Bad Flaky Skin & Fur Loss

[Guest hunnybee279]

Sheldon is getting 2000 mg fish oil a day (1,000mg with each meal) & his skin is still so horribly flaky. Is is everywhere - behind his ears, on his stomach & legs - it looks like huge chunks of dandruff. Is there anything we can do for it? He is scratching more lately too. Also, in the 3 months we have had him he is loosing fur on his outer thighs - one leg worse than the other. Do we need to be concerned about that at all? His current diet is Nature Select (chicken, rice & lamb dry kibble) plus 1 tbsp. plain vanilla yogurt added to dinner. No table scraps & minimal treats.

[Guest Celestrina]

It sounds like it could be a food allergy. Slowly try switching to a limited ingredient kibble, like Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato.

[Guest hunnybee279]

It sounds like it could be a food allergy. Slowly try switching to a limited ingredient kibble, like Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato.

 

 

Thank You!! Going to look into starting that in the next day or so.

[Guest Celestrina]

I would also take him to the vet to check for any other problems.

[Brindles]

Check for fleas and flea dirt. Could be a flea allergy.

[Guest hunnybee279]

Check for fleas and flea dirt. Could be a flea allergy.

 

 

We did do that - he is white & black ticked so you see EVERYTHING on him No fleas or flea dirt thank goodness!

[GeorgeofNE]

I'm not sure why people jump to FOOD allergy.

 

He could be allergic to ANYTHING. From pollen to fabric softener. Before I changed his food, I'd try him on some Benadryl and see if he stops scratching himself. If he DOESN'T, then he probably doesn't have an allergy.

 

I would start with a bath with a medicated shampoo (for dogs). I find that the coal tar or oatmeal based ones are most soothing. Loosing the fur on his thighs is probably just part of normal seasonal shedding. Lots of Greyhounds have bald thighs.

 

Since this is your first season change with your new guy, this could just be normal for him!

 

My own dog is currently extremely flaky, and I've had him for four years. Some dogs shed in the spring--apparently mine gets flaky!

[Guest zombrie]

Minerva went through a phase a few weeks ago where she was ridiculously flaky. The amount of dandruff was actually embarrassing (it didn't help that she is a black dog!) After reading advice online about dogs with dandruff, I gave her a bath with oatmeal shampoo and basically gave her a really good scratching all over to get the flaky, dead skin off. After 2 more baths doing the same thing within 2 weeks, no more dandruff.

 

ETA The first bath made the dandruff worse because I scratched up all the dead skin. After the second bath (a week later) it was better. After the third bath (5 days? later) the dandruff was pretty much gone

 

I wouldn't worry about the hair loss right now unless it becomes excessive. All of my greyhounds will occasionally lose the hair on their thighs.

 

But that is just me.... I'm not a worry wort about things like this

Edited April 11, 2012 by zombrie

[Guest hunnybee279]

Thank you all! I just want to help him feel better. Never gave the benedryl a thought till now. Thanks for the tip. I guess we will start with a good bath & rub. This is all so new to us. We appreciate all your responses & help

[Guest BlueCrab]

 

 

My own dog is currently extremely flaky, and I've had him for four years. Some dogs shed in the spring--apparently mine gets flaky!

 

Susan - how could you speak of fine Mr. Swifty in such a fashion! "Flaky"!

[Guest WhiteWave]

I've found instead of Benadryl, give them Zyrtec. IME, it works better, you only have to give it once a day and it doesn't cause any drowsiness. You can get the generic for 88 cents for 14 pills at Walmart and give one a day. We have 2 dogs w/ seasonal allergies. While they don't have dandruff, they itch themselves raw and have stopped completely if given Zyrtec daily, but if I miss one dose, back to itching.

 

But a good bath and daily use with a rubber curry comb like the zoom groom, will make a big difference. Rebel had a horrible coat when I got him. He had broken hairs that if you rubbed against the grain made him feel like a brillo pad and they would stick into your hand. And he flaked like crazy. Daily brushings, fish oil, better food and he had blown his coat 2x and now it is finally coming back in soft and shiny. Dandruff is almost completely gone.

[JJNg]

I agree with the other responses you've gotten. Also wanted to add that if you're giving the regular strength 1000 mg fish oil capsules (which typically have 180 mg of EPA and 120 mg DHA), that's a relatively low dose. I use the same dose you're giving (1000 mg twice a day) as a maintenance supplement for my greys, but if their skin is more flaky or itchier than usual, I'll increase it to 3-4 capsules per day until they're back to normal.

 

Make sure you use a good, gentle shampoo for baths. I prefer the oatmeal shampoos, as zombrie suggested.

[JohnF]

What worked on my dog was 1/2 tsp a day of Wheatgerm Oil (for the vitamin E), and a high tech shampoo called Sebocalm.

[Guest starbuck]

I've found instead of Benadryl, give them Zyrtec. IME, it works better, you only have to give it once a day and it doesn't cause any drowsiness. You can get the generic for 88 cents for 14 pills at Walmart and give one a day. We have 2 dogs w/ seasonal allergies. While they don't have dandruff, they itch themselves raw and have stopped completely if given Zyrtec daily, but if I miss one dose, back to itching.

 

But a good bath and daily use with a rubber curry comb like the zoom groom, will make a big difference. Rebel had a horrible coat when I got him. He had broken hairs that if you rubbed against the grain made him feel like a brillo pad and they would stick into your hand. And he flaked like crazy. Daily brushings, fish oil, better food and he had blown his coat 2x and now it is finally coming back in soft and shiny. Dandruff is almost completely gone.

 

And the Zyrtec is safe? I ask because my vet prescribed Starbuck some sort of antihistamine that's going to cost upwards of $44 a month. If I can find something cheaper, as effective, and as safe, I'm definitely interested.