So, my male husky, Cowboy, has terrible dandruff. We have only had him for about 2 weeks. Before we got him, he was living outside only. He is now an inside dog. He has terrible dandruff and kinda smells bad. And since we have had him he has had 2 baths trying to get rid of the smell. He had the bad dandruff when we got him, so I don't believe that it is from us washing him. When we brush him, it tends to get worse... like most types of dandruff, you brush it... it magically multiplies.

Our girl husky who lived outside for about 3 months before we got her has no dandruff, but a smooth soft coat.

So... I have no idea what to do, I have never had a dandruff issue with a dog...

What are you feeding? Diet plays an important role in the oils of the skin. Or lack there-of, in your case.

It can also take quite a while for a Sibe to get a healthier looking coat because they have two layers to replace. As the poor coat sheds off, sometimes it will cause dry skin. Frequent brushing would help that.

Rogue had bad dandruff when we got her and a nasty dry coat due to the owners feeding her Royal Canine. I gave her an oatmeal/aloe shampoo bath and put a little coconut oil on her daily and have her lick a dab off my finger daily- along with obviously putting her on a good. It's been 6 weeks we've had her now and it feels good and no dandruff, but she does have her poor quality coat come off whenever we wash her off or brush her (it's all the 2nd layer though, though she is not shedding, it just falls out when scrubbed).

Salmon oil made a HUGE difference in Chili's coat. When we got him, he looked pretty bad and his coat was very dull and sunburnt (he was a stray). Within 2 weeks, we saw a huge difference! We use the Grizzly brand one.

Our sibe had a pretty bad dandruff issue when we moved to FL from WA state. He was eating a premium, grain free kibble and good treats and didn't have a problem before we moved or in the FL winter so we figured it was the FL humidity causing the problem.

The steps we took to correct the problem:
-got an oatmeal shampoo to clean out his coat and moisturize his skin/coat
-switched to an even better food (went from Innova Evo to The Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw)
-started supplementing Nupro
-started using a high velocity dryer several times a week to blow out any dandruff and keep his skin clean and dry
-tried supplementing olive oil back then to help with his coat since fish oil doesn't agree with him, the olive oil didn't agree with him either. What I did find works for my sibe is supplementing coconut oil which has worked out very well and I prefer over fish oil anyway.

It took a few months for the changes to make a difference but slowly and surely we saw improvement. That was 2 years ago and we haven't had a problem with dandruff again. I still use oatmeal shampoo, still use the HV dryer, still feed THK and raw, and still supplement Nupro along with coconut oil. It may not work for everyone but that's what worked for our sibe.

They are getting purina puppy chow right now.... and i give both of them vitamins and put wild alaskan salmon oil in their food every day. (which my girl husky tends to hog all of it) im trying to make sure that he gets some too. I'm gonna try using somehting different when we bath him next. Thank you every one!

I would start by changing their food....Purina Puppy Chow isn't a very good food at all. Also, you'll save money on supplements, vitamins, and special shampoo by simply putting them on a better quality food. High quality formulas already have all the vitamins and minerals they need, so little to no supplementing.

I have mine on Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream.

I forgot how old your dogs are so I can't recommend a food, but Purina is one of the worst manufactures on the market and their food is practically only fillers. I would definitely transition them to a new, higher quality food and that would probably help out tremendously! Check out the nutrition section and the "What Are You Feeding" thread and browse some of the others.. lots of brand recommendations

johndeeregirl109 wrote:

They are getting purina puppy chow right now.... and i give both of them vitamins and put wild alaskan salmon oil in their food every day. (which my girl husky tends to hog all of it) im trying to make sure that he gets some too. I'm gonna try using somehting different when we bath him next. Thank you every one!

Good job on the Salmon oil - it's fantastic for them! Just a quick question - do they eat out of the same bowl? Asking because you say the girl husky hogs it.

johndeeregirl109 wrote:

They are getting purina puppy chow right now....

Screams in HORROR!

I wanna change their food to Blue, but money right now does not permit that.. between car issues, the power bill and having to buy all my stuff for vet school we have ran amazingly low on extra money.

as for eating out of the same bowl, they used to have 2 different food bowls and one huge water bowl, but my boy likes to walk in the water and get his feet wet with the big bowl, and i wasnt liking the soaking wet floor. lol. so now they have one big food bowl and two smaller water bowls. but my girls isnt really a hog for the food, just the oil. they are both pretty nimble eaters and tend to snack through out the day.

Both my pups are around 10 months old.

Blue is rather expensive.

Look for a TractorSupply in your area. They sell 4Health there. It is pretty low in price. If not, try finding Taste of the Wild in a petstore. At 10 months, they are more than ready to be switched to an Adult formula. I would also suggest feeding them at specific times of day, and after 20 minutes or so, picking up their bowl. It is easier to spot when they are and are not eating, so you know when they are sick or "off their feed" as they say. Sibes are already very picky eaters. Giving them free choice food tends to make them more picky, and you'll have a dog that will refuse to eat.

And FWIW, Blue is not really a "good" dog food. They have a lot of company issues.

How much is purina puppy chow? I tried out Taste of the Wild not long ago and it was $10 for the small bag. That's not too expensive I don't think. Unfortunately, it didn't settle well with my boy so I had to cut it out. I used to feed my girl Purina also (about 1 1/2 yrs ago when I didn't know anything about dog nutrition) and as soon as I changed her to Blue Buffalo she started dropping pounds (she was about 15lbs over weight). Then I changed her to WellnessCore reduced cal kibble and she's drastically dropped the weight. Plus raw and The Honest Kitchen, but that is definitely not good if you're on a budget!

Purina must be the equivalent of like taco bell for dogs or something..lol.

It is in our price range. We got it at sams club... it was $22 for 37lbs. With them eating about 2 cups of food each the small back of food would be gone in about 2 weeks. We have to buy in bulk. and both of my dogs need some weight to them. Cowboy was just rescued about 2.5 weeks ago and very underweight. He was the under dog where he was and wasnt allowed to eat because of the other dogs. Wahya is just slender, not under weight, but at a good weight.

And trying to convince my husband to change their food and why is a daunting task. He doesn't really see it as important. I am tryin to get him to see it, but he doesnt get it. lol

If you do have Tractor Supply Company near you, you can get a 35lb bag of 4Health for only $29.99. That's very comparable to the purina and it's rated 4 stars. I will say, I put both of mine on it and Dakota does great but it's not agreeing with Willow. I think she is going to be my issue dog. I will be switching her to an all no grain food, but leaving Dakota on the 4Health since he is doing so good on it.

also im not sure why anyone has said this yet, lol, but the better quality the food the LESS you have to feed them. and sometimes it ends up not really being THAT much more expensive...at least as not as much as the original sticker shock may seem. i try to switch my dogs often on food protein sources since they don't seem to get upset tummies i change brands often too.
for comparison...purina dog chow, for my dogs weight at 55lbs each, i'd have to feed approx 3 cups per dog where with blue wilderness i feed about 2 cups per dog and i dont have to add anything extra in there just some hot water to make it like a gravy and they gobble it NO problem. my husky used to be picky with the poorer quality dog foods before i was informed of good dog nutrition and was about 10lbs underweight.

I know you can find a 4-star rated dog food out there for about $1 per pound.

I'm feeding Merrick's Whole Earth Farms and can buy it locally for about $1 per pound. Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul (Stupid, stupid name!) is about $1 per pound and has a 4-star rating, as well.

These two foods are not grain-free. They contain barley and brown rice and millet... not as bad as the grains in Purina. I am not a fan of corn in dog food. I would also avoid wheat and soy.

Another alternative is Costco's Kirkland Lam & Rice at $32 for about the same size bag.

I think I convinced my husband on letting me change their food once this food is gone. But he knows that when he leaves for korea in December I would have been changing it anyways. lol. The huskies are more my babies than his. He has a golden retriever that is his baby. And that dog is spoiled!