dandruff???

babydolwv · 01-18-2007, 04:00 PM

heres whats going on... for a little over a wk now she has been scratching alot, but i just put it off to be fleas as she was able to take a bath cause of stitches...and i dont apply her flea drops until after i give her a bath...so yesterday she got a good flea bath and her drops put on.... i hardly seen any fleas on her at all... so i started wondering what had caused her to scratch so much..well after brushing her today i noticed that she had was looked like dandruff.... so my question is can i use a good conditioner?? or would that even help?

poofywoof · 01-18-2007, 05:19 PM

First have a close look at the dandruff, make sure that it doesn't move! There is a parasite that looks like dandruff, I can't remember the scientific name for it, but they call it "walking dandruff". This can be treated by the same kind of shampoos that treat fleas.
If it is truly just flaky skin, conditioner may or may not help. It is said that most of the skin problems dogs have are Food Related. What are you feeding your dog? My Toy Poodle had some dandruff before I changed her to a Higher quality food. Since the switch she has not had a single flake (Solid Gold WeeBits).
If you are already feeding a Really high quality food, then perhaps a supplement is in order.

babydolwv · 01-18-2007, 11:21 PM

well currently im just feeding her a store bought food.... yes i know i have heard its not good for dogs, but i will try the conditioner first and if that doesnt help then i will see about changing her food, but right now i cant afford exspensive food....the last time time i was at the vet. he said she was fine health wise...so i will try the conditioner and if that doesnt work i was looking at getting some shampoo specailly for it (cheaper than switching food). Am hoping to get her on a bit of a better quality food, but just cant at the moment...so hopefully the conditioner or shampoo works.... thanks for the reply i really appericate it...

babydolwv · 01-20-2007, 12:51 AM

today i did a good examination of what looked like dandruff....and thats what it is...dandruff... not the bugs you were talking about....

but i do have another question.... we have an off brand of head and shoulders.. i was thinking about using that, but wasnt sure if it would be a good idea or not?? if its not a good idea then i will just try the conditioner, but i didnt want to use it and it turn out to be a bad idea....
pls let me know....would really appericate it... i cant afford to take her to the groomers, but i thought about calling one to see what they recommended i use. Maybe a certain type of dog shampoo or what....

Wimble Woof · 01-20-2007, 01:23 AM

Im not sure about head and shoulders, prolly not a great idea...
However, you seem concerned about food switching... In the long run on a good balanced food, you can actually end up saving so much more money ( money that would be spent on vet bills) Good food is great for a dogs overall well being all through their life. Its not enough that your dog feels full, they should be nourished. I know many dogs survive just fine on foods such as Ol'Roy and Dog Chow, but the affects on their health in long run are not worth the money you think you are saving... Just a thought

babydolwv · 01-20-2007, 01:30 AM

well see i have 2 problems with switching her food to something other than a store bought food...
1 being its not what i will save in the long run its what i will save at this point in time... i have to have money to feed my 2 children as well ha ha and they can eat me out of house and home as it is...lol
2 being the closets place to buy dog food other than a gerocery store is almost 30 mins away and right now with it being cold weather hubbys work is slow soooo we have to tighten our budget and that includes what we dish out for gas money... yes i completely understand that the more exspensive foods are higher in quality, but at the moment i can afford to get her something very exspensive and her vet said she was goind great with the food she is on ofcourse he gave a sample of what he reccomends but he also said she is doing great on what we are feeding her now so if we cant afford it to just leave it be.....so i mixed her food with the sample so it would not go to waste...

Wimble Woof · 01-20-2007, 02:13 AM

By all means im not pressuring you into switching foods "right now" but since you already seem sorta interested in doing so one day, just thought I would offer up a little nudge lol
Do you have a Costco near you? Their Kirkland brand food is apparently decent and priced fairly.
But as you said, time just isnt right as of now! Gotcha!

luv4gsds · 01-20-2007, 10:01 AM

I was raised in West Virginia so I know where you are coming from. Have you looked at fed stores, they carrier dog food. If you can't afford the good quality kibble right now you can look into a product out called linatone plus.

lovemygreys · 01-20-2007, 12:19 PM

The itching could be related to several things...overbathing, food, environmental allergies, dry skin (common in the winter time when we turn on the indoor heat). If she's been on the same food for a while and just started itching, I'd start by trying to get her skin conditioned to get rid of the dandruff.

I don't use human shampoo on dogs, as dogs have a different pH to their hair and skin. You can try a good oatmeal/conditioning shampoo made for dogs. Also, fish oil supplements can help improve things from the inside out. Try not to bathe her as much in the winter time as that will really dry out her skin.

Regarding food: If you have a feed store near you, they often sell Diamond Brand dog food. The best food you'll find for the price (and even better than some "premium" foods IMHO). We're 30 minutes away from a Petsmart, but easily have 3-4 feed stores or general stores near us. I'd recommend the Diamond Naturals variety (no corn, wheat or soy)...here it's $19 / 40 lb bag.

If your dog has any fleas on her the fleas could still be causing a problem. I've found it's best to apply flea preventative like frontline at least a couple days after a bath, as the natural oils on the skin help it absorb into the dog's sytem. Bathing strips those away, so it's best if you can wait to let them build back up a bit.

babydolwv · 01-21-2007, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wimble Woof

By all means im not pressuring you into switching foods "right now" but since you already seem sorta interested in doing so one day, just thought I would offer up a little nudge lol
Do you have a Costco near you? Their Kirkland brand food is apparently decent and priced fairly.
But as you said, time just isnt right as of now! Gotcha!

i didnt think you were pressuring me into it...i was just giving a bit of an explantion as to why i havent changed her food or got her on a different food.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovemygreys

The itching could be related to several things...overbathing, food, environmental allergies, dry skin (common in the winter time when we turn on the indoor heat). If she's been on the same food for a while and just started itching, I'd start by trying to get her skin conditioned to get rid of the dandruff.

I don't use human shampoo on dogs, as dogs have a different pH to their hair and skin. You can try a good oatmeal/conditioning shampoo made for dogs. Also, fish oil supplements can help improve things from the inside out. Try not to bathe her as much in the winter time as that will really dry out her skin.

Regarding food: If you have a feed store near you, they often sell Diamond Brand dog food. The best food you'll find for the price (and even better than some "premium" foods IMHO). We're 30 minutes away from a Petsmart, but easily have 3-4 feed stores or general stores near us. I'd recommend the Diamond Naturals variety (no corn, wheat or soy)...here it's $19 / 40 lb bag.

If your dog has any fleas on her the fleas could still be causing a problem. I've found it's best to apply flea preventative like frontline at least a couple days after a bath, as the natural oils on the skin help it absorb into the dog's sytem. Bathing strips those away, so it's best if you can wait to let them build back up a bit.

shes been on the same food since we got her in november and yes the problem just started about maybe a wk ago..... i noticed it after he last bath. when i was brushing her... which she had not had a bath in atleast 2 wks maybe longer.... i didnt know the indoor heat would dry out there skin. i havent saw but a few fleas on her for her to be scratchin as much as she is.... i applied a flea preventative a few hours after her bath once she was completely dry.... i have been looking and yes it is dry skin.... i never thought about a feed store.....we have 1 that is only a few mins away...i will call and get some prices on the diamond food for her...as we dont need a 40lb bag lol....not yet anyway... lol maybe we can get that for her.... once we get a bit more money.... how often should i give her a bath?? i give the cat a bath about once a month, usually when it is time to apply her flea preventative... i will also look into the oatmeal bath and see if we can get that for her..... i hate seeing her scratching so much....so this is driving me nuts.... i havent found and sores or anything like that...just a ton of dry skin... thats y i thought the conditioner might help... until i could get something better...

thanks for all the advice and suggestions i really appericate it

lovemygreys · 01-21-2007, 11:25 AM

Quote:

how often should i give her a bath??

That's really up to you. Our dogs get baths if they need it (i.e. roll in poop or something) - but I'm spoiled by the fact that greyhounds tend to naturally be very clean and don't get "doggy odor" like some longer or heavier coated breeds. Our staghound is bathed every couple months or so I guess...His longer/wiry coat tends to get stinkier faster than the greyhounds.

Daily/regular brushing will help a lot to keep daily dirt/grime off their coat and may reduce how often you need to bathe her. Brushing is also good for the skin and will stimulate it to produce healthy skin oil.

Just like with humans - our skin tends to be dryer in the winter time...due to the cold weather and indoor heat (esp if you have gas heat, which really tends to dry out skin).

That's a lot to say: Bathe her when she needs it, not just because it's been X amount of time since her last bath.

babydolwv · 01-21-2007, 10:33 PM

ok well i guess the better question would be.... would giving her a bath once a month be to often?? she has long wirey hair as she is part wired hair terrier, but from what i can tell she doesnt get the "doggy" smell to bad......

so brushing her daily would help with her skin oils then.... i brush her every few days as it is... but even if it doesnt help thats one thing i will start doing anyway...lol