# Dandruff



## vnechodomu (Jan 27, 2008)

My dog has really dry skin that flakes a lot. She's a lab mix, and is mostly black, so the dandruff shows like crazy and flakes everywhere. Some of it may be the cold, dry climate here, though I did take into consideration her nutrition. I switched from Purina to Eagle brand large and giant puppy feed, and the dandruff did improve for a little while, but is now bad again. Is it possible for nails to be dry, too? They just always look cracked or chipped, even though I try to keep them trimmed. Her coat is not especially shiny, either.

Is there something my dog lacks in her diet that I should be providing? Is it specific to her age (such as oil gland development) that will fix itself with time (she's not even a year)? Are there any tricks to helping a dog have healthy skin, hair, and nails? Please let me know. Thanks


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

You can try adding fish oil to her diet. You can buy it in liquid form, there are many brands for dogs. Or you can just pop fish oil capsules (like from the giant bottles at places like Costco) into the food bowl with meals. I would start with one capsule per meal. If it doesn't give your dog diarrhea, then you can up it to two capsules per meal. Same with the liquid, give just a little...start low and go slow. 

I looked up the analysis for Eagle Large breed and the fat content is 13%. That's in the normal range but on the low side. And you live in such a harsh climate where your dog's coat, skin, nails take quite a beating. 

Also for cracked pads on the paws there is a product called Mushers Secret that is supposed to work wonders.


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## doggone6 (Sep 7, 2007)

A tablespoon of olive oil on the dry food is an alternative if your dog has problem with fish oil (some do).


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## lenagroomer (Mar 28, 2008)

first off i would recommend using a premium brand dog food like science diet, eukanuba, or nutro dog food. 

next, if you bathe him in a anti dander shampoo that will help a lot. you want to use a product like tomlyn medicated dandruff shampoo which is coal and tar based. this soothes the skin and helps to eliminate the dandruff. just be careful not to overbath him because that can make the problem worse. you want to let the shampoo sit on him for about 5 minutes too and it would probably be a good idea to follow up with a remoisturizing conditioner.

as far as the nails go, i have never heard of them drying out due to dry skin. that effect is usually from a lot of activity. is he on concrete or pavement a lot? they do sell a product called protect-a-pad that goes on the pawpads and helps them to stay smooth and not crack and dry out. this may help if you use this and put is up around the nails too if you are concerned. 

hope that helps


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## BamaBrandy (Mar 5, 2008)

I too have a Lab mix that has dry skin and dandruff. I just read that bathing too often can be bad for a puppy and I have been doing so about once/week. Is that too often or should I switch to once every other week for a bath?


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## acanoffleas (Jan 15, 2008)

You may want to try every other week to see if that makes any difference, however I wouldn't necessarily say that a weekly bath is the reason for the dry skin. An oatmeal-based hypoallergenic shampoo can really help with dandruff and dry skin, and most shampoos made for dogs are made so that they won't strip the coat of its oils and shouldn't dry them out (one of the reasons we recommend using products for dogs and not humans).


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## bbdane12 (Mar 31, 2008)

vnechodomu--We're in Alaska too. Maddie also has some flakiness. She eats Eagle Pack Holistic Select for Large and Giant Breed Puppies. What seems to really help with her flakiness is adding just a little bit (about a teaspoon) of flaxseed oil to her food. Some of our friends use salmon oil on their dog's food. Giving her some Yummy Chummies each day also seems to help her dry skin.

It was mentioned in one of the earlier posts--we really like Musher's Secret for her paws.


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## lenagroomer (Mar 28, 2008)

if you are going to go with something on the food for dry skin, try lipiderm. it is vitamin e and natural oils and it works really well.


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## niki1707 (Apr 1, 2008)

I think the bath is too frequent, and that would be the first thing I'd try. What I do is brush and that helps with the doggie smell a bit. I usually do 3 weeks and spot clean if she gets into stuff. They also have wipes you can use too. 

Or maybe try just rinsing with warm/cool water and not using shampoo? I know they say to do that with people with dry hair so maybe that might help. That way you're not stripping out all the natural oils and stuff. 

You could also get a humidifier. When it was super cold here our dog was scratching a lot (so was I!) and these things helped us both a lot.


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