How to Get Rid of Dry Skin on a Dog

As with humans, there are a variety of factors that could cause your dog to have dry skin. Dry skin can make your dog feel itchy and uncomfortable, leading to your dog scratching himself throughout your home. This can result in you find clumps of dog hair throughout the house. Before you take the dog in to your vet due to his dry skin, there are numerous home remedies that attack the problem both from the outside and the inside.

Give the dog a lukewarm to cool (not hot or cold) bath, using a moisturizing dog shampoo in the water. A dog shampoo is required due to a dog's pH being different than a human's. Massage the shampoo into the dog's fur and skin while bathing the dog. Rinse and dry the dog afterward. A dog with dry skin should be bathed only once a month, unless otherwise directed by your vet.

Add a moisturizing spray to the dog's skin after the bath. Like body moisturizer for humans, these products help to prevent dry skin in dogs. Follow the specific instructions listed on the moisturizing spray bottle.

Brush your dog twice a week (more if necessary) using a dog brush. Doing so removes excess and dead fur and dander from the dog, thus preventing the animal's skin from drying out.

Add olive oil to the dog's food. Olive oil is a home remedy recommended by vets for dogs with dry skin. Pour approximately 1 tbsp. of olive oil over the dog's dry food once a day. The amount can vary per size of dog. All of the food does not need to be saturated with olive oil. Instead, add the olive oil to the food, and then stir to food in order to distribute the olive oil.