Hiya, does anyone know if dogs get dandruff? Kobi (labrador) is now 11 weeks old and he seems to have loads of it, he is brushed regularly and eats well so I don't know whats causing it, could it be the central heating? Or could it be something serious? I am not sure whether to take him to the vet or not.

Thanks for any help
Sarah

He could have Dandruff, or he could be infested with Cheyletela (sp)or Rabbit Mite.  It is sometimes caled walking Dandruff as that is waht it resembles.  Irf it is Dandruff he could have had a reaction to any number of things like ingredients in his food, something you use in your home or an over dry atmosphere in the house.  I woudl consult your vet when you go for his final innoculation and ask them to check.

Thanks Brainless, I can't see any movement on the surface of his skin and he isn't itching and scratching. He has already had his second jabs (8 and 10 weeks at our vets) so I wanted to know whether it was worth taking him to the vet. Also how do you go about narrowing it down if it is something like a disinfectant? Do you have to just stop using each thing at a time?
Sarah

Hi I would just pop him along to your vets and get him checked over, your vet may take a sample of the dandruff, he may even suggest you try frontline on him.good luck with your pup

Just a thought but have you bathed him or had the breeder bathed him.  A lot of people dont rinse their dogs off properly and this comes out all flakey.  If it is this the fur would feel kind of greasy as well but I would probably pop him down the vets.

I didn't shampoo him but I did put him in the bath with some water just to get him used to it for when he does need a bath, and to see his reaction (which was hysterical by the way), could that be the cause?

Sarah

Sarah,

IMHO it probably is connected with the central heating. I have been told that true 'dandruff' is not that common with dogs. It's more than likely to be dried sebum (natural oils).  What I have found is that the central heating dries out/dehydrates the skin, which in turn produces more of the natural oils from the sebaceous glands.  The heat then dries out the sebum and it turns whitish as it dries, looking very much like dandruff.  I would give your youngster a really good head to toe massage every day for a week and see if this helps.  The massage is also a great time to check over your dog for lumps and bumps. Its a great bonding time too and helps with distributing the sebum evenly throughout the coat, as well as promoting good circulation which in turn can help with excess moulting.

Sometimes people start to bathe their dogs to get rid of the dandruff, but if it is the sebum instead, you could end up making the condition worse.  Excess shampooing dries the skin, which in turn produces more natural oils.........etc, etc.

Anyway, I hope this helps you. If you have any more questions feel free to PM me.

Ali :)

Thanks Ali,
I'm sure Kobi will enjoy his massage tonight, if I can get him to sit still for that long anyway!

Sarah

Hi,
My choc Lab started to get a bit of dandruff which coincided with us putting the heating on last Autumn.  I'm sure our yellow Labs have it too, but of course it doesn't show on them!  What colour is Kobi?  I found that grooming our choc Lab every day didn't help either so she is done every couple of days now and sometimes I just use one of those rubber grooming mits instead of her brush and comb.  I'm intrigued in the massage tip though, I'm off to start work on her.  She's already had her teeth cleaned today, she'll be wondering why she is getting the full beauty parlour treatment!
Incas mum

Hiya Incas Mum, Kobi is black so I suppose it would show up on him more!, Not sure whether the massage will help but if nothing else it was hysterical, trying to get an 11 week old pup to sit still for even a few minutes isn't easy, I've never seen anything squirm so much. Hopefully the spring (and the heating being turned off) will bring a lovely dandruff free coat!

Sarah

Hi Sarah
Good luck with a squirming Kobi!  Our choc Lab is 10 months now so she sits still a bit more, but I can sympathise with you.  I puppywalk for GDBA and my second pup reacted to her vacciantion by producing a huge lump on her back, the vet recomended I use hot and cold packs on her every evening.  She was 8 weeks old at the time and had no intentions of sitting still!
Incas mum

wow you puppy walk? could i ask you a few questions? I am trying to socialise Kobi as best as possible, I want him to be able to join in everything he can when he is older so I am trying to get him used to a whole host of situations now. Do you find that when you walk the dogs that you have problems with other dogs? Everytime I take Kobi out we seem to bump into untrained dogs that just go for him or bark aggressively, I don't know what to do as I can't seem to find any well trained dogs! Do you have this problem?

Sorry to bombard you with questions but I'm really anxious as we are just starting out on our walks and he gets more nervous about other dogs each time. He doesn't start puppy class for another 3 weeks.

Sarah

Hi, The dandruff  could also be caused by the stress of moving home possible change of environment combined vaccination and with the fact that his harder top coat will be coming through. If he is not itchy,has no lesions,  is glossy and happy and bright I wouldn't worry at all. His body  has had a lot to contend with over the last few weeks, even if he has come from a perfect breeder into a perfect new home. :-)
If its no better in a couple of weeks then maybe investigate further.
Dont shampoo him at all unless directed to by your vet.
:-)

Hi Sarah,
Yes all the pups I've had have been dog distracted to some extent or another, my current pup is the least dog distracted but I do find that it depends how the other dogs are behaving too.  If they're mad that generally winds my pups up!  I work hard on gaining their attention (with a lovely "high value" not seen very often treat such as a biscuit!) and then I lead them past the distraction only handing over the biscuit once we're well and truly past. It's something that takes ages to do though and my own two Labs aren't perfect even now.  It's a shame that you don't know of any other well trained dogs that you can mix young Kobi with at present.  You're right to want to get in as much socialisation as possible now while he is still young, but personally if I'm out with a new pup and I'm not sure about an unknown dog that is coming towards us down the street I just calmly go the other way and avoid it.  I figure that it's better to pass up a socialisation opportunity now and again rather than hope for the best in a risky situation and then find that a young pup has a bad experience from it.  I find lots of treats and praise works wonders for a pup that isn't very confident in a situation, but again I'd say you'd really need to have a calm dog around so that it was quite a controlled situation for Kobi to gain confidence in, especially as you say that he seems to be getting more nervous.  Hopefully your puppy classes will be good for him and he can meet other pups under the watchful eye of the trainer.  Just a thought, do you know who's running the classes?  The trainer probaly has a dog or two of their own and maybe you could contact them about having a few private socialisation sessions while you're waiting for the classes start?  I'm not sure if any of this helps, but good luck!
Incas mum            

It can also be diet realted. My chockie had never had a very good coat and loads of dandruff. Chaned to Holistic diet and she is positivey gleaming with very little sign of dandruff left.

Dogs can get dandruff when they are holding tension in their skin. The sebacious glands get squeezed shut, preventing the skin from self-cleaning properly. I would use TTouch to release the tension your pup has a tendency to panic (like when being placed in the water to have a bath).
It may be an idea to either find yourself a local practitioner for a one-to-one, or go to a one-day workshop to learn how to do it yourself ( www.ttouchtteam.co.uk ). It would really help your pup to be calm & enjoy puppyhood more.