Skip to content

Basenji Dandruff

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Hi, so my little man Titan has white flakes on his black coat. It's like he's got dry skin/dandruff. I've been to local shop ( petsathome) who advised to get a teatree soap for him got it but didn't make any difference. So went and got an oat based shampoo which has made a slight difference but not stopped his dandruff as he seems to scratch all time. However, this Shampoo has made his coat really smooth...
    So questions is... am I barking up the wrong tree with thinking its Dandruff or does anybody know of a solution for this ie, some shampoo or lotion for him.

    Thanks any advise.

  • Use a hound glove and/or a warm moist paper towel. Get those natural oils flowing and picks up the dandruff.

  • @viknkrish - Basenjis shed and have dander...normal... too many baths will only make it worse.

  • Food for Thought: It "could" be something Titan is eating, like a mild allergic reaction, or something that he isn't getting enough of in his diet.

  • Mine get - and all of them always have had over the years - a small amount of lard (bacon dripping) each morning. Sunflower oil is useless, you need the animal protein. OK, you are in UK so you can get to any supermarket and buy lard ! Not too much, just a small amount, but regularly. Maybe half a small teaspoonful or even less. Never had the slightest problem with dry skin or dandruff.

    Yes, grooming with a hound glove too, but go to Boots The Chemist and buy a tube of Vitapoint. Male hair preparation. Squeeze about half an inch onto your hands and rub them lightly together. Then massage the Vitapoint well into the dog's coat. They LOVE this attention and you will hear him purring ! Leave for 20 minutes or so and then brush out lightly.

  • I would be careful with tea tree oil based shampoos, essential oils it can trigger seizures in dogs who have history of epilepsy. It happened to one of mine, when we put teatree oil on him as a flea preventitive.

    https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/health/tea-tree-oil-diffusers-are-toxic-to-dogs/

  • My Valentino had terrible dandruff. His vet said it was due to dry skin. She had me add Goat's milk and coconut oil to his diet. His dandruff lessened dramatically after about a month. The amount of coconut oil (solid or liquid) per day should be no more than 1 teaspoon per 10lbs of body weight. Valentino is about 27 lbs. so I give him about 2.5-3 teaspoons a day. I divide the amount in half and add it too his meals. I feed goat milk rarely because it is so high in calories.

Suggested Topics

  • Age of your basenji?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    42
    2 Votes
    42 Posts
    10k Views
    DebraDownSouthD
    Yeah you told me about that before and I'm clueless, but I'll try it if I need to, lol. could be the noise of occasional thump, could be they can hear it even tho we can't. My chow would be drooling buckets before we got a mile away. I just had to keep towels down and take off and bag along the trip. But I took her for a 7 hr trip to atlanta and she threw up and threw up, then stopped. Never threw up again. :( on your back. I had been getting radiofrequency ablations in the US, and they really helped. But doctors here will only do them once or twice. I have had at least 6 on one side, 3 on the other. :( But it's miraculous pain relief when it is done right. Maybe your dog acupuncturists knows of a human one they'd recommend?
  • Sick Basenji :(

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    8
    0 Votes
    8 Posts
    6k Views
    P
    I too am sorry for not seeing this thread sooner and hopefully the poster will return. My Basenji had some teeth removed and the vet prescribed Carprofen as the follow up antibiotic. My Basenji turned out to be allergic to Carprofen which caused her liver to fail. I went through the same scenario you are describing. She gradually quit eating over the course of several days and then her water consumption started to go down. The eating had me worried since she had an excellent appetite upon return from the vet and the final purging of the anesthesia from her system. Nevertheless, her condition started to degrade. I followed her outside and watched her urinate. Her urine was a very bright yellow. I suspected then a liver issue. Once back inside she was shivering - off to the vet we went. LIver panel blood work up showed very high on specific indicators for failing liver. Vet prescribed Denamarin (containing SAM-e and silybin). SAM-e helps protect liver cells from cell death and aids in cell repair and regeneration. The Vet also started fluid injections. Fluid injections were everyday for two weeks. My Basenji showed a remarkable response to the fluid injections becoming much more her normal self even after the first day. She hated the injections and I could hear her cry when receiving them at the vet (believe me that will tear you up). But she was doing better and she (me) were going to have to tuff this out. Also a different antibiotic was prescribed to prevent liver infection during recovery. The Denamarin comes in dosages based on weight (medium for us). It is the size of a large human like solid oblong vitamin pill. Instructions want you to give it on an empty stomach and preferably not to cut it or place in something similar to a pill pocket however you can if necessary. My Basenji would not take that size (can't blame her). Cutting and disguising it did not work either. I was frantic and got the SAM-e in powder form. I couldn't slip her that either. All though some folks had success with peanut butter and liverwurst. I finally after three days had to have the vet pill her along with her fluid treatments. A week later another blood sample and her liver panel indicators were coming down. The pilling would last for a month and it took two people to get the pill down her. The important part is - she fully recovered from the liver failure. She is 13 1/2 yrs old. My experience after having 5 Basenjis is that the breed is sensitive to medications (anesthesia also). Many of the medications work just fine in most other breeds and mixes. The vet, if not that experienced with the Basenji, must be cautioned. Mine was not. Before accepting any medication have the vet go over any contraindications with you and to double check their resources for potential side effects when dealing with Basenjis. They may switch to something else if a medication has a bad track history with Basenjis. Know what to watch for should your Basenji start to react in a non-positive manner. The poster did not indicate if there were medications in play when the dog started showing degenerating conditions. I sincerely hopes this helps in some way and helps other Basenji owners
  • Carsick Basenji

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    4
    0 Votes
    4 Posts
    2k Views
    eeeefarmE
    My first girl got carsick. I used Dramamine (Gravol) for her. Luckily she outgrew the problem, because every time I had to pill her the neighbours thought I was killing her. She screamed her head off! (and of course spit out the pill). She did best riding loose in the back seat. That was in the '60s, and we didn't worry about such things…...
  • Basenji skirts

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    10
    0 Votes
    10 Posts
    6k Views
    KipawaK
    Kipawa's skirt - it isn't big, but I actually love running my fingers over it. :)
  • Dandruff

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    3
    0 Votes
    3 Posts
    2k Views
    K
    Every dog reacts differently to food, so what works for some isn't the best for others. There is a general concensus though on what foods you should look for and what to avoid. Yes, fish oil is a great additive to help out the coat. But Basenjis DO shed. Not nearly as much as other dogs, but they do shed. Could yours be blowing it's winter coat finally? Also they get flaky when they are more stressed/nervous. Has anything changed in/around your home lately?
  • Do Basenjis shed?

    Basenji Health Issues & Questions
    6
    0 Votes
    6 Posts
    14k Views
    MantisM
    shedding will change dramatically depending on the food….