Seborrhea

[elricsgirl]

I took my boys in for a check-up last week and was told that one of them, Stanley, has seborrhea. He's got orange discoloration in his fur, flaky skin and is pretty itchy. The vet did a little cytology just to make sure there wasn't anything nefarious going on.

She suggested that I bathe him to loosen the build up, like you would with a baby with cradle cap. Unfortunately, Stanley is afraid of a water bowl, so I can't see getting him into an actual sink lol.

Any suggestions to relieve the itching and help clear this up - without bathing?


Thanks!

 

[lilspaz68]

Unfortunately buck grease requires bathing. You would need to use a bit of liquid dish soap on just the areas affected. If you need it to be fast, use your hands to get some water on those areas, rub in the dish soap (not too much) so that it breaks up the grease, then put his back under the running water to rinse it off as fast as possible. Wear long sleeves as much as possible to prevent scratches. That should help a bit

 

[elricsgirl]

Thank you so much for your reply! Does the buck grease also cause dandruff and itchiness or is it a separate thing?

 

[lilspaz68]

Old rats often have scurfy skin. The bath should help and you can add a little olive oil to his diet to help dry skin. Oldies are often not flexible to groom parts of themselves and need a bit of help. You can bathe or even groom him with a soft tooth brush

 

[elricsgirl]

Old rats often have scurfy skin. The bath should help and you can add a little olive oil to his diet to help dry skin. Oldies are often not flexible to groom parts of themselves and need a bit of help. You can bathe or even groom him with a soft tooth brush

My boys are a year and 4 months old. Stanley has always had the oily/orangey patches in his fur to some extent, but the vet we saw early on told us not to worry about it. Our current vet said it's what's causing all of the itchies and could be stressful for him, so I want to make sure I get him taken care of. She suggested a dandruff shampoo like selsun blue or head and shoulders, but I think I like the dish soap idea better. I'm hesitant to add olive oil though. He is overweight and we are working to get his weight down. Will that add to the issue?

 

[lilspaz68]

i wouldn't add olive oil just yet then, try the dish soap for the buck grease and see how that goes. For the olive oil you only add a few drops anyways.

 

[elricsgirl]

i wouldn't add olive oil just yet then, try the dish soap for the buck grease and see how that goes. For the olive oil you only add a few drops anyways.

Got it! Thank you so much for your help!

 

[elricsgirl]

i wouldn't add olive oil just yet then, try the dish soap for the buck grease and see how that goes. For the olive oil you only add a few drops anyways.

Well, first ever bath was a success. So much flakey grease came off of his back. Poor buddy. He’s pissed and protested with lots of squeaks, but is now eating veggies with his brother. I think he’s going to make me earn some trust back though lol.

His vet actually called today to see if I’d bathed him yet and assured me that the Selsun Blue was safe and would sooth his itchy skin. I used a small amount and rinsed him really well.

thanks again for your help. I had some irrational anxiety about bathing him lol.

 

[lilspaz68]

Glad to hear this. Because buck grease is just that, the dish soap would work better than Selsun Blue which is for dandruff and possibly adds more moisture to the skin.