Hi, I'm Dr. Fiona Caldwell and I'm a practicing veterinarian at Idaho Veterinary Hospital. I'm at home today answering questions from Pets Best Facebook page.
The first question is, "My black dog seems to have more dandruff than other dogs. It's especially noticeable after I give her a bath. Is there anything I can do to get rid of it?"
Black dogs do seem to have more noticeable dandruff just because of the contrast between their black fur and the whiter flakes of skin. If you are noticing it right after a bath, you might actually be drying the skin out a little bit. You might try using either a leave-in conditioner or a conditioning rinse, or a shampoo that's meant to condition the skin. There are some supplements that can help as well, like fish oil or omega fatty acids. These can sometimes improve the quality of the skin health.
The next question is, "My dog caught kennel cough at doggy daycare just as she was due for her six month vaccination for kennel cough. I understand she didn't need to be vaccinated again since she caught it, but the daycare manager won't allow her back until she's vaccinated. What would you recommend?"
Kennel cough is a tricky thing to vaccinate for because it can be caused by a number of different organisms and the vaccine only protects against one. If your daycare center requires a kennel cough vaccine, I would get her vaccinated. There is no harm in getting her re-vaccinated even if she already caught it. Obviously you wouldn't want to do it while she's sick, but once she's feeling better, go ahead and schedule an appointment to get her vaccinated again.
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