Guest hunnybee279 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Celestrina Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 It sounds like it could be a food allergy. Slowly try switching to a limited ingredient kibble, like Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hunnybee279 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Celestrina Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I would also take him to the vet to check for any other problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindles Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Check for fleas and flea dirt. Could be a flea allergy. Quote | Rachel | Dewty, Trigger, and Charlotte | Missing Dazzle, Echo, and Julio | Learn what your greyhound's life was like before becoming part of yours!"The only thing better than the cutest kitty in the world is any dog." -Daniel Tosh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hunnybee279 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 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! Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zombrie Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hunnybee279 Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BlueCrab Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 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"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WhiteWave Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 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. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starbuck Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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