improving the coat - Page 1

Hi, My dogs coat has become a bit dull lately. I have seen him scratching as well. The cost has lost the shine that he had earlier & moreover, he's got some dandruff as well. I have got him treated with some skin allergy some time back & his diet is also good. I was feeding him Nutricoat which is a mixture of various kinds of oils. Does stopping these oils in his diet affect the coat adversely? What remedies are advised to improve his coat & skin condition?

Prasac, How old is your dog? What country do you live in? What is your climate like? What do you feed? In any case, depending on the dog, it may be a good idea to check the dogs' general health. Thyroid problems, parasite infections and bacterial skin infections can all lead to problems with the coat. Correct amounts of appropriate oils can improve coats, but I give no supplements to my dogs and all have shiny, beautiful coats. Good luck.

at certain times of the year my dogs used to scratch more etc. dry heat, extended rainy periods, lots of water sports etc. would lead them to scratch a bit more. what worked for me is at those times i add a half-teaspoon of wheat-germ and half-teaspoon of cod-liver oil to their food once a day during those times. it worked extremely well

perhaps over brathing might also be considered as the culprit here? how ofter do you stimulate the oils with a brushing and how frequent does the dog get bathed? paraites alot of the times are the cause if these are not even before they show up on a vet inspection worms can dull a coat.

hello, since changing my dogs to a biologically appropriate raw food diet I have gotten rid of the scratching, dull coats of my dogs. They have been on it for 6 months and it is a miracle. Their blood test are great, their coats are fantastic. I do not regret taking them off of kibble. Good luck

You can give him bacon grease or flax sed oil in his food, as it may be lacking the proper makeup for his system. Also raw egg 3 times per weeks helps as well. Lots of luck Kari

2 more cents worth. A Shepherds coat is supposed to be on the coarse side - not soft and shiney. It can be healthy and not shine. We use two supplements for skin/coat with good results -- a Seaweed supplement made for horses (Source) and organic Flax Seed Oil, both of these work well. We have not had a "hot spot" in 20 years !! I attribute it to good genes and the "Source" - Congrats to TKRILEY for moving to a raw diet !!

hi, thanks for all the wonderful advise. btw, i live in india & the weather now is turning to winters. my dog has had a very beautiful coat earlier when i was feeding him raw beef, meat etc. but now i give him less of raw & more of it as cooked. Does this hamper his coat? He's a playful dog & keeps running in the park all the time, wets himself as well. So it may b one of the reasons for the bad look on his coat. but scratching is one of my area of concern. I will try putting the oils u all have advised above & besides that i will start the oil supplements after consulting my doc. Lets c what happens. thanks again for the advise. one more thing, i dont bathe him that often & brushing is mild twice or thrice a week. Is is less or more?

when you cook the food it loses it's nutrients. Go back to your raw food diet. Why did you quit the raw food in the first place.

also a good book to follow is the Holistic Guide for a Healthy dog. You can purchase it from Amazon.com