Doggy dandruff

[purrbox]

My black lab mix has horrible dandruff. Anyone have any advice on how to get rid of this? Thanks!

[caz1221]

My first thoughts are that food and/or bathing could be the culprit. What kind of food are you feeding him/her? Also, how often do you bathe your pup, and what shampoo do you use?

[purrbox]

We recently adopted her from the local animal control shelter, so there's no telling what her diet was like a month and a half ago. Ever since we've had her she's been eating a combination of Iams Proactive Health Puppy dry food and cooked protein (eggs, meat, or fish), but starting tomorrow she'll be switched over to Blue Buffalo Wilderness dry food and we'll continue supplementing that with the cooked protein. I've heard great things about the Blue Buffalo brand, so I think we'll give that a shot.

So, yeah. Food could be the problem. I don't think the Iams Dog food is top grade, but I didn't know that going in. What do you guys think about the Blue Buffalo brand, or would you recommend something else?

As far as bathing goes, we pretty much give her a bath whenever she needs it (when she gets muddy from playing outside) which is about once a week. For shampoo, I rotate between using just a little bit of my shampoo or a little bit of Dawn dish washing soap. I use the Dawn because I figure it'd be the best at getting rid of nasty bugs and grit that she picks up in her fur without exposing her to too many chemicals, while my shampoo is moisturizing. Anyone have any recommendations for a good doggy shampoo?

She's a black doggy and her dandruff sticks out like a sore thumb, poor girl.

[Deleted]

You need to find a dog shampoo that will not remove the oils in her coat. Do not use human shampoo or dish soap - too drying. I do use baby shampoo because that is gentle, but she could need an oatmeal shampoo for dry skin.

[patches31709]

Yeah it could be the food and all that washing - that is way too many baths for a dog, and you really need to use a good, gentle dog shampoo. If she gets muddy, I would wipe her down with a damp towel but not give her a full on bath every week.

Give the food a few weeks and I bet you'll see a lot of changes in her skin as well. I'd also add salmon oil.

[purrbox]

Thanks for the feedback. I agree that the bathing is too frequent, but we've been getting rain almost every day this entire summer and we have a lot of mud in our yard. Of course, when we let her out to play she's goes right to the stuff. :/ Maybe just a quick hose off would be better than a full out washing. And I'll look in to getting a hydrating doggy shampoo. Any recs? I'm sensitive to a lot of fragrances, so I've been hesitant on getting anything because it seems like all the shampoos I've looked at are super smelly. Ugh. Although, the baby shampoo sounds like a good idea.

I'll definitely start adding some salmon oil to her food. We eat salmon pretty frequently. If you cook it with a George Foreman grill, the oil drips right off into a pan. I'm sure she'll love the stuff!

[Deleted]

reviews.petco.com/3554/109553/virbac-virbac-epi-soothe-dog-cat-horse-shampoo-reviews/reviews.htm

Epi soothe shampoo is gentle enough that it could even be used daily (if needed). My pup is prone to yeast build up, so she has to have a bath once a week. This stuff is spendy, but it's great.

Also, I found that this oil blend works a little better than just salmon oil

www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Ultra-Oil-Skin-Coat-Supplement-with-Hempseed-Oil/287000.aspx

[RoxMonster]

We also adopted a black lab mix who came to us with dandruff and lots of skin allergies. PPs have given lots of great advice already and I'll just add what we do.

She eats totally grain-free. The vet also thought she might have been allergic to animal proteins, so she is on the Pacific Stream Taste of the Wild food now which has salmon. Of course every dog reacts differently to food, but I would be cautious of Blue. We had her on grain-free Blue for a couple months and it gave her horrible gas, diarrhea, and digestive issues. Reading more about it online, this is a pretty common side effect for many dogs. It may work fine for yours, but just something to keep an eye out for.

She gets a probiotic daily--I just picked these up at a local dog store but PetSmart also has them. She gets fish oil drizzled in her food once a day.

As far as bathing, I totally agree with PP about Epi-Soothe. Our vet recommended it and it has been wonderful. We've started bathing her weekly and we can do it with this shampoo and conditioner.

Rox also has seasonal allergies and is most likely allergic to grass, so our vet has put her on antihistamines through the summer and fall months. That's something else to consider if the itching and skin irritation doesn't go away.

With all these measures in place, her itching has decreased a TON and she has no more dandruff.

[purrbox]

Thanks for the advice @uwhuskygirl and @roxmonster. I'll check out that Epi-Soothe shampoo. I've already purchased the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon flavor, so I'll keep on eye on how she reacts to that. And I think I'll start giving her a probiotic.