# Is there a way to manage dander?



## Chichan (Apr 1, 2014)

All my family is coming over for Easter this weekend and I really want Chico looking his best, but he has clear white flakes on the darker part of his fur.
Does anyone have any tips to reduce doggy dander?


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

A rinse in the bath.


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## Chichan (Apr 1, 2014)

BostonBullMama said:


> A rinse in the bath.


Alright thanks


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Would using a conditioner after the shampoo help moisturize the skin so it would be less flaky?


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## Chichan (Apr 1, 2014)

Kathyy said:


> Would using a conditioner after the shampoo help moisturize the skin so it would be less flaky?


I use a 2 in 1 puppy shampoo and conditioner, but I bathed him two weeks ago and I don't want to over bathe.
I do have leave-in dog conditioner, do you think that'd help?


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## doggiepop (Feb 27, 2014)

I'm thinking a bath using a natural or organic shampoo. Brushing
Often.


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## pandification (Apr 15, 2014)

Not sure if it works for doggies but I heard baby oil applied with a Q-tip directly to the skin can help reduce flakiness!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Dandruff can also be related to the food he's eating.

Bathing twice a month is definitely not too much. You might wan to try a different brand of shampoo and/or conditioner though if the one you're using is causing flakes.


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## Chichan (Apr 1, 2014)

elrohwen said:


> Dandruff can also be related to the food he's eating.
> 
> Bathing twice a month is definitely not too much. You might wan to try a different brand of shampoo and/or conditioner though if the one you're using is causing flakes.


It's not an excessive amount of dander or anything like that. I just want there to be none  haha.
Thanks for the tip about bathing though 



doggiepop said:


> I'm thinking a bath using a natural or organic shampoo. Brushing
> Often.


I have a bristle brush and a pin brush for brushing.
Which one should I use?
I was told pin because he's a long haired Chihuahua, but his puppy coat isn't very long.
It's pretty much the same as my cat's (which is a shorthair) who I use a bristle brush on.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Chichan said:


> It's not an excessive amount of dander or anything like that. I just want there to be none  haha.
> Thanks for the tip about bathing though


It can depend on the dog and how dry their skin is naturally, any allergies, etc, but IME no amount of dander or flakes is "normal". You shouldn't be able to see any, except maybe in stressful situations.


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## Chichan (Apr 1, 2014)

elrohwen said:


> It can depend on the dog and how dry their skin is naturally, any allergies, etc, but IME no amount of dander or flakes is "normal". You shouldn't be able to see any, except maybe in stressful situations.


Really?
Oh. We just had a vet visit and she didn't say anything.
Is this something a vet wouldn't mention? We have another visit soon, do you think I should ask her about it?


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Chichan said:


> Really?
> Oh. We just had a vet visit and she didn't say anything.
> Is this something a vet wouldn't mention? We have another visit soon, do you think I should ask her about it?


Oh, I didn't mean to imply that it's the worst thing ever, and I'm sure it's fairly common to see, but I don't think it's something that all dogs "just have". Often there is a cause (diet, shampoo, etc) that you can find to fix it.

Also, lots of dogs get dandruff when they're stressed, so I'm sure the vet sees it all the time which is why she didn't mention it.


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## doggiepop (Feb 27, 2014)

are you feeding a high quality food? salmon oil, coconut oil, coconut water,
ground flax seed, fresh fish, organic yogurt, egg?, may help.


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## Chichan (Apr 1, 2014)

I brushed him with the leave-in conditioner.
It is suppose to help with dry skin.
No more dander!
He is fed high quality food and get a hard boiled egg once a week.


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## Perrin (Feb 7, 2014)

How often do you use the leave in conditioner? That causes flakiness on my own scalp! Just a thought as to why there is flakiness. The leave-in was building up in my dog's coat also because I was using it once a week, so I know dog products are similar to human ones regarding buildup.


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## Chichan (Apr 1, 2014)

Perrin said:


> How often do you use the leave in conditioner? That causes flakiness on my own scalp! Just a thought as to why there is flakiness. The leave-in was building up in my dog's coat also because I was using it once a week, so I know dog products are similar to human ones regarding buildup.


A grooming book I had says to use it everytime you brush, but in reality I use in less than once a week to avoid wasting it. I also bathe him once a month. 
I think it may have been more of a cold weather/dry skin thing though since I haven't seen any in a while and it's gotten warm.


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## kdawnk (Mar 26, 2014)

I was told that puppy dander is a super common thing and something that you shouldn't be overly concerned about it by my groomers and my vet.
My dog's back gets a lot of puppy dander, but the only reason you can see is because her entire back is black. White dander shows up in her fur a lot easier.
I figured it'd be something that she grew out of as she adjusted to everything in the household and with regular grooming and our already good diet.


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## Chichan (Apr 1, 2014)

kdawnk said:


> I was told that puppy dander is a super common thing and something that you shouldn't be overly concerned about it by my groomers and my vet.
> My dog's back gets a lot of puppy dander, but the only reason you can see is because her entire back is black. White dander shows up in her fur a lot easier.
> I figured it'd be something that she grew out of as she adjusted to everything in the household and with regular grooming and our already good diet.


Ah  thanks that's good to know


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