My black lab-mix has terribly dry skin; I have given him an oatmeal bath and made sure he's got plenty of H2O

Have you ever tried any of the Eqyss products? I had a lab/chow/pit cross with terrible, flaky skin and started using the Micro-Tek medicated shampoo on her. It cleared it up really quickly. There is also a spray. I highly recommend these products. They are packaged as equine products, but are safe for dogs. http://www.eqyss.com/skin_problems.asp

Try adding fish oil to his dry food. Start with a tiny bit. I don't think you'll have bowel issues because even at the max amount you won't be adding a great deal of oil.

I use salmon oil on my dog and the couple of pumps of oil from the container doesn't seem like much when mixed in his food---and he doesn't have any bowel issues.

This is the stuff I use:

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Grizzly-Sal...

You may be able to find a store near you that sells small bottles of it or something like it.I know some people like flax seed oil but I haven't used it.

You might want to look at his regular food and see if there is anything in it that could be bothering his skin. My old lab mix didn't do well on anything with wheat or corn in it. Allergies (whether to food or something environmental) can mess up a dog's skin.

Keep in mind that when you add anything to your dog's food it should be a gradual change so his bowels don't freak out.

Good luck.

First, good for you for keeping wet food out! Most is 70-90 % moisture anyway. Switch his kibble. He is obviously having some sort of allergic reaction to what he is currently eating. Dry skin is usually a sign of a grain allergy/sensitivity, so I would stay away from low-grade grains like- corn, wheat, brewer's rice, soy. Good grains are- quinoa, barley, oatmeal, brown rice (brown rice in last place though...) Canidae, Wellness, Innova, and Merrick are all great options, and affordable for most. He will eat ALOT less than low-grade kibble, and you should notice major skin improvement within a month (sometimes less). You can also add Salmon Oil (packed with omegas) to his kibble as well. Good luck!

Our older lab has allergies which cause this. Changing his food is one thing - avoid grains and watch for rice, lamb, chicken etc. Also be careful not to give TOO many baths, this can dry their coat out as well. We have found that the oatmeal soap has the best results for us and then follow up with a conditioning or hydrocortisone spray (watch out for high alcohol content). The conditioning spray can usually be used between baths as well with just a good brushing to stimulate the oil glands. I also add a little olive oil to her food and give supplements with omega in them.

A little olive oil in the food could actually help. it has a number of great fats that would help the coat. The food advice is good, it does sound like allergies. Another great food to check out is California Natural. I feed this to my dog who is allergic to everything else and it works great. Four ingredients, lamb meal, brown rice, another kind of rice, sunflower oil, all human quality. Also, there is a supplement at PetSmart called Lipiderm that a lot of people use on show dogs which works very well at improving coat quality.

What kind of dog food do you feed your dog? And where do you live? Many dog foods have soy, wheat and/or corn that are the major causes of allergies in dogs. I use Blue Buffalo, it has no soy, wheat, or corn, and is human grade, holistic and has a unique formula that has the nutrients cold formed separately to preserve the potency and then added to the kibble after it is baked. My dog had dry skin and I tried everything and then found Blue Buffalo. Within 2 weeks of changing to Blue, her coat was healthy, shiny and no more flaky skin!

If you live where it is cold now with winter, your dog could be reacting to the change in weather!

I have an american pitbull terrier he has very dry skin all the cheap store bought stuff makes him flakey, and have dry skin. I bought him this stuff from the vetcalled efa hylyt it has fatty acids in it. good for the skin..I only give him a bath once every 2 weeks. I never gave my dog can food.. try to change it to dry just make sure he has water.

Have the vet perform a full allergy check on him, so you know what he needs to avoid in his diet and climate.

Try messaging his body with a natural oil. Maybe, pure coconut oil or vit e. Lanolin is probably better. See if that helps. Hope he's not allergic to oatmeal. Are you sure it's not mites? Get him to the vet.

other than the food advice given above which is good advice to follow..... are you having cold weather right now? the heat used indoors can suck the moisture right out of their coat and skin. a humidifier may help.

does he have fleas? that can cause an allergic reaction.

there is also conditioning sprays for skin/coat at your local pet store....also dietary supplements for skin/coat thats full of omega 3/6.

If you bath a dog to much it can dry out his skin. Dogs should be bathed about one every three to four weeks. The same thing happened to my dogs. Our vet suggested that we use a hypoallergenic fragrance free shampoo. Your dog wont smell like a prince but he will be clean.