We have noticed the last couple days that Duncan is itching A LOT & has what looks like dandriff. I think he has a case of dry skin. The breeder gave us a bag of food which he said had some sort of oil mixed in. That bag is almost gone so should we mix something in with the new stuff we pick up? We have Dunc's 12wk vet appointment at the end of the month so we will ask him then but what can we try in the mean time?

Our dog was given OTC benedryl... half a tab but I would call to check with the vet... mine was a full grown dog.

In general most commercial dog chows contain plenty of oil to keep a dogs coat in good shape. The muchly criticized corn is a rich source of just the fatty acids dogs need to keep their skin and coat in good shape. You never said what you are feeding him. As long as it is a commercial puppy chow and little else, likely for now it is OK. I doubt the stuff the breeder gave you did much good, but likely little harm. Phase it out and let the vet suggest an alternative if needed.

A good brushing with a soft bristled brush every day and seldom if ever a bath should keep his skin and coat in good shape and control odor. My Aster hasn't had a bath since she came to live with us over 3 years ago.

Forget the Benedryl. At 9-10 weeks, he is unlikely to have developed any allergy that it would help. It isn't a good idea to give a dog what some other dog with similar symptoms was given.

Give brushing and letting his diet stabilize time to work. If the itching and flaking hasn't cleared up by the vet visit, see what the vet says. I could suggest some other things, but they might only confuse the issues for the vet visit.

Bathe him with oatmeal shampoo for dogs (there's a lot so choose the expensive stuff). I give my dog plain yogurt and it keeps her coat smooth and shiny.

I am not an expert but bought a puppy in Oct that had sarcoptic mange, lice, and fleas when we bought her. Our vet saw her on the 2nd day after we got her; gave her oral medication for the mange (some type of ivermectin) now she is no longer iching and the flakes are gone. The mange is caused by an external parasite; and is apparently very common and contaigous. He suggested at the time that human dandruff shampoo should help with the flakes but I did not try it.

My dog had a bad case of dandruff once, and the vet recommended a dandruff shampoo for dogs. It had the same active ingredient in it as Head & Shoulders, but had a different Ph for dogs skin and did not strip the natural oils of their coat either.
If he's a pup, chances might be that he's never had a bath before and needs one.

Labman,
Thanks for the negative comment. I don't understand why you have such a problem with giving dogs regular baths. A vet will and does suggest, recommend, and tell owners to bathe an animal and even offer grooming in their offices. It's called hygiene... And unless you want war of the dust mites duking it out on your animals back side, they need baths.
Excessive bathing is indeed a no no for a dog, but no one was recommending that here.
A puppy that is old enough to be sold deserves a bath as well.


Missibaybe,
I tried to comment, but I must spread the love before I can comment again.
I was going to agree with you. My vet told me to give plain yogurt to my dog for gas. So giving yogurt is obviously OK and safe because it was recommended to me by my vet.

One more time. With regular brushing, a healthy puppy doesn't need a bath. I seldom if ever bathe mine although I regularly take them to restaurants and they are inspected monthly by trained people to make sure I am giving them proper care.

What Duncan needs is to be eating a stable complete and balanced diet and be brushed regularly for the next 2 weeks so the vet can see what is going on if there still is a problem. Doing this or that because somebody suggested it, will only create more variables making it harder to tell what is happening.

There may be cases where some yogurt will help get a dog over a problem. Adding it to a complete and balanced diet can only ruin the balance. Adding something to a dog's diet is only good for the dog if its diet is missing something. How much calcium is in yogurt? You can ruin a puppies hips and other bone structure by feeding it too much calcium.

Yes some vets recommend all sorts of things, but the better vets will suggest sticking to dog chow.

I disagreed with your answer and said so. If a couple of weeks of brushing doesn't solve the problem, then the

As a groomer of 42 years I would say that your puppy probably needs something that he isn't getting in his diet. Let the vet tell you what it is.

There are two different kinds of mange, Demadectic(puppy mange) and Scarcoptic and unless you live in an area where there is a lot of poor breeding practices I doubt you will see Scarcoptic much anymore. It is usually seen with lesions all over the body, hair loss, and thickening of the skin and it is contagious. Demadectic is not contagious, usually seen in puppies, with hair loss around eyes and front legs and is caused from an underlying immune system problem.

Many other things can also cause dandruff, cedar beds, anesthesia, steroids, low quality food, stress, allergies. If he is not itching then I would not give him a bath. However I suggest bathing dogs periodically even if you think they don't smell bad or look dirty. It's amazing how you can get used to that doggie smell and not even realize your dog needs a bath.

The reason I suggest a periodic bath is so the animal becomes used to the procedure. Sooner or later he is going to need one because he had diarrhea, rolled on a dead fish at the beach, had a show down with a skunk, expressed his anal glands in your car, got under your truck and got motor oil on his back, oh I could go on for ever. Then you have a dog that is terrified of having a bath instead of one who stands there and lets you wash him. Trust me, if he is a large dog, not only will he be upset but so will your groomer.

Having your dog exposed to as many different situations as possible while he is still fairly young can only help him become a confident well mannered dog. I suggest a bath by you or a trusted groomer by the age of 3-4 months. It MUST be a positive experience. If you scare him or make it a bad event he will hate it forever. So please be careful who you choose for this procedure. Make it a compassionate person.

Hope this helps,
Molly

Duncan is a fan of trying to "get" the brush so I try & get as much done as possibly when he's napping before he wakes up. I'm guessing this is something he has to get used to before he will let use brush him when awake. He is just a pup so brushing could be mistaken for play.

Does he like broom too? I am not sure puppies realize we do anything but play. Try a sharp ''Ut, ut, ut!'' and offer him a toy just like when he bites your hand. He should quit after a few hundred times.

All corrections go better as you make progress on obedience training and establishing yourself as top dog.

He is a huge fan of the broom more so than the brush but right up there with his towel.

First, I have to say that the photo of Duncan is adorable. You will have to keep it updated as he grows.

Since he is a short haired breed, I don't have to give you the lecure about properly removing old dead hair like is vital to breeds like the cairn terriers I rescue.

Here is a link to an amazing skin care regimen for dogs who have really bad dry or sensitive skin. Cairns have a tendency for bad skin, and so you can't even imagine the condition of the dogs coming into rescue - they can be mostly naked, large white flaks, thickened "elephant" skin patches and be chewing themselves raw. This regimen has nursed more dogs back to health than I can conceive of

CPCRN Docs : Skin Care Regime

Good luck with your adorable kiddo

-Beth

I just read an article about a parasite called the Cheyletiella Mite. It infests the skin of dogs and/or cats and causes itching, usually along the back. The tell tale sign of this mite is dandruff! Get your cutie checked out at the vet with a skin scraping to be sure - if he's got 'em he'll have to be dipped and bathed with special medicated shampoo for a number of times.