Learning About Vet Services

Oats are one of the best home remedies you can use to help keep your dog's skin healthy. Oats can be used to soothe itches and as a dry shampoo. These uses will be looked at in more detail below so that you can decide if this is a good option for your pet.

Oatmeal Soak

An oatmeal soak is useful for itching in dogs. Oatmeal contains strong anti-inflammatory properties that will soothe your pet's itchy skin. Here are the instructions for creating your own oatmeal soak.

1. Put a cup of oatmeal into a nylon sock.
2. Use a piece of string to secure the mouth of the sock over the tap of a bathtub.
3. Fill the bathtub with warm water until water starts filtering through the oats in the sock.
4. Place your dog in the tub.
5. Let the dog soak in the tub for about 15 minutes.

Dry Oatmeal Shampoo

If your dog has skin that is dry, oily and itchy you can create a dry oatmeal shampoo for your dog. The dry shampoo is created using roasted oats. Here is how you can go about roasting oats on a stove or in an oven:

On a stove:

1. Spread the oats in a skillet. 
2. Put the skillet on the stove over a medium heat flame.
3. Spread the oats evenly in the skillet to avoid burning them.
4. Keep stirring the oats until the oats are brown all over.

In an oven:

1. Preheat your oven to at least 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Use a flat wooden spoon to spread the oats evenly in a baking tray.
3. Allow the oats to roast for about 15 minutes.

Now that you have roasted the oats, you can go ahead and use it as a dry shampoo. Rub the roasted oats into your dog's coat until it comes into contact with your dog's skin. Let the oats stay on the dog's skin for at least half an hour, then comb it out. You might want to test this out on a small area of your dog's skin at first to see if your dog's coat responds well to the dry shampoo before using it all over your dog. This is because the coats of some breeds do not respond well to dry shampoos.

Oats are an inexpensive way of soothing some of the irritating skin problems that plague your dog. It is worth a try to see how your pet responds to it. For more information, contact a professional at a place like East Valley Animal Clinic.