Question: My dog has dry spots and I want to get a good shampoo. I saw a lot of shampoo online, but I know a lot of the benefits can be misleading. So, I'd like to what ingredients I should look for in dog shampoo. Currently, to combat the dry skin, I'm using coconut oil. 

My dog is a pitbull, three years old, pretty big, short coat. I haven't really shampooed him yet, I just adopted him. He was neutered 3 days ago, so I'm waiting a week before I give him a bath to let the wound heal first.

Answer: 
For dry skin I highly recommend Oatmeal based shampoo. Oatmeal shampoo will moisturize your dogs skin as well as soften his coat. It also smells great if oatmeal is your thing.

It doesn't really matter what brand you go for. Just look for oatmeal in the ingredients (the first brand that comes to mind though is Whole Earth Oatmeal Shampoo for Dogs if you want a brand suggestion). You can also make oatmeal shampoo at home with plenty if recipes online and fairly cheap ingredients for how much you make.
Dry skin can be caused by a few things:

1. Low-quality diet
2. Allergies
3. Diseases such as [hypothyroidism](http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/endocrine/c_dg_hypothyroidism) or [cushings disease](http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/endocrine/c_dg_hyperadrenocorticism).

Pitbulls are notorious for allergies, if you notice excessive itching, hair loss, chronic ear infections, browned paws (from excessive licking) I would consult your veterinarian.

I'm a big fan of the [DOUXO line](https://www.douxo.com/uk), these shampoos actually strengthen the skin barrier and not just moisturize it like oatmeal based shampoos. It contains the patented molecule [Phytosphingosine](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/phytosphingosine#section=Top), a fundamental component of ceramides, found naturally in the skin and ensures the cohesion of the skin barrier.

You can buy these shampoos at your veterinarian, they are pricier than your regular oatmeal shampoos but they actually focus on repairing the skin vs moisturizing. Well worth the money.