How to Treat an Oily Coat
If your fur baby is suffering from an overly oily coat, youll want to take steps to figure out why its happening. The first step is to rule out the easiest causes, which are diet and environment.
If none of these appear to be the answer, consider grooming habits. As we mentioned earlier, under-bathing and over-bathing can both produce an oily coat. If you’re bathing your pup more often because they are a little stinky, but not dirty, consider using something like a doggy-safe coat spray.
It can help squash the stink in between bathes. You can also try a doggy dry shampoo, which works in a similar manner.
If none of this works, youll probably need to take your fur baby to the vet. You should also make sure to call the vet if your fur baby has red skin, zits, bald patches or loss of fur (beyond normal shedding), flaky skin, thick or crusty skin, pain, itchiness, or a foul smell.
These can all be signs of something that needs more dedicated treatment than simple grooming habits.
Your vet will be able to run tests, including:
In extreme cases, imaging or even a skin biopsy might be necessary. Usually, it wont come to that, though. Blood tests and skin tests are often enough to find the culprit.
Once you know the root cause of your dogs oily fur, you can start to come up with solutions. These can include diet, changes in bathing frequency, or the use of a medicated shampoo to help treat skin issues.
Remember to never use human shampoo on your pup. You may also need to give your pup medicine on a routine basis, especially if they turn out to have an underlying genetic disorder.
In the meantime, youll want to deal with the oil as best you can. Consider putting down towels where your fur baby likes to lay. This way, you can protect your carpet, your couch cushions, your bed, and other locations from any grease stains.
Now lets turn to you, our dog parents and readers! Is your furry friends coat a bit greasy? If so, what did you do to take care of it? Did you choose any of these listed changes? How did that specific change work? Be sure to leave all your thoughts and stories in the comments section down below! Id love to hear them!
Additionally, if you are feeling like getting a little something for your fur baby that is made right here in the USA, 100% safe and, USDA certified organic, check out Toe Beans online pet supplies store!
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K. Marie is an animal lover, wife, kitty mom, dog auntie, writer, and co-founder of Toe Beans, a proud American family-owned online boutique pet supplies store focused on the improvement of the life of furry family members via pet parent education, better products, and advocacy. She has over 20 years of experience as a pet momma. She loves sharing her personal journey and experience as a pet parent via her blog and Facebook page where she currently has more than 30K followers (@furrytoebeans) and counting :-).
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The Causes of a Greasy Dog
Dogs can end up greasy in a number of different ways. Well walk through each in detail.
First on the list is what is known as “primary seborrhea.” Seborrhea is the scientific name for the illness where the skin produces too much sebum/oil. Primary seborrhea is an illness itself, as opposed to secondary seborrhea, which is when oily coats are a symptom of another issue, which is what most of the rest of the problems on this list boil down to.
Primary seborrhea is a genetic disease common in certain dog breeds. It typically manifests when your fur baby is around two years old and can progress as they get older. Sometimes, it will get worse; other times, it may fade over time.
The most commonly affected breeds include Terriers, Cocker Spaniels, Springer Spaniels, Basset Hounds, Dachshunds, Labradors, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Dobermans, and Shar-Peis. That said, any dog can develop this condition; these are simply the breeds most prone to it.
Generally, if you suspect some kind of glandular or oil issue, your vet will want to conduct tests to rule out secondary seborrhea before diagnosing primary seborrhea.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for primary seborrhea. According to VCA hospitals, some alternatives to manage the condition include omega-3 fatty acid supplements, anti-seborrheic shampoos or sprays, and retinoids among others.
CBD oil is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. Among other health benefits, regular consumption may help keep a balanced and healthy coat.
But, what can cause secondary seborrhea? As discussed above, secondary seborrhea occurs when another condition causes excessive scaling and flaking of the skin. This includes most of the items on the list below.
Have you ever brushed up against poison ivy and had your skin break out in an itchy rash? Thats called “contact dermatitis” and is a form of allergic reaction.
In your dog, a similar reaction can be the over-production of oils as a way to protect the skin from allergens. This results in a condition known as seborrheic dermatitis. It is, essentially, an allergic reaction to something your dog has come into contact with at some point.
Unfortunately, the overabundance of oil and sebum can cause irritation in and of itself, so simply removing the allergen might not cure the problem. How can you handle it? I have some recommendations later, so read on to find out.
Hormones are chemicals that control pretty much every process in the body. There are dozens of them flitting through your bloodstream, and the same goes for your fur baby. And, just like how humans can have hormonal disorders, so too can dogs.
In dogs, two prominent hormonal disorders can cause oily skin and fur. They are thyroid disorders and Cushings Disease.
Dr. Kevin Gulikers, MS, DVM, DACVIM Discusses Cushings Disease in Dogs
In some cases, an imbalance in sex hormones can also cause similar issues. These can be genetic, but they can also be caused by problems like cancer affecting the thyroid or other parts of the hormonal system, so its worth taking your fur baby to the vet to get them checked out, just in case.
Treatment of hormonal conditions often involves medication, which may be a life-long thing. Youll need to talk to your vet and get blood panels done to see if they have a hormonal problem. Its not something you can diagnose through looking at their coat alone.
Fleas, ticks, and other parasites (as well as yeast and fungal infections) can also lead to an overabundance of oil in the fur. If your fur baby has parasites, theyll be more likely to scratch at and pick at their fur, because their skin itches.
That irritation triggers the bodys defenses to make more sebum to try to protect it, which leads to an oilier coat. Luckily, its a lot easier to diagnose fleas than it is a genetic ailment.
Pretty much any foreign organism can cause problems. Fleas, ticks, bacteria, yeasts, fungal infections like ringworm, and anything else getting trapped against the skin can proliferate and irritate the skin into producing more oils to try to clear it out.
As noted above, dogs with skin folds are particularly at risk. Skin folds trap humidity that turns into a safe haven for yeast and bacteria to rapidly and happily reproduce.
Momma Knows Best Organics 2-in-1 Hydrate and Repel Dog Balm has been naturally formulated for dogs with wrinkles and can help keep skin folds free of yeast and bad bacteria growth.
It’s in you and your pup’s best interest to be proactive by using preventatives. Talk to your veterinarian about regular flea and tick treatments to keep those annoying pests at bay.
When your fur baby is overweight, their hormones can swing out of balance, which leads to similar hormonal disorders as above. Luckily, these are a lot more easily handled; you just need to put your pup on a diet to help them lose weight to get things back in balance.
Obesity can also cause other issues, like joint pain, which can make grooming more difficult and make it harder for your fur baby to clean out the oils caught in their fur themselves. A chonker might be hilarious and adorable, but its not definitely healthy.
If your fur baby isnt getting the right nutrients in their diet, it can lead to too much oil in their coats. Hormones have to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the building blocks the body uses to make them, which are nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
The wrong balance can throw many bodily systems out of whack. In particular, you want to make sure your fur baby is getting enough omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which among other things help protect the skin and fur.
If you live in an area where the seasons change, you may have noticed that your pup has more skin problem during certain times of the year.
We mentioned skin allergies earlier and this can be more severe during different times of the year. Seasonal allergies can affect your pup just like they affect humans. Unlike humans though, dogs don’t get stuffy noses, instead their skin tends to show the allergic reaction.
When the temperatures start to rise, it might be tempting to shave your pup during the summer to keep them cool. Doing so will likely cause your dog’s glands to produce extra oil and sebum to protect their skin, leading to an extra oily coat. Instead, consider give any long-haired pup’s just a trim.
If your fur baby isnt being properly groomed, oils can build up. In general there are a few causes. The first is, unfortunately, often tied to infrequent grooming. You may simply need to bathe your fur baby more often, to remove older oils and let new sebum replace it.
It may seem counterintuitive, but the opposite is also a cause. Bathing your pup too frequently can lead to an oil coat. Too many bathes can actually trigger your pup’s glands to produce more oil because it’s being stripped away too often.
Every dog is different, and they will require different grooming routines and bathing frequencies. Consult with your veterinarian about the adequate bathing frequency for your pup’s breed.
The third grooming related cause is simply age. As your fur baby gets older, they may develop flexibility issues or joint discomfort that prevent them from being able to groom themselves as easily.
That lack of self-care leads to further build-up and more issues. Its just one of the many age-related problems a dog can develop. Age related aches and joint discomfort can also be managed with regular administration of CBD oil.
What do you know about your dog’s food?
Dogs who have too much oil in their coats, often are experiencing a food allergy or a food intolerance. Checking the label on your dog food is a good start to solving your dog’s skin and coat problems. Look for common culprits such as corn, wheat, soy and . You should also stay away from artificial colors and flavors, which offer no nutrition to your dog and may be contributing to their greasy coat.
Sometimes you can be feeding a dog food where the label looks good, but the ingredients may not be of the best quality. Get to know your dog’s food company and where they purchase ingredients from. There have been lots of recalls lately on foods that use ingredients from China. It’s also important to know as much as you can about the quality of meat in your dog’s food. Dog foods that use free-range meats from sources they know are a better choice, especially if your dog has food allergies.
What to DO if YOUR DOG STINKS and has GREASY TANGLED HAIR
You reach down to pet your pooch and pull back a hand covered in greasy hair. Thor is scratching feverishly, whimpering in discomfort. Whats caused your once happy and healthy pet to scratch like a dog possessed and turn his coat from thick and clean to thin and oily?
Rest assured, your pooch has not decided to run with an ill-reputed gang of greaser dogs. What he has developed is a condition called seborrhea, which causes his sebaceous glands to go into overdrive and produce too much sebum. Under normal circumstances, sebum acts as a lubricant to keep his skin and coat waterproofed. Seborrhea causes an increase in production of this compound, which creates a kind of greasy dandruff that irritates your pups skin and causes him to scratch. The more he scratches, the more likely he is to suffer hair loss in his urge to stem the irritation.
Beware the secondary infections. As if the greasy, thinning coat and constant scratching arent enough, seborrhea can lead to other skin problems if left untreated. Buildup of the oily flakes can clog hair follicles or ear canals, leading to infection. Skin folds are perfect places for other microbial nasties to take up residence and cause infections, such as yeast and bacteria, especially if the skin is already irritated by the seborrhea. Excessive scratching can cause skin lesions, which can also become infected. Basically youre looking at an infection on top of another infection caused by the seborrhea.
So you have a term to attach to your dogs frantic scratching and oily, thinning hair. Finding the trigger for this sudden coat change may not be as easy. Primary seborrhea appears spontaneously and for no apparent reason, while secondary seborrhea occurs from another underlying medical condition. Allergies, hormone imbalances and parasites such as fleas and mites can all trigger the explosion in sebum production.
You may think that your poochs greasy, flaky coat is enough to diagnose seborrhea, and youre partially right. But your vet wants to know whats behind that excess sebum production. Hell conduct blood and hormone tests and take some skin samples to perform cultures and seek any sign of an underlying condition. Medicated shampoos and omega-3 supplements counter the overproduction, but treating any underlying cause controls the reaction at the source.
Always check with your veterinarian before changing your pet’s diet, medication, or physical activity routines. This information is not a substitute for a vet’s opinion.
Jane Williams began her writing career in 2000 as the writer and editor of a nationwide marketing company. Her articles have appeared on various websites. Williams briefly attended college for a degree in administration before embarking on her writing career.