Dog Dandruff – Best Treatment Choices
dog dandruff as a result of dead skin cells treatment
Hi, I have a Labrador that has been itchy his skin quite a bit often. I recently took him to the veterinarian and he said that he most likely has a case of dog dandruff which is causing flaking and dry skin. This is the first time we have experienced anything like this, in fact I was not aware that there was dogs dandruff, well anyway he has it so we have to treat it. Dandruff is caused by a few factors. Many time it is a result of many dead skin cells forming on the surface of the skin, under the hair which leads to bacteria growth and a blockage of oils that are needed to keep the skin and coat moisturized – the result is dandruff on your dog.
A few people have told me that it is a very bad idea to use human shampoo on dogs, especially dog dandruff shampoo. This appears to be true as I have done a lot of research and in fact the ph level on animals, to include dogs, in higher than our is. SO the result is more damage to the dog’s skin if you use a human shampoo on them. In fact a medicated shampoo can actually cause more damage than good. While it will wash away the pile up of dead skin cells, it will also do damage to the healthy dog skin cells.
So what you want to use to end your dogs dandruff and dry skin is a product formulated for dogs with a ph level around 6. This way you will not dry out the skin cells and oil glands with a ph in balance. One of the bet types of shampoos that is in the correct ph range for pets is an oatmeal formulated product. The oatmeal balances well, and more importantly is soothing and healing for a dog. In fact most dog dandruff treatment have some oatmeal in them – at least the good ones!
Some other ingredients to look for are aloe-vera, essential oils, hemp oil, lavender, and one that does not contain any water which is sometimes referred to as aqua. Yes you can get a treatment that is liquid without any water, the higher end treatments are like this.
Since dandruff is also cause dry dry or cold air you may notice more of an outbreak during the winter months when the skin will become dry and may even develop skin problems such a cracks and cold reactions. Dogs dandruff can also be caused by a the dead skin cells forming a pool for bacteria to form and cause flaking. In this case bathing usually does the trick.
You should give the dog dandruff treatment about 2 weeks to work, after one week you will see some results such as less flaking and less scratching. If you notice the dandruff getting worse stop right away and try something new.