Description
Dry skin is shedding excessive amounts of dandruff will looking brittle and rough.
Urgency
Danger
Course
Dry skin is most obvious around the throat, the neck and the back of the dog.
Cause
There are several causes of dry skin. Dehydration is a major cause of dry sky. This is caused by excessive loss of body fluid with symptoms like dry oral mucosa, small amounts of viscous saliva, weak pulse or even collapsing. Also, a lack of vitamins and/or fluid are possible triggering factors. In order to maintain its malleability, the skin requires certain fatty acids. A lack of these can result in drying of the skin. Sometimes infection with bacteria is contributing to the condition. In rare cases, dry skin may also be indicating conditions affecting inner organs (i.e. kidney failure) or hormonal disorders (i.e. Morbus cushing).
Therapy
Your veterinarian can prescribe vitamin substitutes and/or shampoos to treat the condition.
Emergency measures
You may try to add a bit of oil (containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) to your dogs diet in order to support skin quality. A small dog should receive a table-spoon worth of oil with every meal. If no improvement is seen wihtin six weeks, consult a veterinarian.