My Cocker Spaniel has dry, flaky skin. What shampoo should I use?

Use a pet shampoo that is oatmeal based. if you can find the accompanying conditioner, this would help as well. also, start Coco on an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this will help improve the skin's health. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear Jr is having some skin problems. Based on your description, this sounds like a bacterial skin infection called pyoderma, usually caused by a normal skin resident. Pyoderma is caused by lots of things including external parasites (fleas, ticks, mites), allergies, contact irritants, etc. The best thing to do is have Jr evaluated by your veterinarian. They can evaluate Jr. and then make recommendations for tests if they are needed. Lots of times we can evaluate these kind of problems and just prescribe some treatment. If this problem keeps recurring, then at that point your vet will advise some tests to try to figure out what is causing the problem. Good luck with Jr. I hope he gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a focal infection. You can try to use a medicated shampoo containing chlorhexidine twice weekly for 2 weeks. If there is no improvement or in the meantime this appears to be getting worse, have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Dry, flaky skin alone is not a sign of allergies. [Allergies](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-tell-if-your-pet-has-allergies/) more often involve scratching, hair loss, skin and ear infections. Dry, flaky skin alone can be a result of diet, weather (heat being on inside) and in certain endocrine conditions (low thyroid, Cushings) or other dermatological conditions like Seborrhea. I would start with bathing with a medicated shampoo once weekly. Leave the lather on for 10 mins before rinsing. Keratolux from Virbac is an excellent product, but really [any mild shampoo](https://www.petco.com/category/dog/dog-grooming-and-bathing/dog-shampoos-conditioners-sprays/dog-shampoos/dry-skin-dog-shampoos) will do. Just be sure you rinse it well; I suggest that you rinse with warm (not hot!) water for at least 10 minutes to ensure that all of the residue is gone. I would also consider adding in Omega 3 fish oils. Choose a high quality brand that is made specifically for dogs. I hope this helps!

The skin is unhealthy for some reason. This is usually caused by some irritation of the skin. The skin is most commonly irritated from allergies, fleas, mites, or inappropriate bathing. The irritation can then cause the skin to get infected with yeast and bacteria. The best thing you can do now is give a bath with a medicated dog shampoo (you can find this at the pet store). Follow the shampoo with an oatmeal or aloe conditioner labeled for dogs. Repeat the bath every other day for two weeks. If that's helping, then repeat the bath every week for a month. If all is good after that, then she should be OK to have a once monthly bath with normal dog shampoo. If the bath is not helping, or she's getting worse, then she needs to go to the vet. The vet will be able to determine if something else is wrong and if further treatment is needed.

Flakes on the skin are usually from dry skin. You can get rid of the dry skin over time by bathing him in a moisturizing shampoo weekly and brushing his coat daily. Feeding a fatty acid supplement will improve his coat from the inside out. Please make sure you are using flea prevention as scratching from fleas will often irritate the skin and cause flaking of the skin. Also feeding a good quality food for sensitive skin or a food with salmon or fish in it will add omega 3 to the diet to improve the coat. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a generalized skin infection. You can try to use a medicated shampoo containing chlorhexidine twice weekly for 2 weeks. If there is no improvement or in the meantime this appears to be getting worse, have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Also, fish oil can help tremendously with dry skin. Good luck and have a good day!