What can I do for my dog who has a lot of hair dandruff?

Answer 1

Use a special shampoo that will replace the natural oils of the skin! **** There are also supplements to add to his diet*

Answer 2

There are a couple of things you could try. The dandruff could well be caused by an allergy of some sort, and you will need to try several different things to figure out what's causing it.

most dog allergies result in skin conditions such as hot spots, dandruff, hair loss etc., although the allergy itself could be caused by a food ingredient, pollen, fleas or other things.

For a food allergy, your best bet is to feed your dog a high quality, organic or hypo-allergenic dog food. There are some designed especially for particular allergies, or just with less common ingredients that are less likely to cause a reaction. They are all chemical and additive free in general.

If your dog has a flea problem, he could be allergic to the flea saliva. Treatment with a good topical medication such as Frontline and also treating his surroundings should help.

Inhalant or contact allergies are more difficult to detect, but your veterinarian can do some tests to determine the actual allergens.

Eliminating, or at least reducing, your dogs exposure to the allergen triggers will improve his dandruff, but you'll probably want to treat his skin/coat to relieve the dryness and any itching.

A good hypoallergenic shampoo or an oatmeal shampoo is best for bathing, and regular grooming is important. There are hydrocortisone sprays, salves etc. that can relieve any itching too.

You can find out more about dog skin allergies at the url below. Good luck.

Answer 3

I would recommend adding some oil of some sort to his daily food. I use fish oil capsules that I can buy at Wal-Mart in the vitamin section. One capsule in the food at mealtime (we feed 2 times a day, so if you free feed, you will want to pilll your dog 2 times a day), and in about a week, you should notice a difference.

Some folks say you should bathe your dog more often, but frequent bathing will strip the oils from the dog's fur, and that seems counterproductive to me. If you are going to bathe the dog regularly, then you should use a gentle shampoo, preferrably one with collodial oatmeal in it as that will help keep the skin from drying out so much. Bathing should be done based on the dog's breed and activity more than anything else. If your dog has a longer fur, that tangles easily, bathing more frequently may be necessary. I run an adoption rescue for greyhounds, and greyhounds are one breed that don't need a lot of baths. Their fur is very short, and they have very little body odor, so unless they roll in somethng nasty or get skunked, our greyhounds might get one bath a year. A silkie treeier or a yorkie might need more frequent baths though.

Answer 4

Brush the dogs' coat vigorously several times a week using the correct brush for his coat. (ask a groomer what is the best brush for him). You can add a fish oil capsule to his food everyday. This give him needed Omega 3 and 6 as well as helping to give him a shiny coat. If you rub over his coat with a fabric softner sheet like is thrown into the clothes dryer, it will remove dandruff and add some sheen.

Answer 5

You need to get your dog into a schedule of regular grooming. For this problem, once a month is good. This keeps up with the shedding, reducing it, and helping the dander problem. If it continues, you will need to see a vet to make sure this isn't a communicable ailment, and he may prescribe a prescription shampoo for the problem...some of these need to be applied daily depending on the severity of the problem. Remember that it may be a slight inconvenience to you to bathe your pet this way daily, especially a larger one, but if you don't follow the instructions, the medicine won't help your dog. Good luck!

Answer 6

Dandruff shampoo

Answer 7

My Vet recommended adding a teaspoonful of Evening Primrose to the dog's food once a day. It worked for one of my Golden puppies who had dandruff.

Salmon Oil or Cod Liver Oil is also very good and helps to keep the skin supple.

Answer 8

He has the dandruff because he is either being bathed too much or he has a fatty acid deficiency. If you are bathing him too much, you are drying his skin out and not allowing his coat to build up enough skin oil. If he has a deficiency, then you need to supplement his diet before it becomes a major problem. "hot Spots", dermatitis, itching, infection etc.
Check out the site below.
www.doggybutter.com

Answer 9

Give him a oatmeal bath, you know the stuff you use when you get poison ivy? they have a dog shampoo with the same stuff in it, I have a dog with dry skin I also give him a benadyl when it is really bothering him, ask you vet for the right dose.

Answer 10

dander (dry skin) is possibly from his diet, I would highly suggest that you feed a high quality food such as Nutro or Blue Buffallo and I would start adding cod oil to his food. He could also have allergies to red dye which is often used in many dog foods....natural, high protein and no red dyes may help tremendously. Plus, I would certainly take my dog to the vet to have him looked at, you need a professional diagnosis on this one.

Answer 11

Bathe him with a gentle dog shampoo, improve his diet with leftover cooked green vegetables and add a tbsp. of cooking oil to his dry food every other day.