itching and dry skin

Question
my cocker spaniel is 8 years old and has been through allergy testing costing over $1200...anyway, most recently he's on Nzymes, a product that we found online. he eats eagle pack holistic select food only, takes antioxidant treats twice a day, has tincture of blackleaf drops in his food twice a day and Ox-E drops twice a day in his water.  He also gets BacPak Plus sprinkled on his food twice a day.  I have to say that his skin bumps has just about disappeared but his skin is sooooo dry and he is always, always, always scratching.  he used take temperil-AP on a regular basis and he doesn't seem to be able to take care of the itching naturally.  we stopped the temper-AP due to its health risks, but nothing helps with the itching.  we even purchased a soft collar to keep in from scratching, but he ends up with a hot spot under his neck from the collar.  right now he has scratched his neck raw and his bottom is in bad shape as well. he was just at the groomer and we try to shampoo with malaseb shampoo twice a week.  

baxter has a great disposition...we feel so bad for the little guy and don't know what to do anymore. isn't there a cream for dry skin that would help counteract the itching.  we've even tried Listerine (original formula) and a mixture of baking soda and water spray...it's very messy to say the least.

just looking some ideas..we love our vet but i'm tired of putting him on meds...they're just masking the problem and not taking care of it.  we'd prefer the holistic approach but have to do something to give him some relief.  have even resorted to benadryl to take the edge off.

hope you can shed a little light on our problem!
thanks in advance.

Answer
The first thing I'd ask is if Baxter has had a thyroid test?  Any cocker over 3 years with skin issues should instantly have a thyroid test.  And it's the first thing a vet Dermatologist would have done.

I'd also like to know precisely what his skin scrape (or tape) diagnosed?  Yeast - bacteria- fungus - what?

Eagle Pack is a good food...but are you feeding kibble?  The high carb content in kibble (even the good stuff) isn't good for cockers.

I'd put him on Innova EVO (no grains).

Yes, you can really help the dry skin with an oatmeal soak after his bath.  Aveeno makes a pure colloidal oatmeal - comes in a box with packets of powder.  Mix one packet in bathtub - tepid water - soak him for 10 minutes.  Do NOT rinse off.

Who did the allergy testing?  Blood or intradermal?  Has he been put on Vitamin A therapy?

You're totally right about the continual meds..they do mask the problem and solve nothing.  Does the Benadryl help?  Have you tried other antihistimes?  Where do you live (climate)?

Now here's the important info on thyroid testing.  It MUST be sent to the right lab and that's Michigan State.  The first thing I'd do is call your own vet office and ask 'where do you send your thyroid testing"?  If the answer is wrong - call around 'till you get the right answer.

The reason is that thyroid tests (no big deal for Baxter - blood drawn - that's it) must be done by equilibrium dialysis and the "corner lab" doesn't have this very delicate and expensive equipment.  For a cocker this is the VERY first thing that should be checked.  Easy test - easy fix.
Delores