Dry and flaky skin + rough coat

My pug has horrible dry skin. The people who had him before us kept him outside and I noticed that his coat is rough compared to my pug; I took him to the groomers today and she said the rough coat was from being outside in the sun so long.

My question is, is there any shampoos I can get that can help with the dry, flaky skin and rough coat? Or should I keep taking him to the groomer until it gets better? The groomer is not to expensive ($25 a visit) but she wants to see him weekly. I would rather buy a shampoo and try to get it healthy myself if it is possible

Hi Shana I would look at the diet content when there are skin/coat problems.

Also a vet check may be in order to see if there is some underlying health condition causing the problem.

Most coat & skin problems come from within the dog, so look at her diet & get a vet check just to be sure there's nothing medically wrong.

Lots of natural supplements can aid skin & coat condition, including EFO-Essential Fish Oils-containing Omega 3, Linseed oil, Brewers Yeast tablets are just three that come to mind

Look at the food your dog is on, if complete what does it contain(& what doesn't it contain)

Oatmeal shampoo can help the external dry skin too

Agreed that this most likely originates from within.

I use a small amount of sunflower oil on my dogs food to help during times of poor coat. A teaspoon or so.

I'd think a diet issue might be the cause. My dog Nigredo has an amazing looking coat that I get compliments on everywhere I go, but when/if he eats ANYTHING with soy in it... his coat thins, gets dull, rough, and just looks terrible.

So he eats soy free, wheat free, and corn free food. He is 85 lbs and I'm not prepared to pay for grain free food (thankfully he is not allergic to brown rice) but he eats lamb and rice. But many dogs need grain free... and some dogs are allergic to meats like chicken as well.

He gets a fish oil, and a vitamin c tablet each day, as well. The vitamin C is an under rated supplement for allergy prone dogs. I use cucumber melon shampoo and conditioner (or something from the dead sea collection) as well as oatmeal and chamomile/lavender added to his bath monthly.

Some Brewers yeast powder might help... but it tends to irritate him. He gets a soak... which means I sit him in there and let everything get nice and deep into his coat, and then rinse. He enjoys it, but if your dog does not... you can speed it up.

I also add a bit of olive oil to his monthly flea drops when applying.

I never thought about it being diet. They had him on Purina Pro-Plan lamb and Rice, they said it was the only food that did not give him gas. All of my animals eat Blue Buffalo and I have been transitioning him to that.

Thanks for the replies!