Great Dane Coat Problems

This isn't necessarily a breed specific thing.  I work for a veterinary dermatologist.  You can give the fish oil capsules but it's possible that he needs special shampoo to help control the allergies or if it's really bad, there may be an infection that needs to be treated first.  Look for little papules (they look like zits, same size as ours) or blackened skin (not just where it's normally pigmented) because that can indicate infection.  What's causing the thin coat--his itching/chewing/licking or is it just plan falling out?  Determining the cause is key to you fixing the problem.  Does he have oily skin?  Are you bathing him with cool to tepid water?  That will help keep the inflammation down.  Have they checked for sarcoptic mange?  They can do skin scrapings but only 1 in 4 slides finds a mite.  Your vet can also check a pinnal-pedal reflex, usually a dead giveaway that scabies is the problem.  It's amazing what a specialist can do, we've had so many people who are just thrilled for what the specialist has been able to do.  It's not cheap at first but I'd recommend seeing one. 

hey there. I own a mastiff and have read a lot about skin and coat problems they get because of what they eat. Since great danes are in the mastiff family I'm sure they would have similar problems. I guess that a lot of the giant breed dogs have coat problems because of the corn or something that is in a lot of commercial dog foods on the market. I would read up on diffrent dog foods you can buy. I know one company (and of corse I cant remember the name) has been making food specifically for great danes for around 14 years now so maybe that would solve the problem. hope this helps

excessive shedding, in more cases than not, is because of poor diet. And don't be fooled into thinking that the more expensive the food the better it is. Look for a food that has no corn or wheat. I use Diamond Naturals Lamb and Rice (not the regular Diamond, make sure you see the word Natural down the side of the bag).    I took my dogs to several specialist until I found one that wasn't a vet to make money. She went right into fixing the problwm without making me spend mega bucks.  She advised me that most dogs are allergic to corn and wheat. So first you eliminate those foods from the diet to see if they were the cause. A month later my dogs had new hair growth and skin was much better. They have been on this no corn/wheat diet for two years now and have never been back to a vet for skin/coat problems. My vet advised that corn and wheat are just cheap fillers that companies use..well because they are cheap, thus cheaper to make. And fyi, they just go right through your dog (more output if you know what I mean) and the dogs have to eat/ be fed more of these corn/wheat foods.  On good diets they eat less, thus less poop.So in reality the better quality food ends up costing the owner less money in the end.  Thus as a result a very happy owner.

 Food is not the end all be all, while it's important to feed a good diet, it doesn't cure every skin problem.  I do have a dog who became 100% better when I went to a raw food diet but on a regular basis I see dogs whose problems are so much more than that.  Corn and wheat are bad, yes, but dogs can be allergic to chicken which is in a lot of dog foods. 

 The only way to do a true food trial to determine food allergies is to switch to a novel protein, like a venison and potato or venison and rice diet, and give that--only that, no rawhides, no treats that do not contain the ingredients in the food, no chewable medications (this includes heartworm, gotta use the non-chews).  Some dogs will be doing great and get a single dog biscuit and they get itchy again--it goes away.  But while it's amazing what food allergies can do, there are other problems--common ones--that cause hair loss. 
 

I find that my dog does best with fish based diets.

Hi!  My sister has a 18 month old Mantle Great Dane and when she first noticed his coat getting a little patchy and turning brownish she took him to the vet.  Usually his coat is sleek and shiny (absolutely beautiful).  The vet told her that it most likely was allergies and was not dermatitis or anything like that.  He gave him a shot and told her to get the Omega 3 capsules and it seemed to work wonders.  She also switched his food to Innova large breed and his coat his back to being beautiful again.  Good luck with everything!!!

 Hi, I have a Lab who suffered horribly from allergies and I also have a Doberman.  We switched to Fromm - Salmon food and it really made a huge difference for my lab!  Her coat as well as my Doberman's coat and skin look awesome now!  I get compliments all the time!  Believe it or not, Chicken is one thing that a lot of dogs are allergic too.  We also give my Lab some allergy pills we get from our Vet or on-line and that helps her ears from being infected all the time.  I'd say between the right food and a good allergy med you'll see a great change in your Great Dane.  Good luck! 

My Male Neelix had a problem with shedding so I put him on Eagle Holistic the great dane food and he had a reaction to it he broke out in red bumps on his tummy and feet. I tried several brands of food and he seems to be doing better on Eukanuba large breed. I know its not the best food out there but different things work for different dogs. Good luck