My gran uses sudo cream on her bassetts folds on the legs. This was ok'd by the vet and does seem to work well.

Oil or fatty acid supplements work well to keep skin healthy (esp for Westies!). I used to put a little oil on my Labs dinner when he was younger for his scurfy skin.

Thanks for all the replies they have been very helpful. I went into holland & barrett today and saw a tablet with cod liver oil & primrose oil in one tablet i was thinking of giving that a go. If it doesn't help i can take them at least i will have a good skin complection

To me, adding a supplement is often like puttting a band aid on.

I know lots of dogs who have had dry skin when fed seemingly good commercial diets. It cleared up totally when their diet was changed to raw.