Very Dry Skin

[giraffez]

But here's where I get a bit controversial! If your dog has any dandruff, flaky skin, comedone bumps, yeasty issues, etc.......start with a twice weekly bath of Selsun Blue shampoo. Make sure it gets into every little nook and cranny like between toes, ear folds, lip folds, genital areas etc. make it up in a squeeze bottle with warm water and a good shake into a prediluted solution and soak the dry dog. (Instead of trying to disperse globs of shampoo through a pre wet coat. Let it soak for several minutes and rinse thoroughly. Then, rinse with plain white vinegar and don't rinse. Make sure you get the vinegar into all those nook and crannies too. The vinegar smell on the dog will dissipate quickly enough. Do this a couple of times a week for a few weeks and back off to once a fortnight over a few months. Do not use conditioner. If you are seeing results, keep using the Selsun Blue and use the vinegar rinse intermittently.

Which one do you get? There are different formulas

http://www.selsunblue.com/max-strength/

[Pjrt]

It's just the original Selsun Blue replenishing shampoo. If you go to a supermarket or chemist they usually just have the blue and the gold in a yellow bottle. The gold one is just a higher volume of active ingredient. I haven't seen any of the bottles in that link before.

google vinegar rinse for dogs you'll find heaps of info

Eta I just enlarged the images on that link I think they are possibly os products. The one in the middle for normal to oily hair is the same as the product you'll find here in a very similar bottle in 200ml

Edited June 14, 2016 by blinkblink

[fbaudry]

Damn..... Mine says anti dandruff / anti itch

[Pjrt]

Damn..... Mine says anti dandruff / anti itch

This is the one I get in SA

[fbaudry]

That's the one! Phew..... All good

With the vinegar rinse, do you mix it with warm water Blinkblink?

I haven't had much luck in the past as I have 2 princesses who really don't like cold / room temperature liquids on their skin. I was thinking of adding some really hot water to it and apply with the squeeze bottle?

[Pjrt]

No always tepid /warm water. It's best to use as cool a water as the dog will tolerate for skin problem dogs but even I can't stand cold water !

Definitely not very warm to hot. Mix in the squeeze bottle it makes life easy.

Some people use acv and some plain white. Some dilute some don't. Some people rinse some don't. Start with 50/50 and rinse lightly if you're a little unsure

Also best to discard any unused diluted product both shampoo and vinegar dilutes . Use it all on the dog then rinse and air dry your bottles.

Edited June 15, 2016 by blinkblink

[BarbedWire]

My allergy dog has dry skin. Apart from adding omega oils to his diet, our dermatologist vet recommended using QV (human) products available from most pharmacies.

I only wash him with QV wash and give him a final rinse of QV bath oil diluted with water. I also spray his coat after walks with a solution of QV bath oil and water. I mix up 10ml of bath oil to every 400mls of water in a spray bottle.

When you spray your dog after walks how much do you put on (is the dog really wet) and do you spray in the tummy area only? Do you leave it on or brush it in? I'm concerned about leaving a wet dog. When she is wet I usually towel her dry.

[BarbedWire]

Timely thread, and plenty of new tips... Grabbed a bottle of Selsun blue tonight :)

I've been using the QV oil diluted, as well as Alpha Keri lotion, following our dermatologist vet recommendations.

Re bedding, what do you use Sarspididious? I'm not sure the bedding itself is to blame, or dust mites (actually living in bedding, carpets etc). But I like the idea of switching to cotton, or some sort of more natural fibres. 6 dog beds here, covered in fleece blankets that are washed weekly. I like that they're cheap, and wash and dry quickly but they might not be ideal, so I'd be keen to try something better.

I did not realise that dust mites could be a problem for dogs. My beds are just cheap ones but they are all covered with cotton towels that are washed regularly. Usually more than one because my dog likes being snug and digs herself into her bedding.

[trinabean]

My allergy dog has dry skin. Apart from adding omega oils to his diet, our dermatologist vet recommended using QV (human) products available from most pharmacies.

I only wash him with QV wash and give him a final rinse of QV bath oil diluted with water. I also spray his coat after walks with a solution of QV bath oil and water. I mix up 10ml of bath oil to every 400mls of water in a spray bottle.

When you spray your dog after walks how much do you put on (is the dog really wet) and do you spray in the tummy area only? Do you leave it on or brush it in? I'm concerned about leaving a wet dog. When she is wet I usually towel her dry.

Hmm, well for my dog it was recommended by the derm vet for reducing some of the pollens on his body after walks, as well as dealing with his dry skin. But he has had allergy testing, so I know which air-borne pollens etc he is allergic to (lots!) so this might be something that not every itchy dog needs. As for how much, a few general sprays over his body is all I do. His coat is single and smooth (Boxer) and Perth is mostly dry, so he dries off in no time. I don't know the answer for a dog with more of a double/ long coat, sorry.

And Papillon Kisses, interesting that you mention dust mites, as this is yet another of the allergens that my dog had strong reactions to in derm. tests. Yes, weekly hot washing of bedding, coats etc is what was recommended, as well as using eucalyptus-based wool mix too (apparently eucalyptus kills dust mites). And I often finish dog blankets etc. off in the dryer, for a little more heat.

edited: to remove double up comments, -sorry people on phones!

Edited June 15, 2016 by trinabean