Dry Flaky Skin + Bad Flatulence Smells

StickyIcky

Hi everyone (short version at the bottom for those short on time)

I've two issues with my dog I'm hoping someone here can help me with.

I feed my dog Science Plan which I found was easily the best food I got for my dog next to Eukanuba. I just can buy Science Plan from the vet around the corner so hence I ended up choosing that one. The main reason I got that food is because it really helps with his flatulence.

Problem 1) In the evening especially when he's resting there's a very audible release of wind sound followed several seconds later by an over powering stench. It's not so bad when it's just me in the gaff but if I have guests over he's generally expelled from the living area which is a pity because he hates being on his own.

The only thing I've found is that I can't give him any treats of any kind or it really makes his flatulence worse, so just the Science Plan food but still once or twice a week he'll have a bad bout of gas. Any suggestions?

Problem 2) After washing my dog, about a day or two later it's like all the skin on his back gets flaky and starts falling off. It takes another day or two for it to clear. I've tried a dozen different dog shampoos all to various degrees of success and failure but nothing that stops this happening. I've recently taken to feeding him olive oil with this meals and rubbing olive oil on his back which is helping but still I'd like it to be gone completely or at least much much better than it is now.


Here's the short version for those who don't have time to read

1) my dog has smelly flatulence, I've tried several different dog foods.
2) my dog gets really flaky skin the day after a wash. I've tried several different shampoos.
Any suggestions?

Rommie

How long is he on the science plan because they recently changed the recipe. The bag claims it's a better accepted recipe with better poo results, but if you read the ingredients, all they've done is up the amount of maize in it, and reduce the amount of meat. I'm guessing this is causing the problems, I would try a gluten/grain free dog food if you can get it. This would probably also be the cause of the flaky skin. To be honest, Science plan is very expensive low quality food. It used to be good, not so much anymore

StickyIcky

What would you recommend? I Tried him on that james well beloved stuff which on the bag mainly advertises all the things it doesn't have in it, so thought it would be good but pretty much the same. He's always been like this by the way. It's not a recent change. I Would be up for changing his food but it needs to be something I can get in my town. I just have a very small pet shop here.

toadfly

Would you be able to order online? Do you know what food the petshop stock? Would you consider a raw diet?

Inexile

If your dog doesn't have any food allergies try adding a small teaspoon of natural yogurt into this food as this can help eliminate the gas.

Are you sure your dogs skin is not dry all the time and that the washing is just lifting the dead skin off so it appears that its the washing that is causing the problem. You could try adding some porridge oats to his food as this is supposed to help flaky skin, some oily fish would also help.

How often are you washing the dog as they really don't need to be washed frequently as this can remove natural oils from the coat.

eisenberg1

I have that problem with the "wind", well actually its the dog. I tried a lot of different foods, some with good results. Currently on Eden, and its great. I also found Skinners" to be good ( and a bit cheaper). He got a bit turkey over the Xmas and we paid the price. With the coat/skin problems (what type of dog?) use a quality shampoo, rinse well, and rinse again, and give a final rinse. Cut out any canned red meats and try him on some canned tuna a couple of time a week. You could also add some cod liver oil to food.

But best to talk to your vet.

StickyIcky

@Toadfly - I can order online sure, just as long as it's not a lot more expensive than buying from a shop. Usually shipping is a killer especially on heavier items. I usually buy the biggest bags of food they sell and sometimes 2 - 3 bags at a time. I'm not sure what food they sell, seems to be mainly cheaper stuff. The only one that they really recommended to me for my problems was the James Well Be Loved ones which helped but weren't good enough. I would consider a raw diet but would prefer a dog food as it's easier to use and easier to not feck up. I know raw diets are supposed to be the best but I also heard unless you really know what you're doing it's not a good idea.

@Inexile - Not sure if he has alergies or not. I've read about the plain yoghart trick before so I'll try that. His skin could be dry all the time yes, it's a possibility. I will try porridge oats and fish oils thanks. I'm washing him as often as is required so he doesn't stink up the gaff. Probably once every 10 - 14 days. I know it's probably more than is required or recommended but he's constantly beside me so I'm not putting up with a stinky dog I'd much rather give him oil massages every few days and feed him expensive supplements than put up with a smelly dog I'll try your suggestions though as I did read about them before. I might switch from olive oil to fish oils. I'm guessing cod liver oil would be suitable.

@Eisenberg - Yip exactly, over xmas he got some ham and what not especially from my visitors and family no doubt and he was subsequently banished the entire time. He would sneak in, drop another F bomb and everyone would gasp and cover there noses and he'd be shoo'd out of the room again like he knew he was in the dog house. Poor fella. I rinse him bigtime and no matter what shampoo I buy there's feck all difference. I did have decent results with one shampoo (he would still shed flakes but not as much) but the pet store stopped stocking it and I can buy it online but the shipping costs as much as the shampoo. Like I said I found giving him olive oil and rubbing some into his skin directly after the bath helped a lot. I'll try swapping the olive oil for the cod liver oil. I'll look out for Eden and Skinners food as well thanks!


BTW guys I'll keep this thread updated for my progress with these things I'll try so people in the future can see my results.

eisenberg1

Eden from Titan Pet Food, Swords
Skinners from Petbliss, Wicklow
Both deliver

jantheman91

Coconut oil is a godsend for dry skin.

StickyIcky

Yip I'm starting to think a bit of coconut oil in his food and massaged directly onto his coat for dry flaky skin solution.

Some natural yoghurt in his food for flatulence cure. If that doesn't work get some Eden or Skinners as suggested above and slowly change over to that and see if it helps.

Just want to say usually his coat is sooo shiny. Because he's a Doberman and he has such shiny short jet black hair and lots of muscles, his coat literally glistens in the sun. Hence if I could fix the flaky skin out break he'd just look perfect. Everyone comments on how fine and well take care of he looks. Kinda lucky because I think short haired dogs are really easy to care for. Just gotta get them oily enough

DBB

Hi OP,
Adding oils and massaging them into the skin is all very well, but you're only addressing the symptoms, not affecting a cure.
Look, if he's farting, if he's smelly, then his food is not suiting him, no matter what you paid for it. His flaky skin is likely to be another symptom, because skin problems follow closely behind digestive upset when it comes to unsuitable food.
Many dogs are very poor at digesting cereals, and the foods you've tried have cereals, and lots of them. They sit in the digestive tract, they irritate it, they ferment in it, they cause a lot of discomfort and digestive upset.
I suffer from food intolerances, and I can tell you that they don't stop me functioning, and nobody would know there's anything wrong with me... but inside I can feel pretty crap, crampy, sore, when I eat stuff I shouldn't. I see no reason why dogs don't feel the same way, and it counters any excuses that the dog must be feeling fine, sure isn't he in great form?!
Dobermann are prone to digestive upsets and skin problems in any case, so special care needs to be taken with their diet.
So, to my mind, you need to eliminate cereals. Completely. If the food must contain any cereal, make it rice, but even at that, I feel that rice can cause problems too, despite being relatively benign and gluten-free.
If you don't want to go down the raw or fresh food route, I'd suggest a dry food that just far surpasses anything you can get in any pet shop: It's called Taste of the Wild, and is available from zooplus.ie, who will do free delivery on orders over €49. It is free from cereals, the carb content is made up of potatoes, or veg of various kinds.
I recommend it because the ingredients are very good, and I have used it myself on a breed of dogs that are up at the top of the itchy-skin league. However, Eden food is getting some pretty good reviews too and again, it's cereal free... I have no personal experience with it but were I feeding dry, I'd certainly be giving it a go.
You also have the option of supplementing it with really high-quality tinned/pre-packed wet food, the likes of Rinti, Rocco, Lukullus, NatureDiet, all of which are available on zooplus too, and at really good prices if you buy in bulk. Unlike supermarket tinned foods, these contain meat, meat, and more meat, and are damn handy as they don;t take up freezer and fridge space like the fresh or raw diet does!
Also, add fish, tinned oily fish like sardines, pilchards, herring a few times a week to his food. Preferably tinned fish in water or tomato sauce, and the ones preserved in oil can be less nutritious in terms of Omega 3 content. Oily fish is just brilliant for skin problems, and nothing beats feeding the entire fish, rather than just pouring some fish oils into the dog's dinner
So, not to put to fine a point on it OP, you need to stop faffing around with the food he's on... IMO it's overpriced crud. Get rid of it... no faffing about with oil or creams... Get off the pot and get rid of the cereals out of his diet!

lorebringer

Re the flaky skin - are you brushing your dog regularly with a bristle brush? Even short coat dogs need a good going over with a brush, it stimulated blood flow to the skin and helps get rid of flaky bits of dry skin. This may help with the skin issues.

Science Plan food gave one of mine the worst gas and dodgy poos, and (in my opinion) it isn't the best quality of food so I'm not surprised your dog is having bad smelling gas and dry skin. I tend to buy online at zooplus - there is .ie, .co.uk and .de sites that all deliver to Ireland (the product all comes from the same place so no real difference except different sites can have different offers at any one time and some products are cheaper on one site over another). Some good foods for gas and skin include Burns, Acana, Taste of the Wild, Orijen... there are quite a few on there! If you have a look at the ingredients it will give you a good indication as to whether the food is of good quality (the more meat, and natural stuff dogs would eat, the better!).

James Wellbeloved have a cereal free version (which I found great for an older dog with very bad skin) so this could be worth a try if you had some success with regular JWB in the past. Burns is generally very gentle on sensitive stomachs (and also helps reduce bad gas!) and good for skinissues too (again, same older dog did very well on this with regards to his skin problems). Both brands I would personally recommend for a dog with a combo of problematic gas and skin.

Extra oils in the diet may also help - something like pure salmon oils or a specific skin/coat supplement could be worth a try.

Because your dog is getting flaky skin post wash, shampoo may have a role to play also. Try washing your dog in a sensitive shampoo, or some for skin issues (even one designed for puppies might be a good option), and giving the dog a good brushing down (again, short coat dog would need a stiff bristle brush) once they are dry could be a help. I have tried rubber brushes on short coat dogs (recommended to me!) but I still find the bristle brush best.

Good luck and hope you get it all sorted!

StickyIcky

@Lorebringer - Hi there, yea I massage him with a rubber brush sometimes. I hand massage him with oil. When I use a firm bristle brush it often make flaky so I tend not to use it much. I've been finding giving him a firm massage with oil and feeding him oil in his food is definitely helping the flaking skin. However I think from what you and DBB have been saying it's time to change his food.

@DBB - Wow .. yeah okay what you say makes sense and I very much believe you so I'll be visiting that site zooplus.ie right away, once I click post button

Okay everyone - all I Can say is wow lots of support and lots of really great info. Everyone has given me good pointers.

I'm going to ask everyone to let this thread settle for a while and let the dust roll in. I've got loads here to try and do, so I don't want to get over loaded. I'm going to go away and try some things and in a few weeks time I'll report back and let you all know how I got along, what worked and what didn't ok?

Awesome guys, thanks again. This sub forum of boards is pretty cool. Must pop by more often! Later.