Dog With Sensitive Skin

by Amber
(Key Largo)

Hi, I am new to soap making...as in never made it. I looked into it because my dog has very sensitive skin, itches non-stop and her hair is falling out. Vet says there are no problems, just skin allergies and sensitive skin. I cannot afford the special soap he recommends. I have heard of natural homemade soaps for dogs with Vit E, Honey, Shea butter, peppermint, eucalyptus, lavendar, lemongrass and tea tree. I have no ideas on the amounts. Do you have a suggestion for a recipe to help a dog with this condition? Is one process better than the other in this situation? Any advise would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.


Answer:

Amber,
I don't currently have a formula for dogs with sensitive skin but I would go with a plain castile bar. It is very gentle on the skin. The essential oils you have listed are good for repelling insects but may be drying to the skin so I would use them with caution.

Also, unless your dog gets really dirty all the time, washing a dog often can be very irritating to their skin. By bathing them regularily, you are washing away the natural protective oils that keep their skin and coats healthy.

I would also recommend looking at trying to figure out what is causing the rashes and itching.

I for one have to make my dogs food from scratch....sigh...it's a real pain but the vet bills have gone down a HUGE amount.

My dog has food allergies (to preservatives and corn) and he gets rashes as well as itchy, infected ears whenever he eats commercial foods.

Sorry I'm not more help,
Cathy

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starstarstarstarstar 		Dog allergies
by: Jacqueline

It is important to determine if your dog has food allergies or environmental allergies. If it is food allergies then there is usually a lot of foot licking and you can get hypoallergenic food from the vet that will usually solve the problem. If it is environmental allergies then an oatmeal soap usually works great at relieving the itch and if it is seasonal like my current dog I also give him allergy medication for the 1-2 weeks that it's at it's worst. Hope this helps.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Dog with Sensitive Skin
by: Katie

I agree with finding the root cause of the itching & dry skin, which is usually the dog food.

My dog was scratching & chewing the hair off his feet. His hair was thinning & breaking. With the itching, I immediately thought food allergies. I followed the recommendations of many Chinese Crested breed owners - switch to a high protein grain-free food.

I did, & all the symptoms subsided. My dog now has a lush, full coat of hair & doesn't scratch any more.

As far as soap goes, I use any of my homemade soap - nothing special added. My formula is 43% olive oil, & it's whatever the bar happens to have in it for scent - FO or EO, it doesn't seem to have an impact at all. Just not too frequent bathing. I do a spa day about every 3 weeks for my dogs - bath & trim. If I notice any scratches or bruises, I use a salve with calendula-infused oil & a very tiny amount of tea tree oil.

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