Skin greasyness/flaking in older dogs?

what brand of food are you feeding her?

 natural balance allergy formula duck and potato

edit: hit reply to soon, I just switched her onto this this week, before that she was on a food called happy hips, not a lot of oils in that food 

Sounds like seborrhea - http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2111&aid=1115

Have you had a full thyroid panel done?  If not, I would have it done at MSU to get age and breed qualified results.

"Primary seborrhea is genetic-based. Secondary seborrhea results from injury to the skin due to other causes such as allergies, parasites, nutritional disorders, and endocrine (hormonal) disorders such as hypothyroidism.  ...

Symptomatic treatment includes frequent bathing with specially medicated shampoos.   ...  Special rinses may also be used. With secondary seborrhea, the underlying cause will also need to be treated. In many cases there are accompanying yeast and bacterial infections, as well, and these are treated with appropriate medications.

Since inflammation is often present, an omega-3 fatty-acid supplement may be recommended by your veterinarian. This may seem counterintuitive since the coat may already feel 'greasy,' however, the fatty acids are essential for normal skin cell function and will help the condition, not exacerbate it."

 I talked to my dad(she lives with him) and he says he knows what that looks like(worked in pharmasutical(sp?) and it looks similar to the kind humans can get and he said it doesnt really look like that.  I'm going to call her vet anyway and see if they can reccomend any kind of shampoo to try and sooth it

 Well I made a vet appointment for friday morning, we'll see if they have anything new to say

Honestly the FIRST thing to do is a good thyroid test (not just sent to a lab, but do a breed specific test either going to http://www.hemopet.com or to Michigan State since this is a bichon ALREADY with allergies.

They can become sensitive to something ANY time, and you often don't know when the formula of something has been changed (shampoo or food).  But I'd do a good senior blood test AND the thyroid testing before you go further.

calliecritturs

But I'd do a good senior blood test AND the thyroid testing before you go further.

I agree.

A yeast infection is another possibility.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2102&aid=321
"Malassezia pachydermatis is a yeast that is commonly found on the skin of most dogs and cats. The presence of yeast normally causes few problems, however, in some cases, Malassezia can grow and reproduce in abnormal numbers.  ...

Any hereditary or infectious disease that weakens the skin's immune system can allow a Malassezia infection to begin. Animals that have an underlying condition such as a bacterial infection, allergy, or seborrhea can have irritated skin that is then susceptible to becoming infected with Malassezia.  ...

The signs of a Malassezia infection often appear in the high-humidity months of summer and will persist into the fall.  ...  Dogs with the generalized form will often have an offensive, greasy smell and may suffer from oily, scaly skin.  ...

The best way to diagnose a Malassezia infection is with a positive identification of the organism under the microscope. The lesion can be scraped, swabbed, or scotch tape can be used to obtain a sample. Most infections will have a large number of yeast present that will confirm the diagnosis. Laboratory cultures can also be performed to identify the organism. However, because Malassezia can be present on a healthy animal, there may always be some doubt as to if it is the causative agent of the signs. Therefore, diagnosis is usually confirmed by response to treatment.  ...

To provide an inhospitable environment for Malassezia, lipids on the skin need to be removed. Chlorhexidine shampoos that are 1% or stronger, and shampoos containing benzoyl peroxide and sulfur can be used. Selsun Blue shampoo for people also has a good effect against Malassezia in some dogs, although it can be irritating. Human shampoos containing ketoconazole have also been used.

For localized treatment of very small areas, miconazole cream is applied twice daily for several weeks."

Miconazole cream is a OTC product used to treat women's yeast infections.  However, talk to your vet before trying it because it can interact with other meds.

I've tried many things but recently her vet suggested Welactin and it's worked WONDERS.  I honestly believe if this can work this well for her then it would probably "cure" other dogs much less severe than her. 

It's an oil and you would add it to food daily. 

willowchow

her vet suggested Wellactin

Welactin (just one "l";) is an OTC high-potency natural salmon oil supplement made by Nutramax - available in liquid (up to 500ml) or soft gels. 

http://entirelypets.ecommerce-site-search.com/results.php?catalog=entirelypets&query=welactin&.autodone=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.yahoo.com%2Fentirelypets%2Fnsearch.html

 I got her into the vet today, turned out to be a bacterial infection so she's on antibiotics and 2x weekly shampoo

That's a good start -- but do realize that because of her age she is going to be REALLY prone to certain things like thyroid problems.  So give it a bit of time to resolve and see how it goes, but keep an eye on it.  It's one of those "senior dog things" that can crop up.

DracoDogTraining

turned out to be a bacterial infection so she's on antibiotics

Be sure to give probiotics 2-4 hours after the antibiotic to protect the digestive tract.  I would put her on Welactin, too.

 It sounds just like the opportunistic flareups Ben used to get in association with his hypothyroidism, and allergies. One of things that really grossed me out about it was the thick yellowish flakes - anywhere from pore-sized to quarter-sized. My vet called it seborrheic dermatitis (sp). In other words, seborrhea that was inflamed.

Oatmeal baths helped ease the discomfort a LOT - but not if your dog is also allergic to ragweed or several other pollens.