Dry, itchy and flaky skin

[AmandaBB]

Our dog max has such a dry skin that his fur on his legs and nose is really thin. It seems to itch quite often too but luckily not that much that he scratches himself in a extreme way and loses fur or damages his skin or something.

I went to the vet for it about 1.5 years ago and at first they thought that he had a allergy so he got a shot for that. Then they recommended omega 3 and gave me a aloe vera shampoo.
Omega 3 doesn't really help but I switched to vegetable oil about 6 months ago and that does help a bit and so does the shampoo but his fur is still pretty thin.

Does anybody know anything inexpensive that I can try?

[squashynose]

Treating the cause is better than treating the symptoms, which is all the oil is doing really... Do you know what the allergy is? If it's something environmental, e.g. grass, dust etc., that you can't remove, I would suggest speaking to your Vet about some antihistamines.

He could also have a food allergy, or bacterial infection. Did you Vet do any tests?

[AmandaBB]

The shots (I just remembered that he got 2) Max got that were supposed to be for a allergy didn't work at all which is why they ruled it out. The vet did take a skin sample and some blood but still couldn't find anything so he told me to try the other stuff.

[tiffers]

How long were you using the Omega 3's? You may want to get some Fish Oils that contain high amounts of EPA. EPA is the best thing for dry skin, if that's all it is. Fish Oils are also great for the heart and other organs and body functions. You can buy them at any drug store.

[AmandaBB]

I tried the Omega 3 fish oil for nearly a year and it's the same high quality one I take every day. I was pretty surprised that it didn't help that well either.

My parents always gave their dogs vegetable oil for a shiny skin which is why I decided to give that a try instead.

[doghealth]

There are many causes that could be at the root of your pet's itchy skin including: food allergy, inhalant allergy, contact allergy, pyoderma and even mange. There are many cases of mange that have been missed (not the vet's fault - just hard to find) for many months at a time. Sometimes, in my practice, we will treat for mange anyway. I made a video on dog skin itchiness for my clients at itchy dog skin (http://www.doghealthproblemsadvice.com/dog-itchy-skin.html).
Thanks,
Sam

[cachemony]

It may be allergies. That is common at this time of the year.

Try using fish oil or the ointment your vet recommends.

Best,
Lane

[tiffers]

Try using fish oil...

The OP stated they have been using fish oil for nearly a year... :p