Bouvier Des Flandres Skin flakey dry

Question
Hi Patty,

I feed my dog Premium Edge skin and coat for over 6 months now it has the following ingredients:Salmon, ocean fish meal (a source of fish oil), potatoes, peas, cracked pearled, barley, millet, egg product, oatmeal, canola oil, tomato pomace, natural flavor, flaxseed, choline chloride, dried chicory root, glucosamine hydrochloride, kelp, carrots, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-Carnitine, chondroitin sulfate, Enterococcus faecieum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevesiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

I groom him but do not bath him more that 3times a year.  He is acting fine and has a great appetite.  I also feed him home additions which are brown rice, carrots, sweet potatoes mixed vegetables with either heart or beef liver eggs and I ad 1/8 cup of olive oil.  All cooked for hours then added to the dry food.  My standard poodle eats the same His coat is fine.

Any other ideas or did "Hoss": get the bad coat gene?

Thanks Mike

Answer

Hi Mike,

You certainly are feeding your dog a wonderful diet, but dry skin isn't always a symptom of a problem with the diet.

You didn't say how old your Bouvier is, or how often you brush him. You can groom part of your dog every couple of days, or a complete session twice a week. Using a steel comb, brush the hair in the direction it grows, using long relaxing strokes. Lift the hair above your work area, then comb down and to the skin a little at a time. Be sure you are not just combing over the top of other hair, comb right down to the skin. This can help spread the natural oils that's on the skin.

Many people add Olive oil, Salmon oil, or an use Omega 3/6 Fatty Acid supplement to to help with their dog's dry skin. (It can take up to 3 months to before you see benefits from this kind of supplementing). Since you're already adding Olive Oil, you can see if adding oil directly into his food helps (instead of using it to cook the beef heart, liver, or eggs). Add one teaspoon directly into to each meal.

If nothing seems to help your dog's dry skin problem, it's time for a vet exam. Bouviers are prone to Hypothyroidism (when an underactive thyroid gland produces too little thyroid hormone which reduces the dog's metabolism level), one of the symptoms is dry skin.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti