How can I care for my dog’s skin at home?

At home, it's probably just good, simple hygiene. Make sure the dog's coat is cared for and that there are no significant mats. With long hair breeds, you either want to get them groomed often or just simply brush them often, particularly in the summer months where the shedding is going to be worse. A lot of dogs struggle with dry skin in the summertime, too, so using things like shampoos that contain aloe and oatmeals are great, as they are hypoallergenic additives that also help to clean them.

The other thing I would mention, too, is that fatty acids are very important for dogs' coats, so check the ingredients of your dog’s food. Perhaps your food has fatty acids naturally occurring in it but, if they don't, maybe add fish oils or something along those lines to the food. What you're looking for is what's called Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Those are the two that most of the big food manufacturers look for and try to include because those have been proven to be beneficial for skin and coat.

One of the best things is just good grooming. We see lots of skin issues that can be prevented by just keeping your pet combed out, keeping the mats down, keeping the coat clean, and bathing with something like an aloe and oatmeal shampoo, which tends to be very safe, cleaning your dog's ears, not letting drainage occur or build up around the eyes. Some general maintenance can keep a lot of these issues from ever occurring. Personal hygiene and the products you use make a difference, but we'll get onto that.