MissDanielle

I'm picking up a blue and rust pup tomorrow and as far as I know her skin is in good condition but what are some of the tricks y'all use to keep their skin nice. I ve been doing a lot of reading and it seems a lot of blue's have skin issues. I just want to make sure we never have that problem. TIA

thea2003

generally, if your blue dog is going to have coat problems, it is going to have coat problems. If course if they start getting itchy, lots of fur falling out, it is always worth it to have their thyroid function tested just in case that is the cause of hairloss.
I wouldnt treat a blue any different than a red or black.

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GA Dobie

All I do for mine is feed good quality food and give fish oil in with it. His coat has turned out just fine.

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dobebug

Some Dobes have skin issues and it doesn't make a lot of difference what color they are. Dilute dogs (blues and fawns) can also have CDA (color dilution alopeca) which in adults will cause hair loss (this is related to the structure of the hair shaft of the dilute dogs) and the extent of those problems are largely hereditary.

I agree that I follow the same care and feeding of my fawn dog as I do my black or red dogs. Many times the problems in the dilute dogs isn't a skin issue at all.

A most dilute puppies have lovely coats (and skin) although be aware that many Dobe puppies of any color have a tendency to have bouts of puppy staph which is related to the slow maturing of the Dobe immune system.

Good luck.

greenkouki

If you want to make sure you never have coat thinning problems it would be wise to get a black or red puppy instead. Many dillute adults will suffer from CDA and you really can't avoid it only manage it.

If you are purchasing your puppy from a reputable breeder the breeder should be able to advise you. If not, maybe you should consider purchasing from a different breeder? We're here to help you find a good breeder if that's what you decide.

GA Dobie not to scare you but it's likely your dog will have a thinning coat as he matures. I don't think it will affect how handsome he is though!

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GA Dobie

Yeah I understand that could be the case later on but doing what I can now to try and make the affects not so bad if it decided to pop up. But only time will tell so far so good though. I read alot about there skin conditons and stuff before I decided to get a dilute. Didnt change my mind about getting one, just informed me I may have to put in a little more work later in life. Thanks for the heads up and the compliment he has been great since day one of me picking him up.

What part of north carolina are you in? I will be visiting family there when I get back from korea maybe we could set up a play date with some other NC member.

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KMC

Sorry derailing the thread, there is a group on FB for local NC doberman owners. Most of the people on there are from the Fayetteville/Ft. Bragg Area.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dobermanownersgroup/

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Cam and Sheba

My mother uses this product for her two dogs. It is available online. It has lots of good fats in it which helps to support good skin health. I do not know if it is suitable to treat any exisiting conditions though. I would think that if you started your puppy on it (i'm not a professional) at a young age it would help to give his skin a good healthy head start. Halo Vita Glo Dream Coat Natural Supplement for Dogs and Cats, 16oz: Amazon.com: Pet Supplies

Ethirajan

Quality food, Omega 3, and daily brush up will do.

monicaei

Enh, these things may help (athough the brushing will need to be with a VERY soft brush, we baby wipe instead) but will not prevent CDA. Certaintly will make it worse if you DONT have a quality food though. We are strictly grain free with our fawns. We bathe every 2 weeks to keep the skin clean, using EarthBath all natural tea tree shampoo. Between bathings it baby wipes. We also do fish oil and Vit E.

CDA or not, you have at least a year with that gorgeous puppy coat. Enjoy!! They are such stunners!

Also, if it does show up there is a silver lining...less shedding!!!


He's a gorgeous dog. Just FYI, your sig says he's 7 months? Usually CDA doesn't show up until about 18 months, give or take. It's not a puppy coat problem. Everyone with dilutes should be expect to have and love a dog with less coat. Then you can be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't happen.

tendoberman

I have black and rust dobermans but I still try to take care of there skin just in case.
I feed taste of the wild and organic flax seed oil , pure salmon oil for all you dogs.
And for my 6 mo old I give calcium vitamins .
I have 3 dobermans now ages 11years-3years and 6mo . The 3 year old is a rescue and
she is getting better she has bumps .
she loves feeding time the salmon oil is her fave!!

mmctaq

Just for what it's worth, flax oil is an inappropriate source of Omega 3 fatty acids for carnivores (they don't use it well or at all) and some dogs have an intolerance to it and will react to it as an allergen (itchies, foot licking, skin bumps, whatever).

And, supplemental calcium should be avoided for growing pups. An overabundance of calcium can cause skeletal growth problems for puppies.

Taste of the Wild is good food (provided the Diamond plant in which the food you buy is produced is not having an issue) and fish oil is great!

tendoberman

the calcium comes from the vet and I talk to my vet before I give anything to my
dogs. the bump she had where from chiggers I live in kansas and that is one bad
bug!

mmctaq

Veterinary advice or not, you might want to further research the calcium thing. TOTW does not list calcium content for either of their puppy foods on their website, so I am not sure how much is in there. They list calcium for some (but not all) of their adult foods, and all of them for which they do give that information are either a little or a lot too much calcium already.

You specified "calcium vitamins" in your post, and you also do not want to be giving random vitamin supplements if the food you are feeding is providing proper nutrition... too much of a good thing is not better than the correct amount! If your vet is selling you PetTabs, you should be aware, as well, that most of the products within this brand have been contaminated for years with a very high lead content due to cheap sourcing/manufacture in China and India. They really should not even be on the market.

I grew up in Ohio, and chiggers were my least favorite part of summertime when I was a kid. Picking leeches and ticks off myself after spending my day having adventures in the pond or fields was no big deal, but the itchy chiggers drove me nuts!

anglfyr1786

My best advice is to get your dog in to see your vet quickly if they start having skin or coat issues you feel you cannot get under control. I am just now getting my fawns under control after six months and a second opinion (along with hundreds of dollars later).

Amp1371

Oh welcome to the world of the pesky blue dobie skin! The only problem i had with bella was wen she was 6 months old, she got a staph infection on her belly...it was easy to cure & never got it again. Another problem i had with bella is she always has dandruff. I have combated the dandruff for like ever haha i noticed giving her an egg a week helps tremendously! Other than that, i use all natural shampoos and all her stuff is washed in hypoallergenic soap. Blues fur is thinner and my dobie was starting to thin out on her back, but after being fed raw, she thankfully has gotten most of it back. Its not as bad as many make it out to be. jus common sense

txdoglover

I am also worried about skin problems with blue dobies. I am adopting a 2 ys old with great skin/coat according to her foster. She is my first Doberman and I have known and loved the breed forever. I am hoping with good food, oils and baby wipedowns that we can help keep her coat in good condition. Hoping also since she is 2 and has good coat now, how often does CDA show up after this age? I will definitely take all your advice to heart and do all I can for this girl and make this home her best yet.

Rosemary

It really just depends on the dog. Some dilutes have barely noticable thinning. Lots of them will have obvious thinning. Other dogs wind up practically bald.

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Jayda+Bronson

Hello, I just got a new blue doberman puppy about a month ago too. When i picked him up at 9wks he had a very mild case of staph infection. Probably only ever had at most, 8 bumps at a time on his body. I did some more research and staph is bascially a bacterial infection and you want to make sure the skin is always clean as well as the coat. Because blues have shorter, courser hair, its easier to get irritated. So i bought Micro Tek which works with bacterial and fungal case. YOu can use it as often as needed and it wont dry the dogs skin. I bath bronson in that last week and all of his bumps are now completely gone away.

So i think a anti-bacterial shampoo- micro or vet recommended will help.

I think of blues and dogs with health issues and i dont understand some people dont understand why someone would volunteerly get a blue doberman knowing everything that I do. If we all started getting dogs only because they had papers or less health issues, do you know how many dogs evenmoreso now, would be homeless, or put to sleep. I use to work in an animal shelter and its depressing. Alot of good good dogs go down, all because someone stopped loving them, or couldnt affored to care anymore. Well Bronson never has to worry about that and neither will yours. We will never abandon them, no matter what their skin or coat might throw at us.

Also, I got mines in GA too.

Jayda+Bronson

Hello, I just got a new blue doberman puppy about a month ago too. When i picked him up at 9wks he had a very mild case of staph infection. Probably only ever had at most, 8 bumps at a time on his body. I did some more research and staph is bascially a bacterial infection and you want to make sure the skin is always clean as well as the coat. Because blues have shorter, courser hair, its easier to get irritated. So i bought Micro Tek which works with bacterial and fungal case. YOu can use it as often as needed and it wont dry the dogs skin. I bath bronson in that last week and all of his bumps are now completely gone away.

So i think a anti-bacterial shampoo- micro or vet recommended will help.

I think of blues and dogs with health issues and i dont understand some people dont understand why someone would volunteerly get a blue doberman knowing everything that I do. If we all started getting dogs only because they had papers or less health issues, do you know how many dogs evenmoreso now, would be homeless, or put to sleep. I use to work in an animal shelter and its depressing. Alot of good good dogs go down, all because someone stopped loving them, or couldnt affored to care anymore. Well Bronson never has to worry about that and neither will yours. We will never abandon them, no matter what their skin or coat might throw at us.

Also, I got mines in GA too.