

• Cracked skin

These symptoms may be present in only one area—such as on the paws or at the base of the tail—or affect multiple areas.

What Causes Dry Skin on Dogs?

There are several causes of dry skin in dogs. Some of these changes are more serious and concerning than others. If you notice something different in your pup’s coat, call your veterinarian.

Common causes of dog dry skin include:

• Allergies

• Parasites, such as fleas, ticks, mites, and lice

• Poor diet/lack of nutrition

• Health conditions, such as Cushing’s disease, hypothyroidism, skin infections, seborrhea, pyoderma, or obesity

• Exposure to extremely dry air conditions (such as dogs living in The Great Plains)

• Frequent overbathing

Changes in the skin can mean that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. Many of them have simple fixes once properly diagnosed by a veterinarian.

What To Do If Your Dog Has Dry Skin

Due to the multitude of underlying causes that can lead to dry skin in dogs, call your vet as soon as you notice a change in skin or coat. Typically, these causes are not an immediate medical emergency.

If your dog is particularly uncomfortable or is experiencing significant itching or redness/bleeding, let your veterinarian know. They may have different recommendations as to how soon your pet needs to be seen or may even suggest you visit the emergency clinic.

You can also bathe your dog in an oatmeal shampoo to help relieve the itching temporarily.

Diagnosing Dry Skin on Dogs

In all cases of dry dog skin, your veterinarian will likely have several questions—including when the problem started and how the symptoms have changed over time. If you have photos of the condition, these may also be helpful for your veterinarian to see.

Your veterinarian will perform a full physical examination of your pup, looking for other subtle changes that may be related, such as redness between the toes or in the ears.

Most dogs will also need testing—including a skin scrape—to look for microscopic parasites, yeast, bacteria, and fungi. Your vet may also want to flea-comb your pet.

More serious cases may require blood work or a skin biopsy to get an accurate diagnosis.

Dog Dry Skin Remedies and Treatments

There are many different products that can help maintain skin health—from oral supplements and medications to topical products and veterinary diets.

Working with your veterinarian can help you find the best combination to support your dog’s skin health. 

Offer a Supplement to Promote Healthy Skin

Your veterinarian may recommend a supplement to add to your pet’s diet to help maintain the normal moisture content of your dog’s skin, such as Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Skin Care Soft Chew Supplement.

Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Skin Care Soft Chew Supplements are created with collagen, EPA and DHA, vitamin E, and zinc to support and promote your pup’s skin health.

It also contains omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, which aid in maintaining the protective barrier of a dog’s skin.

Many dogs need more fatty acids than are present in commercial dog foods to maintain their skins’ normal moisture content.

Always speak to your veterinarian before offering your pet a new supplement or medication.

Reduce Bathing Frequency

Take note of how often you’ve been bathing your dog.

Are you bathing them too often? If so, this could be the cause of your dog’s dry skin. A good goal is to bathe your dog once every two to four weeks.

Bathing too often strips the natural oils from your dog’s skin, disrupting the natural skin coat balance to cause dry and potentially itchy skin.

Use a Medicated Shampoo

To pacify your pup’s itchy, dry skin, you may want to use a product like a mild oatmeal shampoo during their baths.  Your veterinarian may recommend a medicated dog shampoo and might recommend it be used at a different frequency.

With their hydrating and moisturizing properties, medicated shampoo and other medicated topical products are designed to promote healthy skin in dogs.

Try a Humidifier

Does your dog spend a lot of time in a dry environment, or sleep near a heat source? The dry air might be part of the problem. A dog’s skin may become dry during the winter months, times when you use in-home heating, or if you live in climates like the desert, where the humidity is very low.

Adding a humidifier to the area where your dog spends time may help. Humidifiers increase the humidity of a space, thus adding more moisture to the skin. 

Switch to a High-Quality Diet

Your dog’s dry skin may be a result of a poor diet, or a diet that doesn’t meet their nutritional needs.

When a dog is eating an incomplete and unbalanced meal, they are not getting all the vitamins and minerals they need to be healthy. Nutrients are important for maintaining the normal moisture content of your dog’s skin.

Everyone chooses food for their dog with different thought processes. However, it’s important to work with your vet to determine if a diet change is needed.

Your vet may recommend a therapeutic diet that is formulated to help support healthy skin and haircoat.

They might be able to help you choose an over-the-counter food that better suits your pup, or they may recommend a veterinary diet.

Use Flea and Tick Prevention

It’s very important to use a vet-recommended flea and tick prevention every month, no matter where you live—harmful parasites are active year-round and can still affect your pet, even in colder weather.

These products often address more parasites than just fleas and ticks and help keep your pet healthy. Ask your veterinarian which flea and tick preventives they recommend for your specific dog.

Additional Treatments

Your vet may recommend additional treatments based on your pet’s diagnosis.

These may include:

• Antibiotics

• Anti-parasitic medications

• Anti-fungal/yeast treatments

• Anti-inflammatories

• Prescription topical products or foods

How To Prevent Dry Skin on Dogs

There are several ways to help prevent dog dry skin. These include:

• Feeding your dog a high-quality food that they digest and tolerate well

• Using veterinarian-recommended flea and tick products year-round

• Brushing loose fur off your dog several times a week

• Trimming your dog’s nails weekly

• Bathing your dog in a mild shampoo every two to four weeks

Doing these things will help condition the skin, keep your dog’s skin and coat healthy, and help you notice potential problems early.

Dry skin in dogs is not fun for pets, nor their pet parents. Fortunately, when found early and diagnosed properly, most cases are quick and straightforward to treat.

This sponsored article was paid for by Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets. All opinions within belong to Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets.