Our 7 month old seems to be having a case of dandriff. She is on Innova puppy food and we give her a teaspoon of raw egg once a week. We are using Frontline and can't find fleas on her either. Also she is shedding a bit and we comb her out about every week or so. Other than her having a mind of her own and trying to be a beaver wanna be outside she is great. Any one have an idea on this or are we being over concerned. We have only had her about 5 weeks now and are first time rattie parents. Love this site, we have gained so much insite and information.

Just did a quick Google for the ingredients in the Wellness Chicken...looks like a very good food.  It does have a few grains in it like rice, rye flour, oatmeal, barley and it's possible that your pup doesn't tolerate these well...i.e. allergic to one of them.  (Please note, these are not "bad" ingredients, it's just that some dogs don't do well with a lot of grains.)  I have a rattie who has allergies and I've switched her to Natural Balance Duck/Potato with no grains in it.  She does much better on it.

Not saying that is the problem with your guy, it could be something else.  Have you had him to the vet?  How old is he?  If I were you I'd have a complete vet check first to rule out anything serious.  Then switch him to a grain free food/allergy formula food.  There are many others to choose from besides the Natural Balance. 

Also, for the loose poop you can try adding a little canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) to his food.

I want to thank everyone for their valued input. I think we have another item in the mix.......water. We here in Oregon have just a ton of mud, black mud, gooey mud anyway you slice it, mud.  We have a Jack Russel next door and Tabby and him run,run,run and run up and down the fence. After about 20 laps we own a mudball and the wife has been putting Tabby under the sprayer in the tub to find our pet, and drying the skin.  I think once the rainy season slows down and the mud bog dries up we may see a new pet. I am trying to get a picture of the sight for all to see, we laugh so hard. We are also going to try the fish oil, any recommendations?? Oh yes one other item, we use a R/O water filter on our drinking water, do we need to add minerals?? Innova has them in the mix but do they rely on water to supply more?? R/O is reverse osmosis system and is great for us and no issues with Tabby so far either. Have a great rattie day..Brew

My old Lab had very dry, flaky skin. We put her on fatty acidsl and she had a gorgeous coat after that. Here's a link to a good article on fatty acids for dogs:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1662&articleid=666

maybe you could use some dog shampoo designed for dry skin when you rinse her off? I just had to give Molly a bath (she rolled in something nasty), and I found a spray I had forgotten about behind the shampoo...it's used after a bath for itch relief.  Here is the same brand's shampoo...I haven't tried it yet, but the spray really helps with Molly's itching.

www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp

I agree with working from the inside out! Caesar never got better too till I changed his inside with better food and oils now it s gone,is been 4 yrs of suffering for him! And I have tried all kind of shampoos and sprays nothing ever help now he is finally itch free!!!

hummm... but don't let them out side to roll in the dirt like mine do!what a mess!when they come in!better IN THE FOOD!or on the green beans! mine love it!And no more dandriff!

Just an update for all, we started the fish oil on the food and Tabby is way better, no scratching in the night and a softer coat. Also the rain stopped and she is having much more fun in the yard. Brew2