My dog is itching. Dry skin or allergies? Fish oil dosage for 57lb dog?

Hello. I would have Emma on a fish oil supplement year round. In order to calculate the right dose, look at the label for the amount of EPA & DHA it contains. Add them together & that is the total fish oil content per capsule. A 50-pound dog would need about 1500 mg of fish oil. For example, SnipCaps by Dechra contains about 850 mg per capsule, so in this case, 2 capsules are needed per day. I would also go back to whatever shampoo worked for you before. Do not stop when everything is OK. If he clears using the shampoo 2-3 time a week, then continue to bathe him at least once a week all year round ( maybe once every 2 weeks ), but do it regularly. The allergy medicine ( which I hope is Apoquel ) can also be given all year. When he is doing well, you might be able to cut back to 1 dose 1-2 times a week, & immediately bump it up if she flares. Also, talk with our vet about trying some of the different over the counter antihistamines to supplement your allergy medications. 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!

She requires about 450mg of fish oil per day for this condition. Keep in mind that these supplements are only used as an adjunct with other medications for treating skin problems. It will not be expected to completely solve the problem. I hope that helps and all is well.

Great question! Oakley can get 1,000 mg fish oil containing 300 mg of EPA/DHA combined for every 30 pounds of body weight. For her weight, I would give her 3,000mg. You can get her dog specific fish oil pills from a pet store, but human ones are fine as well. I hope this helps!

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.

There are no published studies to give doses of either of these supplements. However, 40-100mg/kg of body weight is commonly recommended for fish oils (combined DHA and EPA). So for your dogs, that would be 1500-3600mg EPA+DHA per day. The biggest side effect of fish oils is greasy or loose stools. It may also cause pancreatitis in dogs that are sensitive to excess fat. You can try 3-5mg of melatonin once per day. I would do it at night since it may make them sleeping. You will need to check the list of ingredients in the supplement you choose to make sure it does not contain xylitol.