Help! My Great Dane... Health

@Bulldogs4Life

Thank you. What ones do you suggest?

For a dog, dry skin leads to an itchy dog. Dry skin with a dull, brittle, thin coat may also be a sign of a protein deficiency. Is your dog constantly scratching? Dogs need fatty acids in their diet for optimal skin and coat health, especially omega-3 typically found in fish oil. Unfortunately many of the processed dog foods are heated to such high temperatures that even if they contain fatty acids, they are no longer active once they reach your dog's bowl.
A good one to try is Pawsome Naturals Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil. This is an all natural product and has a nice pump bottle that makes adding the oil to your dog's food easy. Regularly bathing your dog with a good quality shampoo is key to the overall health of their skin and coat. Using a harsh shampoo, one with lots of synthetic ingredients, or worse, human shampoo, strips your dog's skin of it's natural oils, causing dry skin and lots of itching. The best type of shampoo to use on a dog with dry skin is a natural one containing Colloidal Oatmeal. Dogs need to be groomed regularly to get rid of that dead skin and fur. Long coated dogs, dogs with thick coats, and double-coated dogs are all likely to accumulate a ton of dead flakes under all that hair if they are not groomed regularly. Basically, the drier the air, the more likely your dog will have dry skin. Having said that, you don't have to live in a dry climate for your dog to suffer from dry skin. I found out that dogs that are neutered or spayed have a much higher risk of suffering from skin and coat problems, especially dry skin. Finally, and before you treat your dog's dry skin you need to ensure that it is dry skin you're dealing with and not some other underlying cause. Suspect yeast if your dog is biting, licking, or chewing at his paws a lot. Suspect a skin infection if you dog has open sores, pimples, or is shaking his head a lot. Suspect allergies if itching is linked to warmer weather or is all year long. Suspect dandruff if there are large flakes present or thinning of fur. Suspect Mange if itching is severe that dog scratches himself raw and is losing fur. If you see a whole list of long names that you have no idea what they are, then stay away from that product, it may do more harm than good. The best products I found for dry skin is the Nature's Specialties range. Nature's Specialties are also recognized in the grooming industry as the best premium products available today and are used by many competitive groomers. After shampooing, fully rinse with warm water and make double-sure that you rinse all the shampoo out. I use Nature's Specialties Colloidal Oatmeal Creme Rinse which complements the shampoo. Finish by washing the moisturizing rinse off leaving your dog's coat silky and soft and his skin re-moisturized. You can also apply Vitamin E as a massaging oil as close to the skin as you can. If your dog has severe itching you can also include an antihistamine, but check with your vet. A good antihistamine to try is Diphenhydramine (generic Benadryl). o not use any kind of antihistamine that contains decongestants or one that is used to treat multi-symptoms such as cold and flu medicines. You only want it to contain Diphenhydramine only. An anti-itch spray stops the itching immediately and can be used after the shampoo and conditioner. The spray is a medicated solution that contains antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties. You can make your own moisturizing rinse using Alpha Keri bath and shower oil (or generic version). You can also make up a spray bottle containing one part Alpha Keri Bath Oil to three parts of water. The moisturizer won't come off or leave residue on your upholstery or carpets but your dog may appear to look wet long after he has dried.

@Boerboel

Thank you so much, he is not itching as much as he was. And I LOVE your profile image! Is he/she yours?

That member was found posting copied/pasted information from other forums and things that didn't link... When asked for an explanation, they disappeared from the forum. I doubt you receive a reply from them.

Thank you for letting me know. I hate that people do that. It annoys me so much.

My vet have actually suggested me to use Zyrtec, my dog also itches a lot. I have also watch his diet and hygiene. So far we have overcome that stage and he is doing good now. BTW, you need to consult your vet first before giving the dosage.

How's your dog now?

Try adding fish oil and vitamin e