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Is my itchy dog's dandruff from mites, allergies, or a bath?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Beagle | Male | neutered | 33 lbs

So I'm seeing a bit of dandruff on my dog esp on his ears....and a bit on his back. Just gave him a bat 3 days ago with hyliderm. Could that cause dandruff. I'm asking bc my dog seems itchy. I Google mites and am paranoid it is cheyletiella mites. How can I tell

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Davis

Veterinarian

Published on September 25th, 2017

After a bath some of the older skin cells get loose and cause dandruff. Brushing Breaker daily will stimulate the skin and remove the dandruff. The shampoo you used was fine. Dogs itch mostly from allergies. They can be allergic to flea bites, grass, pollen and leaves and also have allergies to food. Breaker would be much itchier with mites and mites are not that common. To keep his skin healthy and reduce inflammation I recommend an omega 3 or fatty acid supplement, in addition feed a high quality dog food. In order to check for mites you need to bring Breaker to your veterinarian and they can look at the skin cells and fur under the microscope. If they do see mites a treatment will be prescribed. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Breaker.

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    Answered By Anna M., DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Cheyletiella (or "walking dandruff") is one possibility for an itchy dog with dandruff. Other possibilities that could cause itching as well as dandruff would be fleas, allergies, or other types of skin mites such as sarcoptes. The best way to know for sure would be to have Breaker examined by a vet, who can look at samples of the skin (obtained by skin scrape or a tape prep) under the microscope and evaluate if there's a bacterial or yeast infection causing the dandruff and itching, or if there might be a parasitic cause. Fortunately, there are a number of treatment options for cheyletiella including a topical product called Revolution. If this is a parasite such as cheyletiella, it will be important to treat all animals in the house simultaneously, as well as the environment by cleaning all bedding, vacuuming carpets, etc. Hope this helps!

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