Ask a Pets Blogger: Helping Pets with Flaky Skin

My cat has terrible dandruff… at least I think it’s dandruff! She’s always got flakes on her skin and in her coat. What can I do to clear this up? This is a conversation I get to have often at the cats-only boarding facility where I work. As part of our check-in process, we give each cat a quick brushing with a very fine-toothed comb. Our goal is to check for fleas, but we often end up talking to owners about skin and coat care… and dandruff. Dry skin can be a seasonal problem, especially in the winter months when … Continue reading

It’s Itching Season Again!

Ah spring. I go through this every year with Moose (my German shepherd mix) and Lally (my boxer/shar-pei mix). Moose starts to gnaw on his forearms. He ends up chewing calluses and bald spots into his legs if I don’t catch it quickly enough. Lally just itches all over. She crams her feet into her mouth to chew. She scratches her stomach until it’s red and irritated. And with the extremely mild weather we’ve been having in the Portland, Oregon area lately — we’ve been in the fifties all week — it seems that the itchies are arriving earlier than … Continue reading

Spring Proofing Your Pet: Allergies

Spring brings a lot with it, like warmer weather, blooming flowers, and spring cleaning. But just as people suffer from springtime allergies, so do pets. Below are the most common irritants pets suffer from at this time of year, along with tips for reducing their discomfort. Pollen The attack of itchy eyes and runny noses plague humans allergic to pollen. Pets get the itchies too –in the form of itchy skin that is. There are lots of ways to treat the itchies, such as: • With supplements to ease them (e.g. fatty acids or vitamin A and E oils). • … Continue reading