Doggie 101 (reptscue)

[NicoleRussell]

ok so my doggie has dandruff. Is this the result of diet, skin, shampoo???
I comb him like the trashy dog groomer told me to. I bathe him with the med shampoo like the country doc suggested. So what am I doing wrong?

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[firekick3]

add some "cod liver oil" to his food? I think thats what I've heard is good for their skin and coat.


then again, maybe I'm wayyy off. don't hold me to it.

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[firekick3]

found this on the web to sorta defend my previous post.

Giving your pet fish-oil supplements will help improve the metabolism of fats in skin tissue, Dr. Weldy explains. Try mixing 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of fish oil into your pet's food every day. Using the same amount of safflower or corn oil can also help, says Jan A. Hall, D.V.M., a veterinary dermatologist and referral specialist in Ville St. Laurent in Montreal.

Upgrade his diet.

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[Reptscue]

Forget the safflower and corn oil... what you need are the omega 3 and 6 fatty acid suppliments. This is the one of the brands we use at work 3V Caps - Dietary supplement for pets.

I would also suggest either an aloe and oatmeal shampoo, or Relief Shampoo and cream rinse. (RELIEF Creme Rinse - Allivet Trusted Pet Pharmacy) You can use the cream rinse as a leave in.

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[luker3232]

psssh mammals

ummm go wit reptscue

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[Adrya]

Originally Posted by Reptscue

Forget the safflower and corn oil... what you need are the omega 3 and 6 fatty acid suppliments. This is the one of the brands we use at work 3V Caps - Dietary supplement for pets.
I would also suggest either an aloe and oatmeal shampoo, or Relief Shampoo and cream rinse. (RELIEF Creme Rinse - Allivet Trusted Pet Pharmacy) You can use the cream rinse as a leave in.

Ditto that.... we use an aloe and oatmeal shampoo for our Lab, and he's got omega 3 and 6 fatty acids already in his Kirkland brand dogfood.

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[Allysen]

I would definitely do salmon oil, (very high omega 3's and 6's), and perhaps try switching the food for about a month. Best case scenario, it's diet related and you've fixed it. Worst case scenario, you KNOW it's not diet! Try either alternate protein sources (if he's been on a chicken base, try a lamb, duck, or venison, and if he's been on lamb, try a chicken, or duck base) or try something that has VERY few ingredients, like California Natural, or Natural Balance Duck and Potato.

Even if it's medicated or oatmeal, sometimes shampooing too much can aggravate the dandruff situation, so I'd maybe hold off on actually shampooing him for a month or so. If he's really uncomfortable and itchy, get a skin-soothing collagen or lido-med spray.

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[JuliusSqueezer]

yeah fish oil and oatmeal shampoo...great stuff for dandruff...but also, this time of year with the heat on all the time, dries the house out a good bit and perhaps running a humidifier in the house would help a bit too.

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[Jatango]

Yep, like everyone has said, dermcaps (the omega ones reptscue suggested), and food change. The humidifier might help. I'd bathe, but not frequently. The omega caps will help in short order. You may want to really look at that dandruff, or have a vet look at it just to be sure it isn't something like ringworm, or mange or staph bumps. Nothing worse than an outbreak of ringworm in the house. Yuck. In people, a lot of dermatitis is the result of a build up of native fungus, so if you get a shampoo, see if you can get one specifically for dermatitis. You'll have your puppy fixed up in no time.

You just picked up a bag of Iams, right? The food change could be causing the skin condition.

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[Reptscue]

If you use salmon oil or cod oil you will not want a kiss from him for a month... If he is itchy you can use benedryl. If you bathe, do not do it more then 1-2 times a month. Have you seen any fleas??? Hair thinning??? Scabs??

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[Cristina]

the cod liver oil and a skin conditioner will help...if you go w/ Wellness you will see an amazing change in her coat...

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[Jatango]

Ew, no cod liver oil. Use the capsules, truuuuuust me. Fishy breath will make you vomit. Seriously, no it's happened. And a food switch to any premium food will help. Try a different protein source (as was mentioned) to cover all the bases at once. If you want, you can also supp. in 500mg vit. c and 400mg vit. E daily. Can't hurt. If this is the pom, i'll try to figure out the proper dosage. That's more for your lab. (Lab, right?) You can even increase those dosages to 1000mg and 800mg split into two doses.

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[NicoleRussell]

Originally Posted by Cristina

the cod liver oil and a skin conditioner will help...if you go w/ Wellness you will see an amazing change in her coat...

I'm getting that food. The thing is he has these problems when I got him...and while he has improved...he is still not out of the woods yet

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[NicoleRussell]

Originally Posted by Jatango

Ew, no cod liver oil. Use the capsules, truuuuuust me. Fishy breath will make you vomit. Seriously, no it's happened. And a food switch to any premium food will help. Try a different protein source (as was mentioned) to cover all the bases at once. If you want, you can also supp. in 500mg vit. c and 400mg vit. E daily. Can't hurt. If this is the pom, i'll try to figure out the proper dosage. That's more for your lab. (Lab, right?) You can even increase those dosages to 1000mg and 800mg split into two doses.

I don't have a lab LOL
I had no doggies before a few weeks ago

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[NicoleRussell]

Originally Posted by Reptscue

If you use salmon oil or cod oil you will not want a kiss from him for a month... If he is itchy you can use benedryl. If you bathe, do not do it more then 1-2 times a month. Have you seen any fleas??? Hair thinning??? Scabs??

dog has had some serious issues with his skin. But the vet cleared up 99% of them. He was pulling out his hair--like a bird would do if they are stressed. He was going bald in other spots...and he has blisters oin his skin. No fleas.
Now all that os gone...the only thing left is this dandruff.
The vet said the shampoo would clear it up but it hasn't.
My gut feeling is that he might have allergies...but my instincts with cannines are not the best

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[Heidi]

Food is major when it comes to skin issues. I learned that with both Summer and Cleo. I also used the fish oil with Summer after we got her mange cleared up. We thought the mange could have been caused by allergies too. It may have been but we also think that it could have possibly been triggered by her switch to cheaper food that decreased her immunity. Spent about 1200 in testing to use a dog food that was only like $10 less a bag.

Also brushing is really important when it comes to dogs skin health. Getting out all the old, dead, hair improves the skin. I also use the oatmeal shampoo with moisturizers.

[Jatango]

The skin condition could also be caused by a thyroid condition. How old is he? Any other symptoms? You might ask the vet to do a complete thyroid panel and have it sent out to the lab, no in-house stuff, many don't know what to kook for.

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[TongueFlick]

Originally Posted by Adrya_Webb

Ditto that.... we use an aloe and oatmeal shampoo for our Lab, and he's got omega 3 and 6 fatty acids already in his Kirkland brand dogfood.

Awwwwwwwwww... I LOVE labs! What color? My faves are the chocolates!

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[Adrya]

Originally Posted by TongueFlick

Awwwwwwwwww... I LOVE labs! What color? My faves are the chocolates!

He's a big o'l 95lb licorice lab. I love all the lab flavors.... chocolate, vanilla, and licorice. LOL

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[deadliestformula]

Try Brewers Yeast. You sprinkle a few TBSP on the food before they eat it. It helps keep the itching down. I used to have a lab/rot mix that used to itch his butt bare until we used the yeast.

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