# Itching, dandruff, scab on lower back!



## Rugerboy (Dec 27, 2015)

My dog has gotten very itchy lately, and keeps nibbling at a spot on his lower back. When I brush him their is a lot of dandruff on his back. I gave him flea meds (oral) last week. Changed his food from generic to Iam's 3 weeks ago. I bathe him once a month. No moving dandruff (mites). He's also chewing a lot at his front and back paws. Allergy to food? Fleas biting and dying? Dry skin? What can I do to help the puppers? I have a bet appt next week.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Hi Rugerboy!

In your other thread "Puppy Eats Lots Of Grass" I mentioned changing to a higher quality food than Iams. Have you heard the old saying....."you are what you eat"? Same holds true for our dogs!

Suggested Kibbles:

*ORIJEN *(note that Orijen, although a great food, can give SOME dogs loose stool)* : *Dry Dog Food | Orijen Store Locator: Where to Buy | Orijen 


*ACANA REGIONALS (grain free):* Acana Regionals | Acana Store locator: Store Locator | Acana
*
FROMM'S FOUR STAR (grain free): *Four-Star Gourmet Recipes for dogs - Fromm Family Foods locator: Find a store that carries Fromm
4 Star Non Grains include: Beef Frittata, Surf N Turf, Salmon Tunalini, Pork & Peas, Lamb & Lentil, or Game Bird.

*THE HONEST KITCHEN DEHYDRATED FOOD: *EMBARK: Embark - Grain Free, High Protein Dog Food | The Honest Kitchen Store Locator: Where to Buy Honest Kitchen - Honest Kitchen Stores | The Honest Kitchen A 10# box RE-hydrates to about 35 pounds of food.

*Nature's Variety* (not Nature's Recipe) Instinct Healthy, Natural Kibble Products for Dogs | Instinct Pet Food for Dogs and Cats 
Store locator: Find A Store | Nature's Variety

*Nature's Logic**(Gluten Free):*Dog Products Archives - Nature's LogicNature's Logic Find a retailer: Store Locator - Nature's Logic

Iams Large Breed Puppy: Ingredients: *
Chicken:* is 70% water, so not much meat is left. 
*chicken by-product meal*: Low quality ingredients. 
*corn meal:* Huge allergen for some dogs! AAFCO: _“the entire corn kernel ground or chopped. It must contain not more than 4% foreign material. May also appear in the ingredient list of a mixed feed as Corn Meal or Corn Chop.” _ Alltech – an international animal health company – surveyed 329 samples of corn from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2012, and results showed only one percent of the samples analyzed were free of mycotoxins. The company has repeated this testing in 2013 and analysis _“has shown similar results but with interesting new findings: the numbers of mycotoxins present are still increasing.”_
International Journal of Food Microbiology, Drs. Herman J. Boermans and Maxwell C.K. Leung published the report “Mycotoxins and the pet food industry: Toxicological evidence and risk assessment” in 2007. One of the biggest issues of concern discussed, is that existing studies of mycotoxin contamination in pet food overlook the day to day consumption of small amounts of mycotoxins; resulting in “chronic diseases such as liver and kidney fibrosis, infections resulting from immonosuppression and cancer.”
*corn grits:* Cheap filler
*brewers rice:* Cheap filler left over from Human chain.
*fish meal:* Unidentified Fish! Must be a NAMED fish! Herring, Salmon, etc. ALSO high in Mercury and most likely contains Ethoxyquin  (a preservative that can cause health problems)
*fish oil:* Unidentified Fish Oil! Must be named, such as Salmon Oil, or Sardine Oil etc. ALSO high in Mercury. 
*brewers dried yeast:* Creates itching in some dogs.

I'd also add a Digestive Enzyme (helps assimilate foods), Pro-biotic (keeps the gut healthy).
Since about 75% of the immune system lies in the gut (immune system helps fight allergens) it is very important to keep it healthy so that disease does not creep in! 
Below are 2 Human Ingredient Products:
*Sunday Sundae* (Digestive Enzyme & Pro-Biotic Combo): Sunday-Sundae-12oz
*Digest All Plus:* (Digestive Enzyme/ProBiotic combo) Wholistic Digest All Plus? - Digestive Support - Canine

If you do change, transition with small amounts of new food mixed with old, taking a week or two to change. If stool get loose, go back to previous amount fed (where stool was solid) and hold at that amount for a few days until his gut gets use to it. Then increase again. This is called "bowel tolerance".

Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar from a health food store can help with itching. Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. You will know it is organic because you will see “The Mother” (which contains the medicinal properties) floating around in the bottle. It can be used internally (to aide in digestion) and externally (for itching, dandruff, etc). Make a 50/50 mix of the the Organic ACV with purified water (not city tap water) and rub the Organic ACV mix down into the skin/coat, working in small areas, until the whole dog is covered including legs and belly. Always be careful of eyes (vinegar stings). Let dog drip dry, do not rinse off. You can put the mix in a spray bottle and spray on their coats and specific itchy spots (if skin is not opened) a few times per day till you see improvement. You can also use this mix to wipe out ears.


Moms


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

If you're in a cold area where you have to run the furnace a lot this time of year, that will dry out dog skin just like it does human skin...and lead to some flaking. Adding EFAs to the diet helps...but it takes about a month. This is easy to do with human-grade fish oil. However, I do think you will see better skin on higher-quality food.

I once had a female GSD who would have that itchy dandruff on any food except fish-and-sweet-potato based kibble. Every time we tried a different one, it came back. She didn't have any other skin issues except that, but it was enough. It's sometimes some trial and error to find "the" food that works for particular dogs.

You're already on the right track by upgrading from generic to Iams. I would upgrade another step. Do you have access to Costco? If money for food is tight, their Nature's Domain salmon food is grain-free, and a mid-priced option.

ETA: Fish oil can be purchased from the human supplement aisle on a buy-one-get-one free sale at drug stores, or from Costco or Sams. It doesn't have to cost a lot to be effective. I prefer any brand that has the "USP" seal (quality tested, including for mercury). It's a good idea to also add in some mixed-tocopherol, natural Vitamin E with the fish oil (if you get 400 mg capsules for humans, give them a few times a week)--you may have to look at Whole Foods or a health food store to find the "mixed tocopherol" type. I use a lot of these two human-grade supplements with rescued foster dogs with wretched coats and yucky skin. It takes about a month for me to see a major improvement. You can spend a lot more money on top-grade fish oil supplements like Nordic Naturals (EXCELLENT quality) but you don't have to in order to get some good results.


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## Rugerboy (Dec 27, 2015)

Wow! You guys are so helpful! Thank you so much!


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## Lexicon002 (Jan 9, 2016)

Rugerboy said:


> Wow! You guys are so helpful! Thank you so much!


We are stationed at Fort Irwin CA, and our pup is currently on blue buffalo wilderness puppy food. But she's always had dandruff. Maybe try giving the pup an oatmeal shampoo bath if you're in a desert like environment such as us? I've found that the oatmeal shampoo or a hypo allergenic shampoo helps with that dandruff.


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## Rolisaac (Apr 16, 2015)

Fish oil works well if the problem is dry skin. It took less than a week for us to notice a difference in our pup's coat.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Lexicon002 said:


> We are stationed at Fort Irwin CA, and our pup is currently on blue buffalo wilderness puppy food. But she's always had dandruff. Maybe try giving the pup an oatmeal shampoo bath if you're in a desert like environment such as us? I've found that the oatmeal shampoo or a hypo allergenic shampoo helps with that dandruff.


Hi Lexicon & Welcome!

An Oatmeal bath can be soothing *IF* the dog is not sensitive to GRAINS.

*IF* you have a dog that is sensitive to grains, beware of other GLUTEN BASED ingredients, with names that we do not recognize, that could be in the Doggie Shampoo that you are using!
*WHEAT:* hydrolyzed wheat protein or triticum vulgare or stearyldimoniumhydroxypropyl or hydroxypropyltrimonium 
*OATMEAL:* or avena sativa
*BARLEY*: hordeum vulgare or maltodextrin (can also be from barley)
*RYE:* secale cereale
*Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein* can be derived from: Soy, Corn, or Wheat

Moms


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