I have tried many many shampoos and conditioners. Most of them work on very mild cases of dry and flaky skin. However, if your pup has alot of dry and flaky skin they tend not to work very great. I had to finally go to the vet to get a special shampoo, most vets carry it or can tell you where to get it. It is called Hylit (sp?) and works great on dogs and puppies with dry and flaky skin. It actually has esential fatty acids in it to help the skin and coat. It has no soap so it won't dry out the skin or agitate your pup's eyes. It smells like oatmeal and works great!! I started using it and after just the first time of using it, I can tell the huge difference it makes. I used it on all 4 of my dogs and it helped all of them. I can't tell you enough how much it works, you just have to see it for yourself.
You can also get missing link to sprinkle on your pup's food and it works great for the skin and coat too. I have also heard giving them an egg is great too!!
As for the name buttercup, I myself have always thought of it as a girl's name, I have had alot of buttercups, all females. But if you really like the name, then keep the name and don't worry about it being too girlish.
