Dogs are a pleasure to pet, especially when they’re blessed with healthy skin and lustrous fur. But some dogs are plagued with itchy, flaking skin and lackluster coats. What can you do to restore your dog’s shiny coat?
Essential Fatty Acids: Key to a Healthy Coat
Healthy fats play an important role in keeping your dog’s coat in good condition. Fortunately, few dogs develop dull coats because of nutritional deficiencies, although veterinarians do occasionally see such problems.
“With the ready availability of quality pet foods, it is very difficult for a pet to have a nutritional deficiency of any kind,” says Wendy Brooks, DVM, a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. She also owns the Mar Vista Animal Medical Center in Los Angeles and serves as educational director for the web site VeterinaryPartner.com
Reputable commercial dog foods typically contain enough nutrients, including essential fatty acids, to maintain healthy skin and a shiny coat, says Florida veterinarian Dawn Logas, DVM, a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology.
In contrast, dogs on low-quality commercial dog foods or improperly balanced homemade diets — for instance, a dog that eats mostly chicken — may not get enough nutrients to keep a healthy skin and coat.
Low-fat diets are risky, too. “The obvious coat problems from deficiencies would be a dandruffy, dull coat from an omega-6 deficit if the pet is eating an extremely low-fat diet,” Brooks says.
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