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New dog has skin issues. How to restore his coat and heal his skin?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | neutered | 7 years old | 45 lbs

Hello! I adopted a black lab yesterday from a family who clearly did not take care of him. He has allergies and I would like to know the next steps to restoring his coat and healing his skin

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on December 18th, 2016

Allergies are not easy to treat, the first step would be to switch him to a high quality grain free food, it can help with some skin allergies , you should also treat him for fleas as this is by far the number one cause for skin problems in dogs. If this is not helping you will need to take Login to the vet and start a diagnostic process for the skin allergy, alternatively the vet will give you the option to put him on a medication called Apoquel for skin allergy.

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on

    Poor Logan! Good for you for adopting him. Specific treatment for his skin and coat will depend on exactly what is causing the problem - he may have food allergies, an allergy to something in the environment, fleas, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). All of these problems would require different treatment, so it's important to get a diagnosis as a first step towards getting his skin problems cleared up - for this reason, I would recommend taking him to the vet for an exam as soon as you are able to. He/she can do some simple skin tests to get a better idea of what is causing his skin problem and see what can be done to treat him. In the meantime, there are a few things you can do that should help. Make sure that he is on a good quality dog food, since nutrition is very important for healthy skin and coat - I like Royal Canin or Purina ProPlan, personally, but there are lots of good options on the market. You can also give Logan a daily omega-3 fatty acid supplement such as Welactin to help his skin. Bathing him in an aloe and oatmeal shampoo with a good brushing afterwards should also help to make him more comfortable until you are able to see the vet. Finally, I would also make sure that he is on a good quality flea control medication like Nexgard or Bravecto to ensure that fleas are not contributing to his skin problems.

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