My Valentino had terrible dandruff. His vet said it was due to dry skin. She had me add Goat's milk and coconut oil to his diet. His dandruff lessened dramatically after about a month. The amount of coconut oil (solid or liquid) per day should be no more than 1 teaspoon per 10lbs of body weight. Valentino is about 27 lbs. so I give him about 2.5-3 teaspoons a day. I divide the amount in half and add it too his meals. I feed goat milk rarely because it is so high in calories.
Dandruff…
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Just wondering if anyone has some ideas on how to get rid of dandruff ???
Ok a bit of history…
As I think most of you know, we also have Australian Cattle Dogs... We show our dogs, and the ACD's get washed before EVERY show, (we usually only show 1 maybe 2 weekends a month), in human grade shampoo, (or even on occasions, shampoo from those cheap and nasty $2 shops !!!), and our guys have lovely coats, no problems. NO dandruff from any of the ACD's over many years, and many dogs...
Decided to do the same with the B's, and for a while all was ok, THEN suddenly, both Vanda and Ochre started to get dandruff, not the night of being washed, (usually the night before we show)... Didnt really 'click' about the shampoo causing it, but suddenly it clicked, it could be the human shampoo. Now Java has it as well ??? I contacted Plush Puppy, (Im thinking you get these products in America as well, not sure where in European countries it may be available ???), explaining my issue, so they suggested what to buy, and even how to use the products... $85 Aussie dollars later, I have some shampoo, and an oil based product to use on them. Washed them before our NSW Speciality, and 'bingo', NO dandruff, so feeling good, and that it was probably caused by the human shampoo... Worked well for about 3shows...
Fast forward to this weekend, washed them on Friday, woke up Saturday am, clouds of horrid dandruff AGAIN. We used the products as we were directed, but Im not happy. I will be emailing them tomorrow, to check if its anything we are doing wrong.
Just to add, they are fed on a dry food diet, which is supplemented with extra's each evening, just dry in the am... We have used a lot of different brands of food over the B's lifetime. Things they get include, chicken or turkey wings, tinned food, cheese, (all different types), chicken frames, minced chicken frames, eggs, leftovers etc, etc. They all get an omega oil capsule each night also. I dont think their diet is lacking in anything, but, now Im not so sure
???Just wondered if anyone has some remedies for this horrible issue ??? Its driving me absolutely 'barmey' :mad: :mad: :mad:...
Oh just to add, their coats are all in good condition, correct texture, shines in the sun etc, etc...
There maybe an allergy to one of these foods you're feeding too. I had a black and white that if I gave her fresh steamed cooked green beans in her food she would have the worst case of dandruff. Stop the beans and the dandruff would clear up. She was also allergic to fowl (chicken and turkey), she would get this terrible itching in her arm pit area. There may be an allergy to the cheese or the eggs. Try eliminating one item at a time and give it a week to see what happens.
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Dan, I have had dogs with food allergies (heaven help me)… but since this ONLY happens after bathing, probably not food related.
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If i am bathing my dogs before a show (dont always, only if their white bits need it), i always do it at least two days beforehand, to give the coat time to "settle" because i have noticed that a bath one day can definately bring out/show up dandruff the next, though i have to say my basenjis hardly ever get it.
+1 I've noticed if Ozzy (b&w) is bathed the day before a show, his dandruff is pretty bad. A breeder told me to wash him 2 days before instead. Otherwise I never notice dandruff on him - his coat is beautifully shiny.
I have heard that spraying Listerine (the mouthwash) on the coat before showing can lessen the dandruff…haven't tried that myself so don't know if that is really true.
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Is it really necessary to wash them before every show? Maybe you can only do the white parts with water? I almost never wash Tillo… And if I do... He still looks the same afterwards
Do they only have dandruff after the bathing? Maybe you can wash them two days before the show, so they don't have dandruff at the show?Janneke, its interesting that you mentioned about washing them before every show… I have just recently talked to some of my B contacts, and NO-ONE washes their B's before each and every show... Most will wash them before a Speciality, and possibly before our big Royal shows, and thats it... I was very surprised :)...
I guess its just a habit Im in, all dogs have a bath before each show... This is what I have done since showing dogs in 1989 !!!
I will say that our young ACD that we are showing was shown both days last weekend without having a bath, and all I did all weekend was worry if everyone could tell he wasnt washed :p
:o...They seem to keep the dandruff for about a week after the show, then it seems to go away...
I think maybe the days of washing them religiously before the shows must go :D...
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Agilebasenji, I do give them an Omega complex capsule with every evening meal, except when they have Sardines, cos I give them Sardines in oil…
Elscodobermann, thats interesting, I actually do have some Bay Rum in my tack box.. Something to try...
Nobarkus, I may try some Olive Oil, and just pray I dont give them the runs !!! Im not sure its an allergy, if so would it affect all 3 of them ???
renaultf1, the idea of Listerine is interesting, something else to try...
I guess the issue here is, what is causing it, I guess its easy enough to have them looking good for the ring, but I want it to go away completely... Thats the frustrating part...
I did have a thought though... My guys are wearing their coats, made from polar fleece, nearly all day, every day, as we do live in a predominantly coldish climate. I do worry about them being cold, so coats are on a lot... Obviously in summer, they are off most of the day, but at night, they often have them on again. They are always washed, about weekly, in a quality washing powder, followed by being rinsed in a wool wash type of thing ... Could the coats being on them so much cause the dandruff ???
I did notice how good my guys coats were, when we went to the NSW Specialty, in the beginning of October... In fact considering we were from the coldest part of the country, our guys coats were the best, (yes I know, a shameless brag here !!!)...
Underneath the dandruff, the texture, colour and conditionof ther coats is spot on, even if I do say so myself !!!
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I did have a thought though… My guys are wearing their coats, made from polar fleece, nearly all day, every day, as we do live in a predominantly coldish climate. I do worry about them being cold, so coats are on a lot... Obviously in summer, they are off most of the day, but at night, they often have them on again. They are always washed, about weekly, in a quality washing powder, followed by being rinsed in a wool wash type of thing ... Could the coats being on them so much cause the dandruff ???
Coming from what i expect is a colder climate than yours (-6 at the start of this week and barely above zero up to today!) i have to say that mine NEVER wear coats - i did buy some waterproof ones for walking when its raining but to be honest rarely use them. If the dogs are cold they go into a warm bed beside a radiator or the log burner.
I would think that having them coated all day every day could be a possible contributing factor - perhaps freedom for the "skin to breath", and for any dander to fall off rather than be retained in the coat, might be the case? I also feed sardines in oil every night to my lot and i really think it helps a lot.
At least you have plenty of suggestions - let us know what helps! -
You win
!!! Yep its much colder where you are, thats for sure…Our guys are house dogs and we currently have 5 in the house, 4 B's and 1 ACD, soon to be 2 ACD's :)... We have to rotate the dogs, and the boy B has just recently decided he doesnt like the boy ACD, and Ochre and Vanda havent been properly re-introduced after Ochre's litter, either... So they cant always get to the source of heat, when they want to... I know I spoil them, (only a little ;)), but the thought of them being cold really worries me... Over night they are crated, so again they arent able to get to the fire, if they get cold...
I think i need to take their coats off during the day, when they are in the house, and out of the crates. Our weather this year, so far, (and much to my delight, cos I HATE heat), has been quite cool, so we have been having fires every night, but not during the day...
The more I think about it, the more I do wonder if the coats on all the time, is the culprit :(...
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I am actually amazed at the amount of people who say they bath their Bs before a show. I NEVER bath mine (unless they've maybe rolled in something yuk :eek:). Before a show (or at a show) I run a rubber brush over their coat, then wipe down with a baby wipe.
My Bs also wear jumpers at this time of year. Not in the house though - unless we have temps of -20 which we had earlier this year. (see my photo album :D)
Mine don't suffer much dandruff except maybe when their coats are changing. Again, a little oil in their food and a wipe over with a baby wipe does the trick.
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My Bs also wear jumpers at this time of year. Not in the house though - unless we have temps of -20 which we had earlier this year. (see my photo album :D)
And its meant to be a worse winter this year Vickie - i still have the photograph i took earlier this year of my car registering a temp of -21 - i sent it to my boss because the car had froze to the ground overnight and i couldnt get to work lol
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Just an update, sort of !!!
Well we dont have any shows till Jan 2nd, so they wont be bathed between now and then, and probably not then either :D… Its a really hard habit to break, I looked at them at the last show we went to, and I swear they looked dirty !!! I asked a couple of people/showies, if they looked nice and clean enough for the ring... "Yes", they all said ,followed by "Why" !!! So I told them... Guess what, none of them bath their dogs before every show either, and this was from a number of different hound group exhibitors !!! Oh dear :o :o :o ...
I have been very brave and coats are off during the day, I even let them all have coats off overnight last week, cos it was warm enough ;)... Dandruff has all completely gone, but it did tend to disappear after shows slowly, anyway... I guess time will tell, and if I can keep them out of the bath for the next show on the 2nd Jan then I will have my answer, wont I !!!!!!!!!!!
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My two cents worth. I even use this when it gets my hair/scalp gets a little dry. As a final rinse I use "drinkable" aloe vera gel (unflavored and 99% pure) that I get from GNC here in the U.S. then I add just 2-3 drops of tea tree oil (sometimes not) and just glop it on, it's kind of thick. Let it sit for a sec….then I rinse. I keep it in the fridge. It feels WONDERFUL on a sunburned head. Anyway, I figured both are safe for human consumption, so if the dirty little buggers want to help you dry them off, it won't hurt them. As I'm sure you know saba, tea tree oil is an anti-fungal, anti-septic, anti-microbial, etc.. it's even in toothpaste and mouthwash. A little of it goes a long way.
I'm glad they seem to be getting better.
PJ -
try a weekly dose of cod liver oil with the food, good for joints too Wingco enjoys his din dins on those days…
