Dandruff??

[Brooke&Ryan]

I was brushing Julius out in the yard tonight with the shedding blade & noticed a bit more dandruff than usual just sitting on top of his coat. I'm wondering what it's from.

He eats Canidae (2 c. each meal) & gets a fish oil supplement about 2-3 times a week.

Any clues???

Thanks everyone!
:)
Brooke

[Rott-Wiley]

Is his coat getting dried out from air conditioning or more bathing then usual? You could add a tablespoonful (or so) of oil to his Canidae. Maybe just in the morinig feeding for now. I like to use Safflower oil now, I used to use peanut oil but there seems to be more vitamin E in the Safflower. Both can be purchased at any well stocked grocery store.

[Brooke&Ryan]

We don't have air conditioning unfortunatly. :( He does have a fan on his crate when he's in it. Could it be that do you think?? We bathe Julius usually every month & a half or so.....

He does quite a bit of lake/pond swimming & sometimes gets a bit stinky....

We might just have to try the safflower oil if this doesn't clear up in a couple of days or so. This just showed up within the last day or two.

:)
Brooke

[Rott-Wiley]

I would think it might be the lake/pond swimming combined with the baths. I'm not saying that's a bad think, it just may be enough to dry him out enough to cause some flaking. I've always added oil to my dogs diet but living in a warm climate, swimming and a/c is a year round thing. You could also increase the fish oil you're giving him but if it were me, I'd go with the safflower oil because it contains less of the omega-3.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Thanks for the advice Rott-Wiley. I'll be buying some safflower oil in the next couple of days if the dandruff doesn't clear up.

:)
Brooke

[LynnS]

Hi Brooke

How old is Julius now? It's partially a puppy thing but I agree with the advice already given(have used flax seed oil and safflower oil).

[Brooke&Ryan]

He's nine months....going on ten. :) Ryan thinks it could be the changing of the seasons b/c it's been getting into the 50's at night. He thinks that Julius could be growing in his winter coat???

Brooke

[Rott-Wiley]

50's God! Our nights get down into the 80's. If we had a day in the 50's, my dog would be doing Zoomies outside. Sorry, I just had to say that. :) :) :)

[mickeymichellie]

Just a thought, I had the same problem with Xan. I started adding Missing Link to his food for another reason, and it completely cleared up. Coincidence?

[Brooke&Ryan]

Missing Link is a supplement to add to dog food, correct? I'm a bit hesitant about adding supplements to Julius' food b/c of some of the threads I've read here. Many have said that feeding a quality diet (we feed Canidae) & then supplementing is not good. Should we be?

We give Julius maybe 2-3 fish oil caplets a week & brewers yeast everyday. That's about it. And whatever veggies or fruits that we eat.

:)
Brooke

[Rott-Wiley]

Yes, Missing Link is a food supplement. Here's a link to one place to read about it: http://www.arcatapet.com/misslink.cfm I didn't shop for prices (my wife says I'm bad about that), that's jus one source.

Now, about supplementing. Even the best of dog foods are only designed to meet minimum requirements for the average dog. The majority of us here on this board have above average dogs and we are requiring about average performance from them.

Most dogs, IMO would benefit from more protien in their diet. I provide it in the form of raw lean hamberger (and human grade bone meal). That also gives the dog a source of fat and a bunch of other good stuff. For my own dog, I'm only feeding about 30% kibble and the rest of the diet I make up myself.

In your case especially with the recent problems you've been having I would gradually increase the fish oil caplets to daily.

[fbkeays]

Originally posted by Rott-Wiley
You could also increase the fish oil you're giving him but if it were me, I'd go with the safflower oil because it contains less of the omega-3.

I am giving my dogs fish oil FOR the omega-3. I am curious why you wouldn't give omega-3 oil? My dogs get 8 caps a day. My male has had a history of having dry skin and my bitch has lymphoma. The folks on the cancer list strongly suggest fish oil to help with the cancer.

[Rott-Wiley]

Originally posted by fbkeays
I am giving my dogs fish oil FOR the omega-3. I am curious why you wouldn't give omega-3 oil? My dogs get 8 caps a day. My male has had a history of having dry skin and my bitch has lymphoma. The folks on the cancer list strongly suggest fish oil to help with the cancer.

I am already giving omega-3 in the 1000 mg fish oil capsules I use daily. So if Brooke wants to increase the oil content in his coat, and she already is giving omega-3 in the Canidae and the fish oil capsules that is why I suggested the safflower oil.