Dog Dandruff: Causes Prevention And Treatment

Dog Dandruff causes your dog to have dry and flaky skin. Dandruff in dogs is due to the dryness of the skin. This condition can be concentrated in one area or spread throughout your pet’s body. However, do not hit the panic button yet. Pet dandruff can be prevented and treated to give your dog moist skin and soft fur.

Does your pet constantly lick, bite or scratch her skin? Have you ever observed your dog only to find out it has some white flakes in its fur?

After playing with your pet, do you see these white flakes all over your body? Your pet probably has dandruff or scurfy skin, and it is not uncommon to see that in your dog.

According to Chrissie Klinger of Hill’s, a severe case of scurfy skin in your pet manifests in reddened skin irritations, itching, or scalpy patches of hair loss. If these symptoms are present on your dog’s skin, you may want to visit your veterinarian.

What Causes Dandruff In Dogs?

Many factors may cause your dog to have a dandruff condition, but here are a few to consider:

Skin infection: bacterial and fungal infections may result in your pet having a scurfy skin condition. They affect the ability of your dog to maintain its moist healthy skin. And this causes dryness of the skin. Moreover, with dry skin comes the white flakes on your dog.

Allergies: food and environmental allergies can cause dandruff in dogs. They present themselves in the form of irritation and itching. As your dog scratches its itches, it will produce dead skin. These dead skins are the flakes in your pet’s fur.

Parasites: parasites in your pets that cause dog dandruff can be gotten from playing with other dogs, going for a walk or dashing into bushes. Your pet may likely have picked up fleas and ticks, and these parasites cause your pet to have itches and skin irritation.

Hormonal conditions: your dog may be suffering from hormonal disorders such as hypothyroidism or Cushing’s disease, according to Kate Eldredge Basedow, LVT of Dailypaws. Hypothyroidism can cause flaky skin with thinning coat on your dog.

Low humidity: dry weather also affects your pet’s skin, just as the dry months of the year are harsh to our skin. Dry weather causes your dog’s skin to become more dehydrated and easily irritated, which causes the skin to break easily, resulting in dead skin or flakes.

Nutritional deficiency: Feeding your pet an unbalanced diet will cause a lack of the required nutrients to have healthy skin and fur. The nutrient imbalance sometimes leads to obesity, likely affecting your pet’s skin condition.

Dandruff In Dogs, How Can I Prevent It?

Do you want to keep your dog’s skin and coat healthy and fine? Take these few steps, and you will not have to worry about your dog having scurfy skin.

Grooming: you should give your pet a good grooming session once a day. When you brush your pet’s fur, it will ensure that the coat is smooth and untangled. At the same time, grooming will evenly distribute the dog’s skin oil to parts of its body.

Shampooing: our skins differ from our pets, so dogs have specialized shampoos. When considering a shampoo for your dog, be careful to pick one that does not deplete the natural skin oil of the dog. Your choice of shampoo should help promote and maintain your pet’s healthy skin and coat.

Healthy Diet and Supplements: provide your pet with healthy and nutritionally balanced food, which will help it to produce the necessary skin oil. The skin oil will help your pet maintain its skin and smooth coat and prevent dog dandruff. You should also consult your veterinarian about choosing a suitable supplement for your dog. A healthy diet and Omega 3 and 6 supplements promote healthier skin and a happier active dog.

Bathing: give your pets regular baths to wash to help maintain their skin and coat. A clean dog in a clean environment leaves little room for fleas and tick infestation. Furthermore, it keeps your dog comfortable and free from irritation and reduces itches.

Use Humidifier: ensure that during periods of low humidity, you endeavor to provide a humidifier to reduce skin dryness for you and your pet. Doing this will help provide much-needed moisture in your environment, keeping your pet’s skin moist and healthy.

My Pet Has Dandruff. How can I Treat It?

When treating your pet’s scurfy skin, the best action is to visit your veterinarian. Your vet doctor can identify the cause of the dandruff condition of your pet’s skin.

They will determine if allergies, skin infections, hormonal disorders, humidity, or nutritional imbalance cause it.

However, there are simple solutions to treat scurfy skin that dog dandruff causes. You can bathe your pet frequently with lime juice or use mud baths for dogs; these mud baths should contain the essential oils to keep your pets skin and coat clean and healthy.

Various sprays are available to treat your pet’s dry skin, resulting in dog dandruff.

But it is recommendable to conduct your veterinary doctor before using such products. Your dog may react differently to or even be allergic to a product.

Conclusion

Dandruff in dogs may not be a severe condition. But it can be very tiring for your pet due to the continuous itching and irritations.

The best action is to take good care of your pet and ensure that you take preventive measures to protect your dog’s skin. This will save you time and money, at the same time, leave you with a healthy pet.