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	Dog with Dandruff who rolls in Faeces Q: my dog has suddenly developed dandruff .Is this normal? she has also started rolling in dog and fox dirt just about every time we take her out,Is there anything we can do to stop her doing this? a jessiman

A: Dear Rob,
It is not normal for a dog to suddenly develop dandruff - there has to be an underlying cause. It could just be that she is moulting heavily and her coat has gone dry, in which case grooming her a lot and adding some oil high in EFA's { Essential Fatty Acids }, such as Evening Primrose oil, to her food can help. It takes at least 6 weeks to see an improvement by adding oil to their diet. Is her diet balanced and containing enough vitamins and minerals ? If she is lacking in something, her coat could become flaky. Certain parasite can make the coat more flaky than normal, a particular mite is called "Walking Dandruff " because of this effect !! She would be itchy aswell with this condition. Your vet would be able to check her for this mite. It would be worth having her examined in case there is a medical reason for the sudden dandruff. As for her second problem - rolling in dog and fox faeces. One of our collies delights in this lovely hobby and comes home stinking ! I do not know why your dog has suddenly started doing it, as most dogs who are prone to it, will do it most of their lives, given half a chance. { you did not say how old she was }. It is a behavioural trait - dogs are fascinated by the smell of other dogs faeces and anal glands { this is why they smell each others bottoms first - they can probably tell an awful lot about each other from their scent !! } Fox faeces seems to hold a particular attraction and is even more smelly. So it is not abnormal behaviour as such, just very unpleasant for you ! She is revelling in the scent of these other animals and wants you all to enjoy them. so there is no point in punishing her - she will not understand why you do not enjoy the smell as much as she does. I have not found a way to "cure" our collie. We just try to avoid taking him where we suspect there will be fox faeces and keep a close eye on him. But every now and then he still manages it. If your dog has only just started it, it is possible that she will grow out of it - you can always hope ! Good luck,
Maeve Moorcroft MVB MRCVS
{ PetPlanet Vet }

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