Dog Dandruff

This skin problem appears in dogs due to dry skin, hormonal changes, or malnutrition. Fortunately, there's a simple home treatment that can prevent it.

Pets can have a lot of the same health problems as humans, and there are some you’d never heard of. For example, are you familiar with dog dandruff? Well, it exists. Read this article to learn about what causes this disease and how to treat it.

What causes dog dandruff?

There are a lot of things that can cause dog dandruff. Here are some of them:

• Dry skin. A lack of nutrients can cause a dog’s skin to dry out. A dog can easily get dandruff if his diet doesn’t contain enough omega 3 and other fatty acids.
• Hormonal changes. This can bring down a dog’s natural fat levels and cause dandruff. For example, your dog might have endocrine problems such as ovary imbalance (for females), hypothyroidism, or hyperadrenocorticism.
• Malnutrition. A bad diet doesn’t provide dogs with the nutrients they need and causes their liquid and natural oil levels to decrease, which in turn develops dry fur and skin that leads to dandruff.

• Bad hygiene. Maybe your dog doesn’t really like water, so you don’t bathe him that much. However, it’s necessary to make sure he remains healthy, so it doesn’t really matter whether or they like it or not. There are just some things you have to do when it comes to good hygiene. If your dog already has dandruff, you can use shampoos for dogs with sensitive skin. Washing his fur too intensely also sometimes causes dandruff because it prevents his skin from producing natural oils.
• Not brushing. All dogs need to be brushed at least once a week, though some need more. When you don’t brush your dog often or well enough, his skin cells don’t activate, dead fur builds up, and that can lead to dandruff.
• Stress. Stress and anxiety can cause skin problems like psoriasis that create dandruff. If your pet is stressed out, do some exercise with him. He might just not be active enough.
• Immune system. If this part of their body isn’t working right it could impact their skin and lead to dandruff.

However, if your dog already has dandruff, what can you do to treat it?

How to treat dog dandruff

There are several things you can do to prevent and treat dog dandruff. It’s not a major problem, but it could cause more serious things if you don’t take care of it in time.

• Brush your dog’s hair more often, and remember that some breeds need more brushing than others. It’s important because it helps get rid of dead cells. Therefore, if you brush your dog’s hair more often, his skin and fur can regenerate.
• Add oils to his diet. You can do this whether he eats dry or wet food. Make sure he always drinks enough water. If possible, give him canned do food with fish because it has all the natural oils a dog needs for his skin.
• Don’t bathe him too much. Too much bathing a lot actually more damaging than helpful, because it can stop dogs from producing natural oils in their skin. If a dog’s skin dries out, he is prone to getting dandruff.

• Use shampoo for sensitive skins. They don’t specifically treat dandruff, but they’ll help heal your dog’s skin and make the dandruff go away.

Go to the vet if none of these tips get rid of your dog’s dandruff because it could be something more serious, like mange.