Olive oil for dry skin?

willmunny1990

I have an 11 year old collie mix who is 17 kilos and she has a bit of dry skin at the moment that seems to be itchy.

The dog is treated for fleas and wormed regularly and has all her vaccinations.

I heard the other day that olive oil in the food is good for the coat and dry skin..how true is this? and if it is true how much and how often should it be given?

FerretFighterX

Olive oil is absolutely fine for dogs. You can add about half a teaspoon to their food, not more than twice a day. Any more than a half teaspoon at once can lead to diarrhea. If you want to add it to the diet long-term, personally I'd stick to doing it about 3 days week.

Eggshells are also great for dogs' coats. When I give my gsd dry food, I usually break an egg over it and mix it with the biscuits, and leave the shell ontop for her to eat it. I was afraid the first time I heard this because I didn't think they could ingest them, but dogs it's perfect once the dog is over 6 months. Great for the coat and skin, plus she loves the taste of them, like crisps for her

Where is the dog's dry skin?

FerretFighterX

I should add, the olive oil will only be good for the dog's coat and skin if added to their food, ie don't apply it externally to their skin! It's a common mistake to treat dry skin with olive oil. It's not a good external lubricant as unlike what most people think, it draws all the most away from the outer layer of skin to the layers beneath, making dry skin alot worse in the long-run. This is regarding humans, but I would apply the same safety to dogs aswell just incase.

ABajaninCork

You could also try a drop (about half a teaspoon) of cod liver oil to the food, if you can't get olive oil.

RubyGirl

One of mine was getting very dry skin and I started giving her rapeseed oil with her nuts, noticed a big improvement and scratching has stopped. I also give her the raw egg's, and tuna in sunflower oil.

nala2012

Almond oil is really good too!

tazwaz

I find rubbing coconut oil onto the skin works great

willmunny1990

Thanks for the advice! At the moment I'm trying her on the olive oil 3x a week. I'll just mention I'm feeding the dog Skinners - light & senior.

I was put onto this brand by someone working in the pet store after I got the dog weighed. He recommended it due to the fact the dog was over 7, anyone no anything about this product and it's quality?