Seborrhea is a fairly common skin condition in dogs, and the primary treatment for it is a special seborrhea shampoo. However, you can't buy just any shampoo. Depending on your dog's condition, you'll want to pay attention to what you're getting.
Seborrhea Shampoo for Dogs
Seborrhea is a skin condition categorized into three types. It's important to know the types because what your dog has will determine what shampoo you need to use on them. A brief rundown of the different types of seborrhea:
- Seborrhea sicca is the "dry form" of seborrhea. Dogs will have scaly, very dry, flaky skin.
- Seborrhea oleosa is a result of overactive oil glands. Dogs will have an odor that won't go away, accompanied by greasy hair.
- Seborrheic dermatitis is a combination of the other two. Dogs will display symptoms of both.
While you can ensure your pet's seborrhea goes away for good with nutritional supplements, it may not work unless you're treating him with a shampoo that can help alter the way the cells are over-producing. It's also beneficial as many of these shampoos can contain ingredients meant to sooth irritated skin.
How the Shampoo Works
Not only can shampoos provide relief, but they actually can alter the rate in which the skin cells are producing and secreting. Medicated shampoos can also strip off some of that excess skin building up. It's not an immediate fix, just as the nutritional supplements aren't. It takes time for their skin to adapt and change, probably around the timeline of a month or so.
What Kind of Shampoo to Use
As mentioned above, the type of shampoo you use depends on what state your dog's skin is in. Shampoos should contain absolutely no fragrances, dyes, or other unnecessary components. For the milder cases, try a hypoallergenic and moisturizing shampoo. However, for more severe cases, you might want to try a shampoo containing sulfur or salicylic acid. These ingredients aid in removing those skin scales and help prevent them from coming back.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have the greasy, smelly dog suffering from the other type of seborrhea. For these dogs, use shampoos containing tar products.
Lastly, for seborrheic dermatitis, where you have dry and oily attributes, try a benzoyl peroxide shampoo, which will help flush the hair pores and remove greasy scales.
How to Use the Shampoos
Give your dog a 10 to 15 minute warm bath before hand. Most shampoos will likely suggest leaving the lather on your dog for approximately 15 minutes to give it time to work with their skin. However, always be sure you read all labels on your bottle thoroughly, and keep shampoo away from the eyes, nose and mouth. It's recommended you gently place cotton balls in your dog's ears if you're worried about water or shampoo getting in there, but take care in doing this.