6 Tips for Dogs with Dry Skin

As winter gets closer it’s time to think about what we can do to keep our dogs healthy and protect their skin. Do dogs get dry skin in the winter? Yes, they do! Just like the humans in our house, the dogs were itching and scratching. And it isn’t as though we can share our bottle of moisturizer with them! With all that fur, and rolling around in the snow… it can be so, so tough to keep them moisturized in the winter.

Thankfully, with a few simple steps, you can help the skin better retain its moisture, and limit the dry winter itching and scratching. These tips are ideal for dogs with dry skin in winter.

Why Winter is Hard on the Skin

The winter brings a more arid, cold, and dry wind – and this can be really tough on the skin. It can quickly strip the skin of its moisture, leading the cracking and chapping. And that leads to itching…

Cue the vicious cycle of scratch-irritate-heal-irritate-scratch.

Dry skin in the winter can affect any dog – long- or short-haired, big or small. And while dry skin isn’t inherently life-threatening, it can make your animal very uncomfortable. So, as you might have guessed, we always try our best to get ahead of the itch, rather than trying to deal with it once it has already taken hold.

Tips for Dogs with Dry Skin in Winter

1. Fresh Water, Always
Make sure your pet always has access to fresh water. This one should be a no-brainer, but sometimes we forget about it. Moisturize from the inside out with water – the same goes for you!

2. Bone Broth  You can also add bone broth to their meals. Bone broth is fabulous for the body, its easy and dogs love it. There are many recipes on line or you can purchase Boil and Broth from our website. Boil and Broth has many novelty proteins, it is dehydrated and full of nutritional benefits.

3. Skip the Bath
It can be really tempting to give your dog a bath in the winter, especially after a particularly muddy/dirty walk, but it’s a great idea to skip the bath.
Bathing removes the necessary oils from the skin microbiome and can increase skin irritation. That microbiome is home to millions of friendly bacteria that help defend the skin – you don’t want to wash them down the drain! Plus, once your dog gets out and dry off, the skin starts to dry out too. If your dog just can’t go without a cleaning, instead of a full bath, wipe down areas that attention and dry them well.

4. Skin-loving Whole Foods
The proper diet is essential no matter the time of year, but it can be really important for the skin in the wintertime. Along with a healthy, well-balanced diet, there are several whole foods and supplements  that can help dogs with dry skin in winter. 
Adding in our Wild Caught Salmon, Sardines, Elite Turkey, Elite Chicken, are wonderful ways to get the Omega 3. It is amazing how well these foods work. Have questions about any of these products, reach out to Christa at Rawdogfoodcomplete@gmail.com

5. Skin-loving Supplements
Omega – 3 fatty acids are a must. Omegas are an essential element in any healthy diet but really need to be part of the winter diet. So what can I do to help my dog get the omegas?
And remember that skin microbiome we mentioned earlier, the gut microbiome is just as important. Probiotics increase the amount of good bacteria in the gut microbiome, which helps protect the immune cells from damage. Look for one with a lot of different strains. A good one to start with is Fido’s Flora and rotate a different probiotic each month to get the gut super health. Need help with a specific gut issue, just reach out to Christa at Contact

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6. Humidity 
Humidify can play a big role in how your dog’s skin handle the winter. As winter sets in, our houses become drier and drier. Winter air has very little water in it – this is why our houses dry out so much in winter.
Keeping a humidifier full and running where your pet spends most of their time can help stave off that dryness. We’ve had ours running all over the house for the last few weeks!

A good massage can do amazing things too!
For dogs with dry skin in winter, you want to do all you can to try and keep that moisture in. And these tips will help. Try them all to keep that itching and scratching to a minimum!

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