Hi

Hi there, I am new to the forum and new to the United Kingdom as well. I have relocated within the last two weeks with my two beloved babies (Jex and Blaze). I have noticed that my dogs coats are looking very dull, coarse to the touch, and don't have their usual shine. On brushing, they are both producing what looks to be dandruff. In South Africa, they were fed Work/Endurance Eukanuba, with a healthy serving of Flaxseed oil. I have continued the same feeding routine here. It looks as if there are no signs of allergic reactions (red paws, excessive scratching or ear odours). Could this be a simple case of dandruff, as my dogs have come from Durban (a very humid environment). I,ve given thought to them being very stressed from the trip over here, but I should imagine, that it should have passed by now. Any advice on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance from Grant Jex and Blaze.

Hi, I've moved your post to the health section - more people are likely to see it here.

It would be great if you could also post an introduction here....
https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f7-new-member-introductions

It could be the stress of the move + the change in temperatures/humidity. You could try adding salmon oil to their food, or get some Yumega Oil (http://www.lintbells.com/products/yumega-dog), both of which may help.

Otherwise, just wait it out - no doubt they'll settle down once they've acclimatised.

Hi Caryll,

Thank you for the advice. I think it is going to have to be a hurry up and wait game to see how they settle in. I certainly hope its not an environmental allergic problem they are facing. That would be a disaster.

I think a proper introduction is in order....many thanks

Grant

It could very well be the stress from the move. When I flew my English Bulldog from the US to Korea her coat was a mess for a month or so.

Many thanks, I might have under-estimated the amount of stress. I have been feeding both a natural immune booster prior to and post the flight over here, hoping to keep ther immune systems in top shape. I'm sure they'll be back to "full of beans" and mischief in no time!!!

Cheers

Grant

Any pics?

It may just take a while to settle in their new environment. Feeding a raw egg occasionally is good for shiney coats as is fish oil, some sardines a couple of times a week would be fine.

Do you brush them regularly ?

Where they sedated at all during the flight and were they quarantined for any time?

*Lynne* wrote:Where they sedated at all during the flight and were they quarantined for any time?

Hi Lynne,

To answer your question, the dogs were not required by law to be sedated, but if they were too wild and unsettled, then the decision by the state vet and animal handlers would be to sedate, in consultation with ourselves. The way we got around this was to crate train our staffies months before they were due to fly, so the crates became a safe haven and a place to chill. With regards to the quarintine, UK regulations changed at the beginning of the year (2012) and the 6 month mandatory quarantine was waived. However, our dogs were required to wait 90 days from the date of pulling blood samples for the rabies titre testing. In other words, the dogs have a 3 month window in which they are not allowed to travel outside of the borders of South Africa...still better than a strict quarantine.

Hope they settle in soon

Dave wrote:Hope they settle in soon

Hi Dave,

I certainly hope so. Today they were off leash for a few minutes and took the oppurtunity to take a swim in a local lake near our house to go say "Hello" to a few ducks, much to my horror (and amusement). Seems they're taking the move "Like a duck to water". On a serious note, I need to watch that behaviour, as I'm sure thats against some sort of bylaw here. By the way your dogs are stunners! Think my wife might just sell me for your black staff

Thanks , nice of you to say so , Tilly gets overlooked by most people these days due to Tommy being a pup, until they realise she is the one without the sharp teeth