What shampoo and products do you use for a very dusty and itchy dog? Heres my experience so far.

Z

Zoohorseman

Tourist
I've used a couple different shampoos now and have had varying results but no real fix to the itching and amount of dust my two dobermans produce.

I started out with Mane and Tail shampoo. Which I used for quite awhile. The boys smell great and it generally lasted a couple days before the dog smell would start to come back. After a couple weeks their coats would become coarse and somewhat prickly and thats when I would give them a bath. Maybe every 4-6 weeks. But I'm wondering if the prickliness was just their winter coat?

I then used Burts Bees unscented/no additives and I didn't like it at all. It didn't froth up and between both boys I used half the jar. I used it up the next time just to be done with it. I also bought Burts Bees itch soothing spray for helping with itching and I've had wonky results. It makes their coat look very nice but I'm still having itching issues.

The most recent shampoo I use is Woofwash oatmeal itch relief. It froths up very well and has a gentle smell. Not as noticeable as the Mane and Tail. I'm hoping that switching to an Oatmeal shampoo will have better results.

I'm still pairing the new Woofwash with the Burts Bees anti itch spray as I like how their coats are looking but still, mixed results with itching and having a thick layer of brown dust settling around their area. I've brought them to a vet and their answer was to bath them more frequently. Not that I wouldn't do that, I just want to get to the root cause of all the itching and brown dust. I've even changed their food to see if that would help and I'm not seeing much of a difference there either. I like how their coat is looking and feeling now. No more coarse hair but that could be as they've been shedding their winter coat.

Has anyone else had a similar series of issues regarding itching and heavy dust?
 
What is their normal environment consist among their daily activities? If they exist in a dry/dusty area, then their coats will dry out faster, and they will be more susceptible to their skin drying out, doubly so if being dark dogs that get a lot of sun.

Oatmeal may help, along with washing them a bit more often. I don’t think the goal here would necessarily be to wash them more often though, but more to hydrate them more often. Like, their skin. You should probably find something that helps noticeably with reducing the dryness of their skin, and then apply as often as required, provided they are not allergic to whatever it is, and doesn’t cause any adverse reactions to their coats.
 
My non pedigree pitbull got very itchy despite his sleek coat. I checked for fleas and ticks, then poison shampooed him with no luck. The all knowing google said it was inbreeding and he needed fish oil which worked.
 
SxaBeast said:
My non pedigree pitbull got very itchy despite his sleek coat. I checked for fleas and ticks, then poison shampooed him with no luck. The all knowing google said it was inbreeding and he needed fish oil which worked.
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So it was the fault of inbreeding that caused the itchiness then? Did it cause any other concerns that you are aware of? We also have a purebred dog, but, and I’m pounding on wood here, we haven’t noticed any adverse chinks in her gene pool to date.
 
Well, akc purebred is by definition inbred. I don't know if mine was but occasional fish oil stopped the itching.
 
SxaBeast said:
Well, akc purebred is by definition inbred. I don't know if mine was but occasional fish oil stopped the itching.
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I think that AKC prefers to call it “linebreeding” to avoid negative connotation, but yes, same thing, lol.
 
I have a schnauzer, a breed very prone to nasty skin allergies, started with a shampoo called EquiShield CK recommend by the vet and not only has the allergies and itching gone for good her fur has never been more shinier and barely any matting, would recommend trying it
 
Wash with benzoyl peroxide shampoo. Follow the directions closely , usually involves leaving it on for a few minutes. Also dry brush with a mini horse type grooming brush daily. After a few weekly baths that way, keep up the dry brushing.

If something more serious is going on like skin yeast, a lime sulfur dip treatment may be in order. Its nasty smelling and wear gloves. Do it outside, and be careful not to get on face/nose/eyes. Sponge it on them, follow the directions. This stuff kills mites, fungus, bacteria, etc pretty much everything. May be good to start with this as the skin reset, then switch to weekly benzoyl peroxide shampoo for a few weeks then switch to maintenance.

Few options for ya, good luck!
 
SxaBeast said:
My non pedigree pitbull got very itchy despite his sleek coat. I checked for fleas and ticks, then poison shampooed him with no luck. The all knowing google said it was inbreeding and he needed fish oil which worked.
Click to expand...
My brother has a Amstaff and first she had a itchy coat aswell, after a talk with a animal feed store owner he mentioned she might need other food with a higher percentage fat and after finding the brand he recommended (They didn't sell it there so it wasn't some salesman BS story) we tried it and she improved alot and isn't having the problem anymore. Adding to the new food he also gives her fish oil and sheep fat (from a bottle, just a few pumps on the kibble) and she has a shiny, healthy coat now. No more itchiness. Also washing should be kept to a minimum, it's better to just brush dirt and dust out rather than washing because of the PH of the coat that might be suffering while washing with or without shampoo (not all water is PH neutral) and you could wash off fat and sebum that's on the coat
 
Not washing too much and gentle shapmoos are great advice. Same with fish oil added to meals which I also do.

In this example it sounds like the OP is describing a medical issue with the skin of which the cause should be addressed prior to going into maintenance mode with long intervals of gentle bathing. That being said the OP hasn't commented after the first post sonhard to tell anything.
 
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