My dog has dry skin. Is fish oil or olive oil safe to use orally or topically?

I would not recommend using all three of these oils together, as you can cause problems with the liver and pancreas in some cases by "overloading" fats like this. Fish oil has been shown to be the most helpful with skin issues like this, so you could try a good fish oil supplement such as Welactin for dogs - just follow the instructions on the label for dosing, based on your dog's weight.

You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. There is a product called Welactin that tends to work well. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Jameson wear an elizabethan collar at all times if he wants to lick the area. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hmmm. Not sure the train of thought your vet was on. I commonly recommend fish oils, any fish oil supplement will work. There is no specific amount, though the biggest side effect is greasy stools. If you notice that, then you decrease the dose. It can take several months for you to see a change after starting fish oils. You can find a pet product at a pet store, or just use one from the human supplements section of a pharmacy or other store.

I recommend giving a fatty acid skin supplement orally to help keep her skin healthy and coat shiny. Fish oil orally will work also. I do not use anything on the skin itself usually unless it's very dry and flaky, then I use a moisturizing grooming spray after a bath with a hypo allergenic shampoo. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Roxy.

Hello. The problem with using oils on the coat is the residual greasiness. If you want to use something, use a leave-in conditioner made for dogs, either post bathing, or one of the mousse rub in ones. The best way to get oils into the coat is to feed Arjun omega 3 fatty acids, so a good fish oil supplement daily. I would administer 1 000-1200 mg capsule twice daily & in a couple of weeks, his coat should start looking a little better. The longer you give it, the better it will work. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to skin allergies mostly due to the fact that it started after moving. Adding fish oil can be considered regardless to help with the dry skin. You can use the commercial kind for dogs. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Pet formulated fish oil from your local pet store is perfectly fine and a reasoable treatment for a pet with mild flaky skin. If the skin persists however after aa few weeks, then a vet visit is recommended to look at other possible causes (i.e. skin allergies, mites, lice, etc). Also I would recommend feeding Mouse a high quality cat food such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Evo, or Eukanuba. Best wishes with Mouse and her dry skin, along with feeding this to your two other cats.. Take care.