Is your dog scratching or itching more than usual? Do you notice flakes or dry skin in their fur? Much like humans, dogs can experience the dreaded dandruff. While we humans experience flakes of dead skin on our head, dogs typically accumulate dry flakes on their back… more specifically towards their tail. And this can occur during seasonal changes like winter or summer time. 

What Causes Dog Dandruff

So what exactly causes dog dandruff? Well, for starters, things like excessively running the heater or lack of humidity in the air, basically the same things that cause your skin to get dry in the winter months can trigger the shedding to start. 

Allergies from diet or their environment can affect your dog’s skin, creating problems as they excessively itch and scratch themselves to try and relieve the pain. Much like with humans, seasonal allergies can present themselves at different times in the year and show up differently in your dog. Hello hind-quarter biting or licking paws. Start keeping track of your dog’s allergic tendencies throughout the year or you can look on the weather app to track when certain allergies are worse and make sure your pet stays inside. 

An unbalanced diet can be the culprit as well. There are certain essential acids that dogs need in order to maintain healthy fur, skin, and coat. Essential fatty acids like Omega-3 and Omega-6 play a vital role in your pet’s skin and coat health. Pet’s often have a dietary deficiency in essential fatty acids (EFA’s) which can lead to poor growth, scaly skin, poor coat condition, and infertility. These omega fatty acids help your pet’s skin and coat by improving cell membrane function. Essentially lubricating skin tissue from the inside-out. (Read more about that here). This is one of the reasons why we recommend Ultra Oil For Pets, an all-natural skin and coat supplement that contains not only Omega-3 and Omega-6, but also Omega-9 all with balanced ratios of each fatty acid. This helps provide all of the nutrients your pet needs for soft, shiny, healthy fur and skin! 

Our complete breakdown of Omegas per bottle: Omega 3 3500 mg/tbsp, Omega 6 6000 mg/ tbsp, Omega 9 1500 mg/tbsp

Steps to Take To Heal Dog Dandruff 

So you’ve taken a brave look at your doggies backside and *gulp* yep they have IT. What do you do now? 

• For starters, a good ‘ole fashioned bath. Bathing your dog regularly is beneficial for seborrhea outbreaks and bacterial and fungal infections, Seriously, people start bathing your dog more! (If you don’t want your doggie to shake all over your bathroom, find a local groomer who can bathe and start trimming their hair regularly.)
• Your vet may prescribe a medicated shampoo for your dog; follow the instructions carefully. Don't over-bathe your dog, as this could make dandruff worse!
• Start adding in an all-natural supplement into their daily diet. 
• Use a humidifier in your home if the air is dry. During winter months especially, your dog (and your family) could find this helpful for prevention.

When to See the Vet for Your Dog's Dandruff Problem

If you just noticed your dog having mild seasonal or occasional dandruff, it's more than likely nothing to worry about. If your dog is still experiencing itchiness and scratching, you may need your vet to check them out and provide a diagnosis for peace of mind.  You may want to schedule an appointment with your vet if your dog is also experiencing any of these symptoms:

• Excessive Itchiness
• An odor to the skin
• Excessive amounts of dandruff
• Hair loss
• Red, irritated skin
• Other signs of illness or discomfort

How You Can Prevent Dandruff

The dandruff has gone away. Yay! Help it stay banished to the island of misfit toys by introducing an all-natural essential fatty acid supplement into your dog’s daily diet. We recommend Ultra Oil which was created to help treat and prevent skin allergies and irritants like dandruff, hot spots, allergic reactions, or breakouts. You can purchase your bottle of Ultra Oil here to say goodbye to dog dandruff today.

If you start to see white flakes where Fido likes to nap or roll around on your expensive rug you just bought (why do they have the best taste!?) or you notice the flakes after giving your dog a really good scratch, don’t despair, get to work to heal your dog’s dandruff today!