BE GREAT.
lookin’ good
The Winter
Skin Blues
Help your kitty or pup avoid dry,
itchy skin this season.
by Melissa L. Kauffman
S
cratch, scratch, scratch. And so winter begins with its dry, windy,
cold air outside, and the dry, hot, forced air inside, without any
moisture in sight. What’s a kitty or puppy to do except scratch?
Unlike humans, pets can’t just slap on some extra moisturizer and
call it a day. However, there are some easy solutions to help with dry skin.
Plenty of water.
Let’s start with the basics: Just
because you and your pets aren’t sweating from the heat doesn’t mean you
should slack off on drinking water. Dogs
should get at least an ounce per pound
daily, and cats require at least two to four
ounces daily. Monitor the water bowl for
both cleanliness and decreasing water
level, plus use filtered water as some
cats don’t like the taste of “hard” water.
Feeding wet food will also provide more
water. Another way to entice your pet is
with an automatic water fountain.
2.
run a humidifier.
Dry cold air and dry hot air both
suck the moisture right out of the skin.
Humidifiers put that moisture right
back into the air, helping with dry skin,
sinus issues, less static, and better sleep.
Downside: You’ve got to clean it and
change the filter (if it has one) regularly
or you’ll have yucky mold and bacteria
floating around.
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3.
bathing. Bathe your dog less
during the winter — it removes
natural oils that keep the skin hydrated.
When you do bathe your dog, use moisturizing shampoos with ingredients like
oatmeal and aloe vera. For cats, only use
shampoos specially made for felines, and
only if your cat really needs a bath. You
might want to use a conditioning rinse
specially formulated for pets’ dry skin.
4.
brush or comb your
pet’s coat. Doesn’t matter if
you have a cat or dog, brushing or combing the hair removes all those dead skin
cells and loosens hair. Brushing stimulates
hair follicles and the natural oils in the
skin, too.
5.
fatty acid supplements.
Talk with your veterinarian to see
if he recommends adding a fish oil supplement to your pet’s diet for dry, itchy
skin. Your pet’s food should contain the
minimal daily requirement, but upping
the omega-3 fatty acids could improve
your pet’s skin, along with other
healthy benefits.
These five simple tips should be
enough to smooth out your pet’s dry and
itchy winter skin. However, dry skin isn’t
always just dry skin but could be a symptom of an infection, parasites, allergies, or
other condition. Take your pet to the vet
if her dry skin doesn’t go away.
Melissa L. Kauffman is the Sr. Group Editor
of Lucky Puppy, Dogster, and Catster
magazines. She lives with two rescue
dogs and two rescue parrots.
fantom_rd/istock; MK photograp 55/shutterstock
1.
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9/15/16 9:13 AM