Everyone likes to see a soft
shiny coat on their dog because, well, because it just looks healthy.
But, it goes much deeper than just looks. A dog’s coat serves to protect
his largest organ, and if it’s not healthy, its role as protector is
compromised.
Whether hair or fur, it
protects his skin (the body’s largest organ, man or beast) from the harmful
rays of the sun, the chilling effects of the cold winter wind, stinging and
biting insects, and potential cuts and abrasions while roaming through fields
and woodlands. The coat also helps them thermoregulate. That is why
having your dog shaved down for the summer is not a good idea.
A healthy coat enables the
skin to better resist infection. When the skin is dry, it’s itchy, and dogs
will scratch incessantly, sometimes resulting in what veterinarians refer to as
self-trauma, that can lead to a secondary infection.
An unhealthy coat easily
becomes dry and matted, which causes a persistent and painful pulling on the
skin. It also inhibits the dog’s mobility and interferes with his ability to
groom.
To help keep your dog’s skin
and coat healthy, there are three basic weapons in your arsenal: a high quality
diet, regular grooming, and supplementation when necessary.
A HIGH QUALITY DIET
The marketplace abounds with
pet food selections. Many are high quality, many are not. In the wild, the dog
would hunt and consume animal protein and animal fat. Protein is necessary for
the growth and maintenance of hair, indeed, keratin is the fibrous protein that
makes up hair and nails…and also hoofs and horns, for that matter. Our
knee-jerk reaction to fat is usually a negative one.
But fat enables the dog’s
body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, and it gives shine to the coat. When L-carnitine is in the food, it helps the
body utilize fat for energy while maintaining the lean muscle mass. That
helps reduce the overall body fat and may also help decrease the levels of
cholesterol and lipids (fats) in the blood
When provided with
satisfactory amounts of high quality animal protein and fat, a dog’s coat will
be soft, luxuriant and shiny. Conversely, when the diet is lacking in quality
protein and fat, the coat will be dull, dry and rough.
When selecting a dog food,
read the ingredient panel and select one that puts a named-source meat as the
first ingredient…such as chicken or lamb. Avoid unspecified protein such as
meat and bone meal or poultry by-product meal.
And speaking of meal, most
folks think meal isn’t good. The opposite is true. Chicken meal, for example,
has up to 300% more protein than chicken. Chicken is the clean combination of
flesh and skin, which contains about 80% water. Chicken meal is that same meat,
but with the moisture extracted, down to about 8%. So look for a food that has
chicken meal, lamb meal, etc. as the first or second ingredient.
Do a little experiment the
next time you’re food shopping. Look for a food that lists chicken as the first
ingredient. If chicken meal is the second ingredient, it's most likely a high
quality food. If farther down the ingredient panel you find something
like chicken by-product meal or poultry by-product meal, it's probably of lower
quality. Here’s why:
By law, manufacturers are
required to list ingredient in order of descending weight, and are allowed to
weigh the ingredients with their water content prior to cooking. In a
simplistic example, the company takes a pound of chicken, throws it in the pot
with their other ingredients, and cooks it into dog food.
When it went into the pot,
it was the predominant ingredient by weight, so it could be listed first. But,
during the cooking process, the water evaporates. The chicken that went in as a
pound comes out as about a third of a pound. Now they have to do something to
get the protein level up to whatever is stated in the Guaranteed Analysis. Cue
the chicken by-product meal.
Why not just use chicken
meal as the first ingredient and be done with it? Money. Chicken and chicken
by-product meal, together are satisfactory, but it’s a cheaper way of producing
the food.
An exception to that example
would be the holistic foods, which characteristically contain multiple protein
sources anyway; and it could be in a combination of named-source meats and
named-source meat meals. And they’ll also contain other quality ingredients
aimed at specific organs and systems. For example, antioxidant-rich botanicals,
probiotics for digestive health, glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health,
etc.
Also look for foods with a
balanced ratio of Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids. Some ingredients have both, others
only one. For example sunflower oil has 6s but no 3s and fish oil has 3s but no
6s.
I’ve read articles from
credible, professional sources that dismiss grain-free diets and deny that
grains such as wheat contribute to dry skin. I’ve got 25 years of retail pet
food sales experience and dealing with pet owners that beg to differ.
Although my experience is
anecdotal, it’s undeniable. Customers who got their dogs off of grain-based
diets and treats overwhelmingly saw improvements in skin and a drastic
reduction in scratching. Many were able to take their dogs off steroids and
supplements.
And in the past couple of
decades, we’ve seen an influx of wheat-free and grain-free treats come to the
marketplace. Detractors will say, “That’s just marketing.” Supporters point out
that they’re often a preferable alternative to steroids.
But it’s not just the food.
You have to consider treats. Some of the grocery brands are loaded with wheat.
One popular bacon-like treat in particular has wheat as the first and third
ingredients.
Then there are the table
scraps…pizza crust, pasta, bagels, toast, English muffins, the last few nuggets
of breakfast cereal…that many maintain contribute to dry skin. If you’re
feeding a high quality diet, but also treats that are high in problematic
grains such as wheat, you’ll often find that the negative effects of the grain
trump the positive effects of the good food.
Also be aware that fish oil
can be a double edged sword. It’s a good ingredient because of its Omega 3
fatty acid, but it’s anonymous. Some fish species are preserved with the
controversial preservative ethoxyquin.
If a pet food manufacturer
uses fish oil that arrives for processing preserved with the substance, it
isn’t required to be listed in the ingredient panel since the pet food
manufacturer didn’t add the ethoxyquin to the fish oil. Most people feel more
comfortable when the species of fish is identified, such as salmon oil.
REGULAR BRUSHING AND GROOMING
Regular brushing of the coat
helps prevent mats and facilitates the distribution of the dog’s natural oils,
creating a healthy, lustrous coat. Brushing also gives owners the opportunity
to examine the skin for trouble spots and parasites such as fleas, ticks and
mites.
And of course, frequent
brushing translates into quality time with your dog. That being said, there’s
also a lot to be said for bringing your dog to a professional groomer. They’ve
got the proper tools and techniques to do a better job in most cases, and their
trained eye is more likely to spot trouble before you do.
SUPPLEMENTS ARE HELPFUL IN SUPPORTING THE SKIN
There’s no shortage of
supplements that claim benefits to the skin and coat, and they’re often
beneficial. But, they can’t cure allergies just as a good diet can’t. They can
only support the skin.
More than 90% of the time a
dog’s allergy is the body’s response to an inhaled or absorbed allergen (atopy,
in vetspeak), not a food allergy. But…and your veterinarian may scoff at the
notion…eliminating grains such as wheat, soy, sorghum and corn have been
credited with lessening the intensity of the symptoms. I’ve seen it countless
times in dealing with pet owners over a period that spans three decades in
which dramatic advances in the quality of food and treats have occurred.
Absent an underlying health
issue, most dogs on a diet of high quality food and treats will not require
supplementation. If the skin and coat are in good condition, a supplement won’t
make them any better.
A possible exception would
be during the winter in cold weather regions. The air…both inside and
outdoors…tends to be very dry. Sometimes even dogs fed quality food and treats
will experience a seasonal dry skin condition. In those cases, a fatty acid
supplement such as salmon oil or coconut oil would probably be helpful.
It would be beneficial to
your dog’s overall health if you consider the quality of his coat as an
integral component of his regular health care.
