Seborrhea is a common skin condition in dogs and is characterized by excessive skin flaking or greasy coats. Typically, skin cells are continually dying and rubbing off, with new skin cells replacing them. This replacement cycle generally takes three weeks to complete. With seborrhea, the cycle only takes several days, causing a buildup of skin cells.
Things You'll Need
- Dog clippers
- Specially medicated shampoo
- Special leave-in conditioner
Instructions
Diagnose the type of seborrhea your dog has.
Dogs with dry seborrhea have excessive skin flaking. Dogs with oily seborrhea have excessive skin flaking plus oily, bad-smelling coats. Dogs with seborrheic dermatitis exhibit extra flaking, oiliness and inflammation.
Clip or shave your dog for most effective treatment. Then bathe your dog two to three times a week with specially medicated shampoo, based on the type of seborrhea, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Use a leave-in conditioner after each bath for an extended effect.
Check to see if there are additional yeast or bacterial infections along with the seborrhea, and treat those with prescribed antibiotics.