Ask The Vet

Ask The Vet:
by Lisa Lembke DVM MS

My pet’s coat this winter is really full of dandruff and static. What can I do?

The dry air and heat inside the house during the winter are responsible for the static and, to some extent, the dry skin. For dogs, static can be reduced by spritzing the hair coat with a dilute solution of crème rinse and working it in well. Any product that is safe to use on a person can be used safely on your dog. Crème rinse should not be used on cats because grooming behavior will cause them to swallow the product.

The flakiness in both dogs and cats can be reduced by bathing—though caution should be exercised in bathing a cat. It is safer to wrestle a bag of razor blades than to bathe certain, shall we say, fractious, cats. Your veterinarian can help you with this task by doing the bathing for you, using a sedative or even an anesthetic to make the experience more pleasant for the cat and the bather. Clean the haircoat and skin with an emollient, conditioning shampoo. Be sure to rinse all the shampoo out thoroughly, else the residue itself may make the skin problem worse. If you can’t bathe your dog at home, some pet stores have pet grooming areas where a raised tub, grooming products, and drying equipment are available for a fee. The store may require that your pet be current on rabies vaccination, and also current for kennel cough for dogs.

Nutritional supplements are available to improve your pet’s skin and coat quality from the inside out. In the winter, nutritional needs change. Your pet needs supplemental, high quality essential fatty acids in the diet. Your veterinarian can recommend an appropriate essential fatty acid supplement that will help maintain healthy skin and fur, without causing the animal to become overweight.

If little black crumbles, like ground pepper, are part of the dandruff picture, fleas are probably present, despite the cold weather. The flea problem was very bad in summer and fall this year, and many pets still have these little pests present in their fur and in their bedding. If you have found black dandruff, blot some of it up with a damp paper towel. If the damp towel blushes red around the crumbles, this confirms the black stuff is flea dirt. Consult your veterinarian for advice treating the pet and the environment for fleas. Ridding your pet of fleas will improve skin health and coat quality, and eliminate the scabs and chewing behavior caused by flea allergy.