Canidae and dry skin

[hapixbuni]

i finally found a place in san antonio that sells canidae, we only have 2 places, but im not sure if i should get the original or one of the allergenic formulas (chicken and rice, lamb and rice). my 8 yr old maltese doesnt have any real problems that i know of, he can just sometimes be a picky eater. my 7 month old pitbull though has VERY bad dry, flaking skin. hes had it since iv had him and i cant seem to find a way to get rid of it. would one of the allergenic formula help out at all? or is the dry skin due to something else?

[SmoothCollieluver]

Some puppies just have dry skin as they grow. But i worry about possible food allergies with my pup so i feed the lamb and rice.

[Nancy]

Do dogs typically have allergies to chicken?

[SmoothCollieluver]

It is one of the top protein allergies that I have seen.

[Nancy]

I didn't know that about chicken.

Any other foods that are good for dry skin, but avoiding potential allergies?

[Puddles]

Hapixbuni: Very cute pittie in your avatar. I have always found a puppy's coat to sometimes be dull/dry as they were growing and shedding that coat. Though this was back in the late 80's, I used to add a tablespoon of veg. oil to the dry dog food about once a week. I think people now use different types of oils, one being flaxseed, I'd have to look into more though, I don't do that now. Sometimes when you switch food, you will also see an improvement in coat.

Nancy: My current dog is allergic to chicken it seems, something which he absolutely loves.

[SmoothCollieluver]

I'm really not a food expert. I don't know. You just have to study the bags.

[StarfishSaving]

I didn't know that about chicken.

Any other foods that are good for dry skin, but avoiding potential allergies?

Nancy, the top protein allergens are chicken, beef, then lamb. The top filler allergens are corn, wheat, and white rice. A lot of dogs are allergic to soy, too.

To avoid allergies and help dry skin, I'd recommend a fish based food- fish and oatmeal would be prime for skin. However, if your dog is doing ok on her food except for the dry skin, you probably don't need to change it. Add up to a teaspoon of olive oil with each meal or better yet- flax or fish oil caplets (less mess, less potential for diarrhea.) Supplementing is often enough to do the trick. Winter is bad around here- my dogs and I feel it worst of all but my cats and hubby get dry skin, too.

[Woof]

I mostly second what Starfish wrote.
But I think its worth noting that the top protien allergens change over time due to whats being fed to dogs. Chicken I believe is the most common protien source and so its not suprising that we see alot of dogs experiencing chicken allergies. It used to be beef but beef is a much less common protien source now. I believe for this reason that if you feed wet food with your kibble it is a good idea to use a variety of formulas to top your dogs kibble. I believe that is builds a stronger constitution and your dog is also less likely to have diahrea when dietary change happens because of it.

If you eat tuna from the can give your dog the juices for his skin and coat instead of pouring it down the drain.

[StarfishSaving]

Good points, Woof.

Yes, as mentioned before in at least one post about allergies on the forum, allergens are developed through exposure- if you feed your dog exclusively fish based foods, s/he can become allergic to fish, too! So "hypoallergenic" isn't necessarily so for all dogs.

And regarding tuna juice- since my scare with Sowen (a kitty who almost died from a crystalline blockage and had to have part of his urethra amputated)- every time I eat tuna I take all the juice, dilute it with warmish water and give it to my cats to help them get their needed water consumption. It's a great idea for dogs, too :)

[hapixbuni]

so should i stay with the lamb and rice as a precaussion???