Calling On Mini Schnauzer Breeders/owners

[meluchja]

Hi all,

My mum took on a Mini Schauzer from an old friend, who could no longer care for him. He is approx. 7 years old. He is Salt and Pepper I think, or Silver, not sure on the difference, but grey looking. Sorry.

I have noticed he has dry looking skin, but would probably be more from inadequate skin care than a health problem I think. Mums old friend was using her shampoo to wash him once a week and fed him Pal dry and canned foods from the supermarket.

I have given mum some of our BH adult to feed him and he likes it so hopefully the food side of things are sorted.

I have no way of tracing his lines as mums old friend can't remember who she got him from. But don't think this is that important now, as mum just wants a companion, and wants to know all about the best way to take care of him.

But I have been reading up about MS informed her a diet high is fat is out, regular grooming is a must, but I'm stumped on what products mum should use to take care of his coat, as I have read that they are prone to many skin issues. So I was hoping some MS breeders can answers some questions for me so I can get mum sorted.

1. What is the best shampoo/conditioner to use on him?

2. Is there anything more she should know about coat care, apart from grooming?

3. Will she needed to offer anything more than good quality dry food?

4. Can MS eat lamb flaps?

5. I have read 1x fish oil capsule is good for MS, is the true? Should she give this?

6. Is there anything more she should know?

Thank you very much for all help offered my mum will be very thankful, as will I and I'm sure Scruffy.

Edited March 14, 2011 by meluchja

[meluchja]

Oh I forgot to ask another couple of questions.

7. What flea treatment is best for them? As she is in a bad flea area. She did have her annual pest spray done a few weeks ago. I did initially recommend Sentinel or Interceptor along with comfortis during the warmer months, but not sure if these products are to harsh for this breed.

8. What heartworm/intestional worming treatment do you recommend? I have read a few products are worse for sensitive dogs.

Thanks again.

Edited March 14, 2011 by meluchja

[mackiemad]

*I'm not a breeder and my current 4 year old boy is my first mini schnauzer*

but i don't really wash my mini schnauzer very often - i'm one of those that think you strip the natural oils form their coats and often make them dryer. however when i do wash my boy's coat, usually when i have people coming over for a party/dinner etc, i use an oatmeal dog shampoo and i only condition the feathering not the shorter area on his back.

they do need to be brushed regularly, as the feathering can knot, tangle and even matt - and the tips can seem tangle free but it can get pretty dense close to the coat if you don't comb through often. i do my dog with a comb once/twice a week and i go through his coat with my fingers thoroughly everyday to check for grass seeds, burrs, dried grass etc - anything that could cause discomfort or a tangle. -don't forget to check between the toes! and i also towel dry my dog and then later re-towel him if it has been wet and muddy to keep the mud from hanging around in his paws.

they do need to be stripped or clipped. most poeple clip and my boy gets clipped every 3 months or so, less in summer. take him to a good local groomer (get reccomendations locally) and they should do a schnazuer clip on him, wash, nail clip, ear pluck - the works; i pay around $60-$70 and i think that's a bargain for the hard work it entails. if you are leaving the time between clips a long time you may wish to pluck the ears yourself- esp if the dog is prone to ear infections...

ms's are the same as many dogs food wise. but they can get fat and they can get pancreatitis. so less fat is better, i keep my guy a bit lean - but that is more due to how much exercise he gets rather than food. mine gets black hawk atm mixed in with some meat my butcher does for me (chicken, turkey, lamb no beef) or sardines. that's all he gets - unless he sneaks some of the cats' food! (i do use a damp towel on his beard after the sardines because i can't stand the smell though!)

i feed RMB's twice a week (and lessen the amount of dinner he gets accordingly) but i find chicken or turkey are better. pork, beef and lamb are too fatty for my boy and can give him the runs - but he also has a sensitive tummy. i don't feed fish oil, he gets it in his food and he also gets it in the sardines he has. my boy's coat is fine so i don't feel the need i suppose. i expect with the better food and with not constantly wahsing your dog (and when you do, in a natural dog shampoo) your mother's ms's coat will start to come good after a couple of week/months. though my boy is rarely as shiny as a short coated dog due to his wiry coat (unless he has just been clipped) he doesn't have any flakey skin and his coat is soft(ish for his breed) and luxurious. i never find matts or serious tangles in his coat and i expect that is because his coat is healthy as well as my grooming regime.

i only flea treat in summer when we go to the beach or if i see a flea/flea dirt on him. then i use the sentinel chew - only because if he has a long coat i feel he absorbs all of it in the chew, and only some of it in the neck applicators. (i then also put neck applicateors on the cats, wash all the bedding with a little bit of flea shampoo in the washing machine, and generally itch and become paranoid!) i do not treat for heartworm unless, preventatively, in high summer because we do not have it in my area. thus i only do a wormer that treats other worms in chew form, when directed on the packet depending on what it is.

hope that was helpful. you might want to talk to people like showdog and becks - both of which have been involved in the breed for a long time and know infinitely mroe than me - for all i know i'm doing i wrong! but it works for my boy and i so...

i do check my boy when grooming/cuddling him for sebaceous (sp?) cysts as they can be common in some lines and in the breed. my boy has had one, when he was a tick under a year old, and as it was under his collar area it was getting irritated (it burst on its own) and needed to be removed properly. other than that he hasn't had any skin related issues.

good luck!

[becks]

1. What is the best shampoo/conditioner to use on him?

The groomers evening primrose oil shampoo is good for dogs with dry skin. Always condition the furnishings to help prevent the fur knotting easily, type of conditioner doesn't really matter. Try not to wash him to often.

2. Is there anything more she should know about coat care, apart from grooming?

A good weekly/twice weekly groom with a slicker and followed up with a comb to make sure any knots are out is all needed for maintainance - unless dog is getting wet/going into undergrowth etc which will need more coat work. Ears should be plucked at least every couple of months. A haircut should be done every 8 weeks to keep him looking tidy. Be careful on choosing the groomer as most have no idea how to do a proper schnauzer trim.

3. Will she needed to offer anything more than good quality dry food?

Mine enjoy lots of fresh food, veg, fruit, mince, tripe. The main thing is keeping the diet below about 12% fat.

4. Can MS eat lamb flaps?

Some might but the fat content could cause problems. Hyperlipidemia and pancreatits can occur in some minis.

5. I have read 1x fish oil capsule is good for MS, is the true? Should she give this?

No real need to give this.

6. Is there anything more she should know?

Schnauzers are a pretty hardy breed, keep the fat content low, keep them the correct weight with regular exercise and some brain work (they are generally clever dogs), enjoy the company of their family and not being left at home all day. They aren't as a breed sensative to any particular medications.

some lines can be susceptable to bad teeth, so keep a close check on the teeth cleaning.

Oh, and there is no such colour as 'silver' unless there is a puppy farm involved! The correct term is 'pepper and salt' unless of course your dog is a faded 'black and silver'

[megan_]

I get mine clipped every 6 - 8 weeks and don't wash them inbetween - not good for their skin. I think ,y groomer uses Aloveen - I have heard good things about it.

It is hard to get a groomer who does an MS well - especially the eyebrows. I once took mine to another groomer when I missed an appointment at my regular place and their eyebrows came out round - they looked like they were in a permanent state of suprise!

If you brush them every few days (esp the legs) then they should be knot gree.

Add some sardines to their diet (mine get a tin between two of them) once a week to help improve the skin. Mine are on Black Hawk Holitistic and chicken necks and do very well on these. As others have said, lamb is very fatty so it is more of a treat that a diet staple.

I don't treat for fleas and mine haven't had any for 3 years. If I was going to treat for fleas, then I's use all-in-one chews. I do treat for heartworm and intestinal worms (for Australia, it is important to ensure your wormer covers hyatid (sp) as well - many don't). To that end I use monthly HeartGuard (not the Plus variety) and Drontal All Wormers.

My guys love agility and clicker training - minis tend to be smart and love being active and involved in all aspects of family life.

[meluchja]

Thank you so much everyone for all your help. I will print out this topic and give it to my mum.

I have read so many different things regarding shampooing. One site says to shampoo them regularly with Selsum Blue shampoo to keep their skin clean and then another will say avoid harsh shampoos and only shampoo once a month. So confusing. But I guess from what the majority of you are doing, a good quality shampoo based on oils once a month is plenty.

Thanks again for all your help, my mum will be very grateful.

[mackiemad]

But I guess from what the majority of you are doing, a good quality shampoo based on oils once a month is plenty.

actually, i think most of us agree that we wash our dogs as irregularly as possible- so once a month is probably waay too often. he will get washed when he is at the groomers (so he smells nice and so their clipper blades last longer), and unless he's filthy from running through mud or rolling in something awful then he really shouldn't need to be washed imbetween clips. i can stretch my boy's clipping longer than many because that is the way my dog is, but i don't wash imbetween clips unless i have to for whatever reason...

also megan: - i thought we didn't have to worm for hydatid in aus unless we feed offal/liver to our dogs? do i have this wrong?

[megan_]

also megan: - i thought we didn't have to worm for hydatid in aus unless we feed offal/liver to our dogs? do i have this wrong?

the risk is low however if your dog eats possum poo, the poo from another dog that has eaten offal etc then they can get hyatid. That is my understanding anyway....

Given that it can be deadly in humans I choose to worm for it.

[mackiemad]

fair enough, thanks megan! shall buy a hydatid wormer next time, as my boy doesn't usually eat possum poo, but he does enjoy rolling in it - and he imitiates the cats when they clean themselves so better to be safe than sorry!