When we talk about seborrhea in dogs we refer to a skin disorder characterized by an excess in the formation of horny tissue, also known as excessive keratinization, or due to a disorder in the sebaceous glands that cause greater volume of fat on our dog's skin. Because of this, it has a specific classification with different names that we will develop.
From our site we want to help you fight seborrhea but, especially, that you know the home remedies for seborrhea in dogs that can guide you on the path to the definitive healing of your canine.
Types of seborrhea
We can identify 3 types of seborrhea:
- Canine seborrheic dermatitis: This is a greasy seborrhea that is generally accompanied by skin inflammation due to a serious infection in it. It would be one of the most serious stages, generally caused by complications of the following.
- Dry seborrhea or canine dandruff and, as its name indicates, it is an excessive flaking of the first layer of skin. Very common in breeds such as German shepherd or English setter, among others. By not attending to it in time, it can deepen and become the one described below.
- Oily seborrhea, very common in breeds such as Shar Pei or Basset Hound or due to complications of the previous stage where excessive production can be observed of fat on the hair and skin of the animal. Greasy scars can form with hair caking in certain areas. We must differentiate it from flea allergy dermatitis.
The first thing to choose a treatment is to be able to pigeonhole what type of seborrhea it is, since treating dandruff is not the same as treating oily seborrhea. We should always consult the vet but here we show you some symptoms that we can observe in our dog that will guide us a bit:
- Severe scaling seen during hair brushing
- Accumulated fat on the face, body folds, ears, perineal region, etc.
- Plates of scales that if we peel them off can even bleed
- Very itchy
- Excessive hair loss
- Bad body odor
Home remedies for canine dandruff
To start treating canine dandruff we must offer regular baths to our dog. We can use laundry soap, such as lizard or pill, which is the one that best preserves the pH of your skin. It will also be essential to keep the skin as hydrated as possible.
We will not use a dryer, since it will dry the hair, but also the skin. Towels and pampering, in these cases, are the best allies. The daily brushing also stimulates the skin, so it is very important that it is very regular. In this way, the essential oils of the skin will be produced naturally and distributed evenly throughout the body.
We will offer you quality water to hydrate you, preferably bottled and we will choose a very natural diet, as well as as much protein as possible.
You can supplement your diet with fatty acids omega 3 and omega 6 in food, which will help maintain he althy skin and a shiny hair without much effort. Olive oil and sunflower oil can also help in these cases, considering 1 teaspoon of tea in small dogs and one of soup in large dogs a day.
Home remedies for oily seborrhea
As in the previous case, to treat oily seborrhea we will also need to give regular baths to our dog, but in this case with other preparations that will help prevent so much itching and reduce the oiliness of the skin.
We can make a homemade soap to treat this type of seborrhea with products that are very easy to find. To do this you must mix:
- 3 cups of water
- 1 cup baking soda (which will help exfoliate and moisturize skin)
- 2 cups plain crushed oatmeal
This mixture will help eliminate skin itching, generating total relief. It has anti-inflammatory and exfoliating properties but in a very gentle way. We should always start by wetting the dog with warm water, then we will add the prepared homemade soap and then rinse with warm water again to avoid residues. Then we will dry with the towel thoroughly. This process can be repeated up to 1 time per week.
We can also make homemade soap by boiling a bunch of thyme (fresh or dried) or rosemary in a liter of water. Once the mixture is cold, we can do the same procedure as the previous preparation to bathe it.
A third and final preparation can be to wash a cup of white rice very well and boil it until it becomes pasty. Once cold, we can use it as a shampoo, massaging our dog's skin very well before wetting it and then rinsing it with warm water.
