Right guys, I'm getting the hang of this now! Last evening Latte came in from the garden on the recall whistle (yea) with a mouthful of potting compost. I grabbed the hose and gently washed his mouth out, which did not go down too well so he went and punctured my hose!! Question time! The 4 month old puppy still has a dandruff type stuff on his coat, plus a bit of scratching/biting. I asked the vet and she said it is probably a type of scurvy and will go of it"s own accord. I brush and fine comb him daily( Latte not the vet) and do not feel inclined to use any chemicals. He has not had a bath as yet and will only go in the sea up to his toe nails His skin looks perfect so what am I dealing with here??? Any ideas will be welcome Latte and Ron
Re: What is this stuff? Sometimes too much brushing with a Furminator or other fine tooth metal comb can cause a scurvy coat.
Re: What is this stuff? Going to say the same. . I only brush when they are moulting and need it. Once a week probably.
Re: What is this stuff? I'm more a once a month or just when there is loads of loose hair kind of person
Re: What is this stuff? Hear what you are all saying nice people, but Latte had this dandruffy stuff on him before I started brushing, so that cannot be the cause,so what is it????
Re: What is this stuff? What are you feeding him? Sometimes wheat can cause issues in dogs, I believe, but I really am not expert on this. Our Lilly's coat got much better when we switched to a wheat-free food, although we also changed to a rinse and dry at her swim class rather than a shampoo, though she still gets frequent shampoos (Animology Fox Poo shampoo) due her tendency to roll : Probably no help but just my experience in a sample of one.
Re: What is this stuff? It might just be a result of the adolescent coat coming in? I seem to remember Charlie went through a short phase of this...
Re: What is this stuff? I would rule out parasites pretty carefully - parasitism is the commonest reason for a scurfy back in a young puppy. Stacia's comment about is it moving i suspect is because she is thinking about Cheyletiella infestation, also known as walking dandruff. If you comb him out onto a piece of black card and watch carefully, you might see pieces of scale moving about as the mites push them. They can be devilishly difficult to find though, even under a microscope but cause scaly back and mild to moderate itching in a young pup. Fleas are also a possibility. Have you used any topical parasite control? Not all of the flea preparations kill cheyletiella.
Re: What is this stuff? You say you have not bathed him yet but maybe a bath would help you get on top of the dandruff in his coat. If you're worried about chemicals in the coat you could use just plain old sensitive baby shampoo, or just water. I also agree with the others in that brushing or combing every day is way too much. The only time I brush Penny is if she's having a particularly heavy moult. But even then a bath can sort that out as she doesn't have a very thick coat.
Re: What is this stuff? Scout used to get dandruffy stuff when he was a pup especially if I'd been holding him in the car for some reason. Well before I started brushing them. On one occasion it was on the way to the vet. She checked it for mites etc and it was just white dust stuff. He grew out of it quite quickly.
Re: What is this stuff? Lola gets this mid growth spurt and has a little now as her undercoat is coming out. A quick shower and gentle brush usually helps. Not too often though. I do it once a fortnight at the most.
