[mydogfred]

Hello! Our dog is almost 4 months old. He has had absolutely no problems or issues but within the past week Ive noticed he has some slight dandruff on his back...not noticeable unless you really look hard or until you brush his hair. He is not itchy at all and its only on his back, mainly towards his back half. Soooo, I googled it and of course all these horrible deseases pop up! The most common being a form of parasite that causes "walking dandruff" and red rashes and itchy skin...he has no red patches or itchy skin, just a little white flakes. Can dogs get dry skin and get dandruff? Now Im paranoid,lol...He has a vet appt. next Tuesday for his shots but in the meantime I'd thought I would check and see if dogs can in fact just have dandruff and not some horrible skin infection. Thanks! Search Pet Health:

Cheyletiellosis

 

[cgriffin]

Not walking dandruff, no worries, lol.
Well, it is winter and the heaters are running. It dries out our skin, so it can dry out the pup's skin as well. Yes, dogs can get dandruff from skin being too dry. Keep brushing him, that helps getting the oils in the skin going, the pup likes it and bonds more with you and of course, keeps him clean inbetween baths and let's you know immediately if there is a parasite problem like fleas.
Since it is just a pup, I do not want to say, give such and such supplements. I would ask the vet about supplements for the skin though if you are concerned. But you said the pup is not itchy and red, so I would not worry at this time. Enjoy your pup!

 

[Shalva]

Hello! Our dog is almost 4 months old. He has had absolutely no problems or issues but within the past week Ive noticed he has some slight dandruff on his back...not noticeable unless you really look hard or until you brush his hair. He is not itchy at all and its only on his back, mainly towards his back half. Soooo, I googled it and of course all these horrible deseases pop up! The most common being a form of parasite that causes "walking dandruff" and red rashes and itchy skin...he has no red patches or itchy skin, just a little white flakes. Can dogs get dry skin and get dandruff? Now Im paranoid,lol...He has a vet appt. next Tuesday for his shots but in the meantime I'd thought I would check and see if dogs can in fact just have dandruff and not some horrible skin infection. Thanks! Search Pet Health:

Cheyletiellosis

there are many things that this can be.... it could simply be dry skin in which case adding some oil to his diet will help and a humidifier....

it could be a parasite like demodex that your vet can look at and do a simple skin scrape and determine

but what came to mind was ichthyosis which is becoming more and more of an issue in goldens... it is an overproduction of skin cells which causes the dandruff... there is a genetic test for it... it will never affect your pups quality of life but it will cause the dandruff... based on the fact that your pup is not itchy that is what comes to mind for me. The genetic test is fairly new and there is some thought that many many dogs are carriers but with the test being so new many breeders are just starting to do it and many poor breeders don't know it exists.

I think a vet visit is in order and then if you desire you can have the genetic test done to determine if it is icthyosis if other things are ruled out but even if it is ichthy I wouldn't worry to much about it as long as you are not breeding