Micci Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 Hi Guys, My little man Micci is 6 months and has a serious dandruff problem. I have tried Aloveen Oatmeal shampoo and a various other shampoos for dry skin however nothing has stopped the flaking. ;) I also put Flaxseed oil into his food as the vet said this may help his skin but no results... has anyone else had this problem with their MS? I know skin disorders as something inherent in the breed but has anyone got any suggestions as to keeping the problem under control? Also I want to strip his coat rather than clip, just wondering if this will this make his skin problem worse? Thanks guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rysup Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 Putting too much oil into a dogs diet can make the skin flake MORE, so maybe stop the oil suppliments for a while. When you wash Micci, do you make sure you rinse off ALL traces of shampoo & conditioner? We find our Amstaffs get bad dandruff if they are not rinsed properly, and even then they still get some - the OH has discovered if he blow dries them (high speed no heat) that they dont get the dandruff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerfly Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 washing out all of the soap is a must....probably leave out the conditioner just use shampoo and not too much. when you wash put the poo onto a wash cloth rather than squeazing it directly all over the dog, this allows more soapy suds without too much soap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micci Posted October 18, 2007 Author Share Posted October 18, 2007 Putting too much oil into a dogs diet can make the skin flake MORE, so maybe stop the oil suppliments for a while.When you wash Micci, do you make sure you rinse off ALL traces of shampoo & conditioner? We find our Amstaffs get bad dandruff if they are not rinsed properly, and even then they still get some - the OH has discovered if he blow dries them (high speed no heat) that they dont get the dandruff. Thanks for the suggestios - I didn't realise too much oil could make his skin worse... I'll cut back on the Flaxseed to see if it helps.. Re: Bathing I rinse him really well - that was my first thought when he started so i make sure everybit is gone. I don't use conditioner much with him at all just every now and even then its mainly on his furnishings.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomez the Norfolk Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 Sometimes the food they eat can affect their coat, what do feed your little guy? Also, how long have you been giving him the oil, it could take several weeks to see results - Gomez also had really dry, itchy skin for a while and a combination of Eagle Pack Holistic Anchovy/Fish and Omega3 oil has sorted him out - he gets stripped only, never clipped, and that doesn't make it worse, on the contrary, getting rid of the undercoat seemed to help a lot also... A little off topic, I don't know where you are, but I wish you good luck in finding a goomer that will do hand-stripping, they are like diamond dust - if you're in Sydney or Melbourne I can recommend the only 2 I have found... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 Okay if you plan to strip your mini it needs to have the correct coat texture to do so.Not every mini has the right coat & that can determine a pet v showdog.Also if the coat isnt correct for hand stripping the dog will be in pain for the process.I would ask your breeder for advice. As a breeder of minis & a groomer i can tell you now very few owners handstrip there minis.It is hardwork & maintance needs to be done weekly on the coat to maintain it. To strip correctly its done over a 6 week period where you pull the coat bald in sections as set areas grow faster.You then wait for it to grow back The coat will last so long(each dog is different plus the maintance ) & the you strip again.You still need to get the ears,throat,bum clipped & the feet,skirt,eye brows trimmed. I would personally suggest unless you plan to show get the dog clipped.99% of pet minis are clipped ,all our retirees are clipped as soon as retired ,it isnt worth the wear & tear on our hands as often those with handstripped breeds end up with joint/athritis problems Minis are prone to skin issues due to often the wrong diet being feed,they are a double coat breed & need a good diet high in essential fatty nutrients.What your feeding could be a problem. I would also say the dandruff is an issue at present as the dogs coat is most likely getting overgrown & when you brush the top coat you are getting alot of stuff coming up so you need to address the grooming side asap & if you plan to handstrip you need to buy the right strippers quickly. We bath our mini in Selsum blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micci Posted October 22, 2007 Author Share Posted October 22, 2007 Sometimes the food they eat can affect their coat, what do feed your little guy?Also, how long have you been giving him the oil, it could take several weeks to see results - Gomez also had really dry, itchy skin for a while and a combination of Eagle Pack Holistic Anchovy/Fish and Omega3 oil has sorted him out - he gets stripped only, never clipped, and that doesn't make it worse, on the contrary, getting rid of the undercoat seemed to help a lot also... A little off topic, I don't know where you are, but I wish you good luck in finding a goomer that will do hand-stripping, they are like diamond dust - if you're in Sydney or Melbourne I can recommend the only 2 I have found... I'm feeding him Eaglepack Holistic Puppy food at the moment, and he's been getting the oil for the last 3 months... We recently went to a doggy beach in Brighton where we met another little Black and Silver mini and he was practically grey... I would rather take the trouble to maintain my mini's coat for as long, it looked terrible and he was only 7. Were you able to find a hand stripper in Melbourne for Gomez - looking for one at the moment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomez the Norfolk Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 I pm'd you, but i will also post here for future reference - Whoopsys in Elwood has a groomer that does hand stripping . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Contact the schnauzer club of victoria,they also hold grooming nights,fun days etc & some of the breeders do hand strip but be prepared to pay alot of money to strip a mini correctly for it to look desent but as i said you will also have to be happy to walk a dog around thats strip bald to bare skin in sections over a few weeks,very rarely can you roll a minis coat .For it to look good it has to be done right you cannot strip a mini in 1 grooming session.Norfolks have a much easier coat to strip & maintain. A good black & silver will still retian its colour clipped ,if it isnt a line bred black & silver then it will alter no matter what & beach water will bleach the coat red. Very few black & silvers are showen in australia as its very hard to get one marked correctly plus breeding the colour from a good gene pool of black & silvers,our retired blacks are clipped & there still jet black,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gomez the Norfolk Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Good advice from showdog, also talk to the groomer at Whoopsys in regards to the above advice, she may or may not know all the details... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schnauzer_luv Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Hi Showdog, you seem to know ALOT about this. I have a S&P mini boy who is 16 weeks, I am currently feeding him on what the breeder recommended (high quality dry plus some extras) and he is healthy and has a great coat so far. Its interesting what you said about the beach and the beards...I took Maz to the beach once last wk and now I have noticed mild yellow staining on his beard, I did't connect the two at the time though. Do you have any hints for minimalising beard staining? Is there any grooming products that help? What do you feed your pups?? I'm not planning on showing my boy but I do love himprancing around looking gorgeous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Saliva will stain the beard but diet can also be a factor especially treats people give(food colouring etc etc) I am a believer of following the breeders advice unless its very poor as they now what there lines do well on. If anything it may depend on the extras. Washing the beard does help. Things like pigs easr can build up & start to show discolour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 We recently went to a doggy beach in Brighton where we met another little Black and Silver mini and he was practically grey... I would rather take the trouble to maintain my mini's coat for as long, it looked terrible and he was only 7. It is a good idea to strip your dog if you want to maintain the colour, the more undercoat you can remove the better. You can even strip the top of the head, throat and ears to keep the colour darker, it may not be the jet black it should be but will look a lot better then if clipped. For a pet, you don't need to section strip like showdog suggested, you can just let the coat 'blow' ie get to a long length and then it is easier to pull the whole lot out (he'll just look like a yeti for a while as the coat grows). Stripping down to bare skin will minimise the amount of faded undercoat growing back, though if he was shown it would count as a coat fault, as they should have some undercoat in there. Or with a little work each week you can keep him looking smart in coat for a long time. I prefer to keep all my dogs stripped, even the retired dogs and overall I would say they are easier to keep then having to bath and clip them every 6-8 weeks to keep them smart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micci Posted October 24, 2007 Author Share Posted October 24, 2007 We recently went to a doggy beach in Brighton where we met another little Black and Silver mini and he was practically grey... I would rather take the trouble to maintain my mini's coat for as long, it looked terrible and he was only 7. It is a good idea to strip your dog if you want to maintain the colour, the more undercoat you can remove the better. You can even strip the top of the head, throat and ears to keep the colour darker, it may not be the jet black it should be but will look a lot better then if clipped. For a pet, you don't need to section strip like showdog suggested, you can just let the coat 'blow' ie get to a long length and then it is easier to pull the whole lot out (he'll just look like a yeti for a while as the coat grows). Stripping down to bare skin will minimise the amount of faded undercoat growing back, though if he was shown it would count as a coat fault, as they should have some undercoat in there. Or with a little work each week you can keep him looking smart in coat for a long time. I prefer to keep all my dogs stripped, even the retired dogs and overall I would say they are easier to keep then having to bath and clip them every 6-8 weeks to keep them smart Hey Becks thanks for your reply - sorry guys haven't been keeping up with the posts - exam time at the moment at uni.... :rolleyes: Can I ask why show dogs have their coats sectioned when stripped? - I'm guessing its maybe to with achieving the correct shape or something... Will it make a difference if Micci's coat was stripped in sections - I contacted the lady in Elwood and they said they do it in one go.... so I'm a bit confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 (edited) When its stripped in sections it means as the coat grows it matches.The back grows slower than the head,kneck & bum.When you strip out in one go you will end up with a longer kneck,head than the back. Depending on your dogs coat texture because as i said not all minis have the right coat for stripping ,you could attempt to roll the coat but we generally do that when its been stripped in sections & then try & get the coat to last as long as possible . To roll the coat measn you at home need to maintain the coat & sit there pulling the bad coat from the good. It does look nice but is very time consuming & simply put if you dont work on the coat between the groomer it will look awful very quickly.It does grow faster in summer & will blow much quicker. The coat can only be stripped right back when its dead/blown.Rolling means pulling the dea hairs out whilst retaining the good coat underneath.I might add not all coats suit rolling. Obviously yours is a pet so it doesnt need to be perfect but a stripped coat is only as good as the maintance & we clip all our retirees. Also be awre if they have ben stripped back make sure the dog doesnt sunburn Some of the mini breeders do teach grooming as you will need to get some basic gear to do the at home stuff . Not sure what part of melbourne you are but a breeder in Cranbourne does teach grooming & a number of others may help. We stripped back to bare skin as do nearly all the exhibitors in australia & it doesnt affect the undercoat as that grows back & we are certianly not penalized. Edited October 24, 2007 by showdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted October 25, 2007 Share Posted October 25, 2007 Hey Becks thanks for your reply - sorry guys haven't been keeping up with the posts - exam time at the moment at uni.... Can I ask why show dogs have their coats sectioned when stripped? - I'm guessing its maybe to with achieving the correct shape or something... Yes, it is done to achieve the correct shape, eg if your dog has a dip in the back, this section would be stripped out a week ahead of the area around it, so the hair growing back would have an extra bit of length in that area to fill in the gap. Sides of the neck are shorter to show off the length and crest of neck etc etc. Will it make a difference if Micci's coat was stripped in sections - I contacted the lady in Elwood and they said they do it in one go.... so I'm a bit confused. As Micci is a pet then it will make no difference. It is easy to learn to maintain the coat yourself, if you have 5-10 minutes free a couple of times a week to just rake through the coat to remove excess undercoat (though I do this with a dog sat on my lap on the sofa while watching something good on TV!) and then just brush up the hard coat and pull out a few hairs then move on to the next section, so you are just removing a few of the longest hairs. The pepper and salt mini in my signature has been in a stripped show coat since he was stripped at 3 months old, he is now 13 months old and will be stripped out in december (so that he will be at his best for Crufts and the schanuzer puppy of the year competition) not becuase he particularly needs to be stripped. He will not be taken down to bare skin. The problem with getting someone else to strip the coat in sections is that if you leave more then 7 -10 days between sections you will get a noticable line between the 2 areas. If you want to find out more about the technical side, have a look at the Britmor mini schnauzer site http://members.aol.com/msbritmor/index.html there are sections about how to strip and clip the coat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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