hi , can anyone recommend anything that might help to get my westies coat a bit whiter, she seems to be getting more orange, its her beard, tail and feet, rest of her is ok. thanks

I believe you can get a 'blue whitener'.
Dont know where though. Perhaps groomers can help.
Karen

What are you feeding her ? how often are you washing her?

i feed her james wellbeloved and she get bathed every couple of months,

First thing I would say is remember they are not really pure white dogs day in day out.  ( see tip on Lavender talc for a miracle and simple clean up :-) )  

General colouring can be a couple of things, acid and the other food/diet.   James well beloved used to be a favorite of westie people but it doesn't seem to be now. Not sure if it changed somewhere along the way.

One thing I always say to people to find out if it is a food thing first  and to find this out put them onto something like Butchers tripe for 4 -6 weeks solid forget the treats and tit bits see if there is improvement.

Be careful of shampoos, use good quality ( not pet shop types) Biogroom wiry coat shampoo is brilliant for terriers and smells suberb.  Wash only 2 -3 times a year and make sure you rinse and rinse and rinse.  Their double coats holds soap very easily and can cause itching.

My miracle tip ( not really a miracle)  A fantastic product for cleaning them up a bit without bathing ( I give a tub to anyone who every buys a puppy)  Is Johnsons camomile and lavender talc. NOT any of the other ones.  This specific one is made with pure corn powder ( Zea Mays)  so is very gentle on the skin.  I swear people around my walking routes think I am the clean dog miracle worker but I just give their feet a brush through with it when out on wet or muddy walks.

It is great to sprinkle on the feet around the mouth and head and then a good brush through. You transform the dog honestly.

Don't buy the other johnson talcs they are just that real lime talc. Not that great for dog skin or human.

Not an expert in dog skin but I read many sites and there are always great little tips.   A lot of terriers that are double coats or wire coated tend to have a dryer type skin so there tends not to be a lot of oil to moisten the skin.  

Enviromental infulences play a big part.

Weed killers,  biological soap products,  carpet and fabric mites such a creeping dandruff.

try a product called angels glow http://www.angelsglow.com/ really works on keeping white dogs white.

I bought the US equivalent http://www.angelseyesonline.com/abouttears.htm  and used it but was put off by the use of the antibiotic in it.  it says a trace but not the % of it and long term use of any antibiotic in my opinion regardless how small is a no no..

Interesting it hasn't been brought out in the UK and I wonder if this is why.

Funny this Angelsglow website and bottles are almost identical to the angeleyes one and they claim a patent is pending!!!!  

Just wanted to comment in a cautionary way about the antibiotic content. :-)

I know abit about why its not for sale in the uk. Its all cause its an antibiotic and the rules over here say that you can't use or sell an antibiotic unless its through a vet.

Apparently it was sold and used over here for years (I know lots of people who used it) but someone reported it to the authorities and the suppliers had to stop.

I heard through the grapevine that it was an ex-copper turned breeder from merseyside that shopped it. Don't know if thats 100% or not, but the person who told me seemed to know hell of alot about the rules, suppliers and whats happening with it.

So you won't be able to get it LEGALLY in the UK.

Hope this helps

B.B.