Dandruff with male cat

Question

My male cat has horrible dandruff. What can I do?

Answer 1

Dandruff can be caused by a few things such as:

1) Low quality diet

2) Improper grooming

3) Dry air (think of winter and the type of heating you use).

If he is obese or a geriatric (arthritis) cat they typically have a difficult time grooming themselves and will need assistance from you by brushing and bathing (preferably a dry bath). CEVA has some really nice sprays and dry baths designed for different skin issues - the product that is recommended for dry skin is Douxo Care or Douxo Calm. These are sold in veterinary hospitals, the staff at your regular vet can help you with your selection. For a brush I really love the Furminator, it really gets that undercoat - does absolute wonders in appearance if he has fur that he cant groom out himself.

Another product you can try is Dermoscent, it's a monthly topical that's pretty cheap that will help with overall skin and coat health. Good option for dry winter air.

If you cannot afford higher end foods, adding Omega 6 to his diet will help with skin and coat. When it comes to supplementing I advise you get directions from your veterinarian, they will know what supplement brands in your area are of good quality and can properly dose him from his weight and health status. Human grade supplements are not regulated (least in Canada) so you won't get what it says on the bottle (I.E 100mg tablet of B12 actually contains 2mg) there are some codes to look for to ensure quality (I forget at this time but will update once I ask the vets).