Back Dandruff

footsie · Member Joined: 21 Mar 2004 Posts: 206 Location: WA

I know there have been tons of posts about this in the past, but I admit to not paying tons of attention since I never had the problem.

Recently, I've been noticing what looks to be dandruf on Footsie, right along his back. If I remember correctly, this is often a food issue. I'm in the process of switching Footsie's food. He is going from science diet Kitten to Nutro Max cat. I know that people here are down on science diet, but I had been waiting to switch untill he would be switching from kitten to cat food. Everything I've read seem to say that nutro is the better food so why would he be having problems now? Could it be that he still needs the extra protien and fat in the kitten food? Maybe I should go to nutro kitten?

He hates to be brushed or zoomed for very long, so I don't know how to control this.

By the way, he seems to really like the nurto food.

Mary_NH · Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 7:38 pm Post subject:

you could also try adding salmon oil to his food. When I got my last foster, Tony, he had dandruff really bad. I gave him a bath Rolling Eyes

something I don't ordinarily do to a cat using a really good conditioning shampoo and then added salmon oil to his wet food - he was look'in pretty good when he went home and the woman that brought him to me commented on how good his coat looked in just the 3 weeks I had him.

vene · Super Senior Member Plus Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Posts: 4267

My Monty used to have real bad dandruff. He was on Iams. As soon as I had him on the Wellness food, he had better coat, less dandruff, and more energy. He just seemed happier overall. Since he's a yr old, Footsie should be able to switch to any good adult cat food.

Obelix · Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 9:35 pm Post subject:

We've always adopted young cats and usaly we've (my parents and I) have found it safe to switch over around 11 months to a year, but then again differnt cats will obviously be able to start sooner/later, good luck !

nern · Moderator Joined: 14 Mar 2004 Posts: 5042 Location: NY

It could be the weather too. Mine had it a few months ago...my dogs had it too. It could also be the change in food but may go away once he is completely switched over to the new food and his body has adjusted to the change.

fleafly · Super Senior Member Joined: 30 Mar 2004 Posts: 1079

Nutro shouldn't be the problem. It has fatty acids in it, so those should help keep his coat nice. And he is old enough to be off kitten food.

I would guess it is weather or something else related. One of my cats got bad dandruff, so I started brushing her. When she jumped up to be pet I would grab the brush and brush her back. To her it was almost as good as being pet. It really helped. Try brushing him as much as he will tolerate, maybe the salmon oil like Mary suggested, and you could get a humidifier if you live in a dry climate.

VHSJezebel · New member Joined: 25 Jun 2004 Posts: 3

I had a cat named Fuzzy, and when she was about 8 months old, she suddenly developed dandruff really bad. I finally had to take her to the vet about it, and he said that it was because she was allergic to flea bites!

The vet gave her a simple shot, kinda like Benadryl, and she never had the problem again.

lynnhaz · Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2004 4:07 pm Post subject:

ive heard really good things about nutro too. but if it is an allergy...they probably have other symptoms of intestional distress like diarrhea. i was just talking to the vet yesterday about food allergies and told him i had read that an allergy usally shows up on the skin. he said yes and no...it does, but they will most like have stool problems too.

i would think if it is an allergy...it would be skin irritation, not just dandruff. although...i have heard that some foods will make a cats coat dry and dull looking.

i use an enzyme for max that helps him to absorb everything better. i dont know if it helps with their coat or not. it is called proenzyme and i get it at the vet. it is all natural. also a tiny bit of nutrical might help. i think that has omega-3 fatty acids in it, if my memory serves me...

i was also talking to another vet of max's yesterday (he had a crisis) (max has three vets all working together for him now Shocked

) and she has recommended zd for him. even though it is for cats. he is only 5 1/2 months old. she is checking with hills to see if it will be okay. well...she said that she does not always hold with the one year plan for kitten food. she has had a couple kittens in the past that were overweight as kittens and were at risk to become fat cats. so she put them on weight management food when they were kittens, probably six months, and they thrived just fine. i think it is individual. but footsie is around a year old...he should be fine...

let us know...good luck