My dog has dandruff!!
 

We have a golden retriever who is 9 years old, in the house mostly, eats dry dog food and he has dandruff. Big flakey dandruff. He has had dandruff ever since we brought him home as a pup. I had asked the vet about it and he said it seems to bother me more than the dog so we shouldn't worry so much about it. Another vet in the practice recommended some kind of oil put in his food, every day a tablespoon at a time. I forget what kind it is!! The last bottle went bad and was thrown out. A tablespoon at a time lasts a l o n g time. Any suggestions from the Board?

We need our daily oils to stay healthy ... so does your dog.
Why not ask your vet again ... perhaps one of your oils in your kitchen could be shared?
Be sure whatever you choose, is "dog-safe"!!

Check this site:

http://www.dog-dandruff.com/

I agree with QuiltE, both the Omega-3s and flaxseed oil are very healthy for you too. That way the oil would not go bad.

my little dogs had dandruff I put Olive oil on their kibbles every other day and no more dandruff

I add olive oil to my dogs wet food in the evening during the cold winter months when the air is drier. Sometimes I put extra water in it to make sure he gets extra fluid. I've heard olive oil isn't the best, that fish oil is better, but I use what I have and he loves it and it really does help.

We, too, had a dog with the telltale dandruff that was embarassing to me. The olive oil on the dog food did the trick. WW says we should have 2 Tbs. per day of healthy oil, why not the dog?

I believe WW says 2 teaspoons, not tablespoons per day! :)

If the oil doesn't help the dandruff, it could be allergies or a fungus (dandruff is a yeast). My vet said to try dandruff shampoo and oil on my black lab, and if that didn't work to give him Benadryl.

My poodle has skin allergies and gets something the vet calls "cradle cap". I used antibiotics to clear any infection and then she advised benadryl. Since then, the allergies are MUCH better and her cradle cap is gone. Good luck.

Our dog had dry skin too and we put him on flaxseed oil and it helped with the dryness and gave him a beautiful coat.

I think we need pictures of said Goldie ....... I absolutely adore Goldies! :)

If the oil was working that is great BUT another thing to consider is a food allergy. I have a Carolina dog and she was scratching all the time. Checked with the Vet. He suggested allergies especially since it tended to be really bad in the fall. DH is a search buff! He found out a lot of animals have food allergies, most are to wheat and corn. Well almost all the dry food, especially snacks or treats or made of it too! I was taught that if the offending ingrediant is with in the first 3-4 "made of" it usually will casue problems.
We switched her "Dry" food slowly to Salmon and sweet potato, she has done well with that. Treats are another thing hard to find. I find dried checken and I cook liver for her.
Good luck to you,
Dawn227

It was probably Cod Liver Oil.I use it in our dogs feed or a fish oil supplement.My vet said you could give your dog 1/2 slice of fried bacon it would do just as well.

My vet says to give fish oil daily. My dog love it and thinks she is getting a treat!

I had the same problem with a Westie years ago. That vet told me to put a tablespoon of Crisco( or your favorite cooking oil) in his dry food once a day.

I buy them fish oil tablets and break
one open and put on his food.

Flaxseed and olive oil are both fine. I had a vet tell me that canola oil is better than olive. Ehh!! not so much to me. sometimes the food you feed has a lot to do with it too. Fillers and grains are the culprits. But the good foods are so expensive its hard to afford them. Flaxseed can be kept in the fridge so it won't go bad.

We have an older Sheltie and in August we thought he had dandruff, too, so took him to the vet and it turned out to be a very serious skin infection she said. He is an indoor dog, too. We had antibiotics for a month, and bathe him every week, and she also had us change his food to IMO for Sensitive Skin dogs.

A good oil in his food will work great. Can also bath him in people dandruff shampoo BUT make sure get all the shampoo out. I am an AHT and worked for a vet many years and if can use on people can work with animals.

One of my schnoodles was having hair/skin problems too & the vet recommanded omega-3 oil be added to his food daily. He only gets 1/2 tsp as he is only 23 lbs. The vet sold me the oil, but it sounds like this is the oil you need.

Thank you everyone! Since I had a fresh bottle of olive oil on hand, our Buddy got a morning snack with a 1/2 TBL of oil. He licked the bowl clean! He is fed a dry food I get at Petsmart and it's not cheap. Something $30 for a 15 pound bag of chow. I get him the Senior diet line since it was recommended because Buddy also been showing some early hip problems. My husband starting taking fish oil caps for his own back - maybe when he takes his pill, he can give Buddy one . .

They can share! :)

I would start with a good professional grooming, try not to go to Petsmart, their groomers are only given a short couse and don't have much experance. A good bath, with an oatmeal type shampoo, and a good deshedding will let the skin breath better. Then check your dog food for corn. Corn causes many skin problems. Since we have taken our dogs off the corn based food, their skin and coats are just beautiful. I would be careful adding too much oil, as it can cause upset stomachs. Also a good brushing weekly will help too.

I too use flaxseed oil. I actually split open a capsule once a week and their coat is soft and beautiful. I give it to my cat also, and this helps to lessen hair balls. You might want to read up on olive oil. I heard not to use olive oil for your pets.

I have two cats that have skin problems. I put a cap full of Avon Skin So Soft in their bath (yes I said bath) water and it seems to help them a lot. Plus it is good for fleas and I can't use any flea products on either of them. Thank goodness my little female has no problems with anything. Must be a "man" thing. LOL

my lab had that problem when she was moulting so used to put a little cod liver oil in her food - good for their joints too worked very well

We had this issue when we recued both of our cats. We switched to a food with less fillers and more protein in them (you have to start mixing the new food in gradually to avoid discomfort to the animal). I also give the cats whatever tiny little bit of egg mixture is left when I make french toast. A breader friend recommended it years ago and we haven't had a problem since.

We had a rottweiler with very dry skin and flaking.....

We even had to research for a quality food that contained the proper amount of Linoleic Acid and Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA). The best pet food is Natural Choice by Nutro.

The quality/nutrional values of the food is so good she only needed 1.5 cups a day - and she was a 100+ lb. dog!

She has since passed away but she lived to be almost 14 years old - which is AMAZING for a rotty!

I have a sister that has a rotty & she can't find the dog food in her area so she uses Coconut Oil - works great for her! Her dog hair went from normal/coarse to almost "puppy soft" again!

I had the same problem with our inside dogs. i just use regular wesson oil or whatever brand is available. It works.

Eliminate corn and wheat from your dogs diet---check the label of their dry food. Especially as your dog gets older it can have an effect on their joints. You can get a pretty decent grain-free dry food at Petsmart or Petco. I buy Taste of the Wild. I had a cat that had it bad. It has totally cleared up. His recent blood tests came up great. (I did a Sr. Check up on his because he is 15) Peanut oil is a good oil to use. Also most dogs LOVE peanut butter a Kong toy with the inside smeared with almond butter (I'm allergic to peanut) goes over big at my house with the dogs

our pup has skin problems to. we use mineral oil, add
wet food to the kibble and use a tar shampoo or a
shampoo we get from the vet for winter. you'll be
suprised how well it works. i now also make our own
dogfood. she has no more skin problems

Palmers shampoo, it smells so wonderful. It has olive oil in it, use it on my Jack Russell all the time. However I originally bought it for my Aussie who had really wiry hair and dry flaky skin, it worked like magic on him. I buy it at wallmart and its in the section for African American hair care products.

I get a newsletter called Naturally Healthy dogs. This was in the newletter this monthSounds to me as if it would work for dandruff too.

Oils for a Shiny Haircoat
This recipe (by A. Brown, author of The Whole Pet Diet: Eight Weeks to Great Health for Dogs and Coats) is easy to make and is great for your dog's haircoat.

Ingredients:

5 ounces olive oil
1 ounce cod liver oil
1 ounce wheat germ oil
1 ounce flaxseed oil
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary


Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse for 30 seconds.
Pour into a dark glass jar/bottle and seal tightly.
Store in the refrigerator for freshness (it will keep for about 2 months).


Feeding Directions:

2-11 pounds - 1/2 teaspoon
12-25 pounds - 1 teaspoon
26-50 pounds - 2 teaspoons
51-100 pounds - 1 tablespoon


Mix thoroughly into your dog's food.

Omega 3/fish oil is a good one.
you can also saturate the area with Vit E while you are waiting for the Omegas to work.
check his food too.
if he is an inside dog, dry heat can also cause this. Bathe him in special shampoos too. Add some dollar store creme rinse before you are done.

My boxer Loves my Fish oil capsules and she teases if I don't remember my vitamins plus they get a wheat germ oil on their dry food.

Lots of goldens have skin problems. If you feed oil, remember that it is calorie dense, so you don't cause him to gain lots of weight and develop skin/diabetes problems.

I just saw the post about using mineral oil. Mineral oil is not absorbed by the body, so among other problems it can cause with nutrient absorption is "leakage". Believe me, you don't want to start dealing with that!