To avoid breathing in the dust you can scent or perfume it and its easier to avoid breathing it in. As Greta mentioned, the DE works well. I use it on the stray dogs; for it to be effective, the DE should be rubbed into the dogs’ coats and sprinkled on the bedding.
It has no odor but you don’t want to breathe in the dust. Make sure it is food grade.
What is your opinion of Linatone for dry skin on my dog?
I use to use Linotone in my dog’s food for dry skin and it really worked. However, I know break open a “fish oil” capsule and put it in her food 2x a week. Since your puppy is so young, I would use the smallest type of capsule you can find and perhaps only 1x a week.
I used it years ago with my Afghan Hounds and loved it. They had the most luxurious coats. It did make a difference.
Fed it years ago – very outdated product – made my itchy dog itchier. Soybean oil, oleic acid, lecithin, polyethylene glycol 400, natural food coloring, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate, vitamin A palmitate, polysorbate 80, anise oil, d-activated animal sterol, dimethyl polysiloxane, Linoleic acid–47.9%, vitamin A–324,244 IU/kg, vitamin D–25,792 IU/kg, vitamin E–390 IU/kg, choline–258 mg/kg.
*L PLUS* *Ingredients:* Soybean oil, glyceryl oleate, water, hydrolyzed milk protein, lecithin, zinc sulfate, vitamin E (dl-alpha tocopherol), methylparaben(preservative), annatto, vitamin A palmitate, propylparaben (preservative), anise oil, vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), dimethicone.
*Guaranteed Analysis:* Linoleic acid(from soybean oil) min. per tsp. 1,800 mg, min. per fl. oz. 10,645 mg; linolenic acid (from soybean oil) min. per tsp. 290 mg, min. per fl. oz. 1,715 mg; vitamin A min. per tsp. 1,500 i.u., min. per fl. oz. 8,800 i.u.; vitamin D3 min. per tsp. 120 i.u., min. per fl. oz. 700 i.u.; vitamin E min. per tsp. 8 i.u., min. per fl. oz. 47 i.u.; inositol (from lecithin) min. per tsp. 1.0 mg, min. per fl. oz. 6 mg. Salmon or Fish Body oil with NO plant oils, especially SOY, is a species appropriate and more effective choice.
http://timberwolforganics.com/pet-omega-oils
http://www.icelandpure.com/salmon_oil.htm
http://www.grizzlypetproducts.com/salmon_oil/salmon_oil.html
I use Oma’s Pride for my Salmon oil;
http://omaspride.com/products.htm#fishoil
What is different about the healthy raw fed dog that renders him intolerable to fleas? My dog is healthy and raw fed but used to eat crappy food and get vaccinated. After getting DE there are almost no fleas. I’m still working on it and dreading another hot summer and the possibility of fleas. She used to never get fleas until 2 yrs ago. She’s raw fed for 6mos.
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That is a tough question. It totally depends on your dog and her overall health. How old is she? You say she has had no vaccinations for two years. Was she vaccinated regularly before that? The fact that she is having a recurring flea problem indicates that she is not in optimal health.
Some dogs never can reach optimal health after being over vaccinated and fed commercial pet foods, unfortunately.
You must have a smooth coat Chihuahua. Long coats don’t have this problem. Two causes. One is flies and the other can be sunburn. Most likely it is flies. It usually starts on the edge of the ear where the hair is thin and the flies can get to the skin.
As the hairs come off, the flies expand the area. Many products work well on this. Flys off is one brand (available at Petsmart, Petco, Vet supplies, etc). Another route (must be used a couple times a day) is a plant based repellent used on horses. It is safe (meaning you can drink it and even get it in the eyes) but the flies hate it. Any vet supply that handles horses should have it. It is called Marigold and it is made by EQyss.
What causes crusty edges on the ears? Is it a mite? Will oil and soap take care of it?
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What kind of dog do you have? I used to have a dog with this problem,
and the vet diagnosed it as fly bites, although I never saw the flies biting. He sold me a product that looked like a stick deodorant that I applied to her ears to repel the flies, and the sores healed fine.
This was quite some time ago, so I can’t remember the name of the product. He did tell me that this problem is quite common in German Shepherds and dogs with “pointy” ears.
Mange Mites on Ear
Could be Mange mites. Check around the tail area and toes. They may be getting crusty. That is what happens is Mange. Sarcoptic Mites and Mange. SARCOPTIC MITES and DEMODEX MITES are often referred to as MANGE. The word mangy describes a ragged and uneven hair coat and damaged skin that results from mites affecting the skin and hair follicles.
Mange Mites
Mange Mites
Mange would be bad, didn’t notice it anywhere else. It’s a Chihuahua – he had it when I first got him and I gradually brushed it off. He’s indoors and flies are few and far between. Soap w/ess. oil seems to help, but it would be nice to know if it’s something besides dirt.