Extreme Dandruff

[Shannon]

One of my dogs has what I would consider, extreme dandruff. He seems itchy too. He's either begging for pets or scratching himself on our textured walls. He was on Fromm Large Breed Adult Gold which I felt good about feeding him. We recently decided to switch him to Orijen. It's been going well - no upset stomach and my other picky eater goldendoodle is eating better than ever. But no coat change. Any ideas? How long until this could make a difference? Also, has anybody seem dandruff like this improve with a food change? Our vet seems very unconcerned saying they could put him on meds if needed but that it just looks like dry skin. I'd love any thoughts!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Itchiness in dogs is often a symptom of seasonal allergies, and not food allergies, which are actually relatively rare. I did respond to your discussion about this in the Food Group. Food is usually not related to skin conditions. Here's some info:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

Some things you can do for itchy dogs:

Give Omega 3 fatty acid supplements. You want the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA, which are only found in fish. You can also give GLA in the form of evening primrose oil supplements. In both cases, use human softgel supplements. 

If you feed dry dog food, check the Omega 6:3 ratio. You want a ratio of 5:1 or less, the lower the better, and the Omega 3 content should come from fish.

Give antihistamines. Different antihistamines are more effective for different dogs. Typically, you want second generation antihistamines that do not cause drowsiness, like Claritin, Zyrtec, Atarax, etc. rather than Benadryl.

Use OTC anti-itch sprays on the affected areas. These are available at most pet supply stores.

Wipe the dog down every time he comes in from outside, paying particular attention to the feet. Brush the dog daily.

Keep the indoor areas where the dog spends the most time as clean and dust free as possible. Wash bedding weekly, wash food & water bowls daily. Vacuum as often as possible.

Keep dry foods in air-tight storage containers and don;t buy more than you can use in a month unless you can freeze it. 

If the feet are affected, you can soak them in tepid water with epsom salts. Be sure to dry thoroughly afterwards.

Bathe the dog often, weekly if possible, with a shampoo formulated for allergic dogs. (I like Douxo Calm). Do NOT use leave-in conditioners or other grooming products. Use a cool dryer setting or air-dry. 

As much as I hate doing it, keeping windows closed really helps with pollen allergies. Run the A/C in warm weather especially, the allergy symptoms are exacerbated by humidity. Use a furnace filter with a high allergen rating and change it monthly. 

If the itching continues to the point that he is causing himself skin infections, or he starts losing hair, I'd make an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist. 

[Shannon]

You are wonderful!! Thank you so much for all of the suggestions. I was just at a loss of what else to try! We've been doing fish oils and Benedryl but will switch to Zyrtec tomorrow and up the number of baths :) I really appreciate it! 

[Stella]

I also responded to your post in the food group. Sometimes thyroid issues can cause very dry, scaly, itchy skin, so it might be worth speaking to your vet about ruling that out. One of my doodles has alopecia, and gets very dry scaly skin in his bald areas. Karen recommended Duoxo Calm, I use the shampoo and 'moisturizing' (micro-emulsion) spray and they really do help keep him more comfortable.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I also responded to your post in TFG, lol. There are a number of diseases for which flaky, scaly skin is a symptom, but none that I know of for which it's the only symptom, or even the most noticeable one. And almost all of them involve hair loss, too, including thyroid issues. 

[Cherri Lynn Kading]

My labradoodle had the same problem. When I brushed her it was like a snowstorm!! She also suffers from environmental allergies. I am a member of another website and I expressed my concern about the dry, itchy skin with dandruff.  One of the members recommended Malaseb shampoo. It has worked beautifully! She no longer has any dandruff!! I got it on Amazon. It's worth a try!