Golden Retriever puppy with extreme dandruff

[yole]

Hi guys. If you think this post is more relevant in another sub, please let me know as I am not that familiar with the different dog subreddits.

TLDR: Dog has extreme dandruff, have tried different shampoos and some dietary changes but unsure how help cure it. any recommendations welcomed.

I have a 16 week old female golden retriever with a severe dandruff problem. She has had it since we picked her up. She was freshly bathed, so it wasn't as bad, but it seems to have gotten worse.

We've tried burt's bees oatmeal shampoo and human head + shoulders. The H+S seems to help but after a few days/a week, it comes back. We didn't bathe her for the first month we had her, and have given her a bath on each of the past 2 saturdays to try and help calm her dandruff (i know excessive baths can dry her skin out, but it seems her skin is extremely dry and flaky anyway.)

FWIW, we've added a full hardboiled egg yolk to her diet once a day for the last 2 weeks or so, and have gotten some salmon jerky treats for high value treats during training. As far as her diet, the breeder sent us home with some food for her (blue buffalo i believe, but unsure), but she didn't really eat it and has been on hills science diet for large breed puppy (chicken meal and oats recipe) for the last 8 or so weeks (since 1/23 or 1/24).

any advice on other shampoos, dietary supplements, or any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[tracey4g]

@yole Environmental allergens and underlying health issues can cause skin problems as well. How do her ears look?

The problem is that most veterinarians dont have a lot of dermatological training. So it's often hard to find the allergens.

Shampoos and conditioners only treat the skin. And not the underlying issues. I would suggest staying with a dog approved shampoo and always follow up with a good conditioner. My clients like tropiclean and esper products.

There are also medicated shampoos your vet can prescribe.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@tracey4g Most of us do have dermatological training, as to whether or not we utilize it after school depends on the vet. In my experience, I had to take an entire course on skin problems, causes, treatments, etc. and take at least a 4 week clinical rotation with it. And from speaking with people at other programs, this is the usual.

 

[speedkr7911]

@yole Science diet isn’t a great food, I’d start there. Look into Merrick or Fromm, a little cheaper would be Taste of the Wild or Natural Balance. A liquid fish oil supplement could help. Baths tend to dry out the skin try not to bathe more than once in a six week period. I know puppies are messy but spot cleaning when you can will help instead of a full bath. Golden’s are one of those breeds that tend to have skin allergies, be in the look out for irritated skin.

 

[fluffypiranha]

@speedkr7911 Curious as to why you don't think Science Diet is a good food - as a previous Vet Tech this was always one of the highest recommended foods and from my friends still in Vet Med as far as I know it still is. I personally have been out of the game for about 5 years but still have close contact with the community - so for all I know things could have changed. My guy has a sensitive stomach and the only one that DOESN'T give him the shits (including Merrick and Fromm - tried those and failed) is Science Diet Sensitive Skin and Stomach. (I realize this is my personal anecdotal experience)

The biggest issue I know of right now is NOT feeding Grain Free diets unless specifically recommended by your Vet - and this especially goes for retrievers. Long term grain free diets can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy which is has a high mortality rate and no cure once it starts. I can be managed if caught soon enough but not reversed.

ETA - OP I DO agree with bathing too frequently can cause dry skin and skin irritation

 

[refei]

@fluffypiranha These are the ingredients in the SD you're feeding: Chicken, Brewers Rice, Chicken Meal, Yellow Peas, Cracked Pearled Barley, Whole Grain Sorghum, Egg Product, Chicken Fat, Soybean Oil, Brown Rice, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Liver Flavor, Lactic Acid, Pork Liver Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Flaxseed, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Oat Fiber, Natural Flavors, Beta-Carotene, Apples, Broccoli, Carrots, Cranberries, Green Peas.

There is almost no meat and way too many grains.

Being grain free isn't the issue, it's what they use to replace the grains. Namely peas and potatoes.

“Diets in cases reported to the FDA frequently list potatoes or multiple legumes such as peas, lentils, other ‘pulses’ (seeds of legumes), and their protein, starch, and fiber derivatives early in the ingredient list, indicating that they are main ingredients.” www.whole-dog-journal.com/blog/please-don%C2%92t-panic-about-the-%C2%93grain-free-thing%C2%94

 

[zainonechia]

@speedkr7911 If I recall correctly taste of the wild is grain free which is definitely not recommended especially for goldens. Not sure about the others that you mentioned but something to keep in mind. I’ve also heard that science diet is great from the vet school that I work at.

 

[kingdomcitizen74]

@zainonechia They very very recently added a line with "ancient grains"

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@speedkr7911 My golden had the exact same issue. We switched his food to Fromm and started giving him Wild Alaskan salmon oil (I can get the brand) and he hasn't had an issue since. He's almost 2 and we haven't seen it since he was 5-6 months old. It was really bad too. If you pet him on our leather couch you would have to clean a pile of dead skin up every single time.

Edit: The breeder was also using Blue Buffalo. None of the other puppies in the litter had any issues.

 

[refei]

@yole Read the ingredients of Science Diet. It's not a great food. (Chicken Meal, Whole Grain Wheat, Whole Grain Oats, Whole Grain Sorghum, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Fat, Whole Grain Corn, Chicken Liver Flavor, Flaxseed, Dried Beet Pulp, Pork Liver Flavor, Fish Oil, Lactic Acid, Iodized Salt, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Choline Chloride, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Oat Fiber, L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors, Beta-Carotene, Apples, Broccoli, Carrots, Cranberries, Green Peas.) 3/4 or 4/5 of the first ingredients should be meat.

I also wouldn't use human shampoo. Or oatmeal based. If this is an allergic reaction it could be to grains and oatmeal shampoo could make it worse. I'd start with a limited ingredient diet. Try warm water to get her skin wet and then work in a little coconut oil to the skin. Then wipe down with a wash cloth wet with warm water. It was soothing for my dog.

My dog's issues was caused by the diet. I had to stop feeding kibble. I now make my own dog food that is complete and balanced. It meets AAFCO's standards. All fresh. I use the recipes from this book

Avoid grain free that has peas near the top of the ingredient list.

I also feed this dehydrated food: https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/meals

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/hypoallergenic-dog-foods/

 

[lady_of_rohan]

@yole I agree with @refei that a natural diet is the way to go and I would personally avoid kibble. I follow a holistic vet who talks about this in relation to coat in this article. He has a great (and free) course on home made raw & cooked diets which I find helpful regardless if you're buying a commercial brand or making it yourself.