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Enhance your dog's coat colour and condition naturally with diet and supplements!

12/16/2012

13 Comments

 
Not only is a dog's coat condition is a phenomenal indicator of their general health, but there isn't anything quite like petting a dog with a thick, shiny coat that doesn't leave your hands stinky! Pet owners pride themselves on taking excellent care of their furry family members, and doing so is easier than you think! There are many excellent ways to supplement your dog's current diet and see dramatic improvements to your dog's skin and coat condition.

Dry skin, dandruff, course fur, and poor coat pigment can all be helped through proper diet and supplementation of specific nutrients
. Diet can even effect the colour and clarity of your dog's eyes - that is how dramatic the impact of proper nutrition is on our pet.

Here are several things you can add to your dog's diet to improve their coat colour, texture and condition!
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Omega fatty acids have many incredible health benefits, but their most notable benefit happens with a dog's coat! Omega fatty acids can be found in fish, hemp seed, borage seed, fish oils and flaxseed oil. Concentrated capsules found in bottled supplements contain theraputic amounts of omega fatty acids. Most people prefer to use fish oil or hemp seed oil for pets, as they tend to be the most readily available. Omega fatty acids have been shown to improve coat condition, heart health and brain function. They can also be used to reduce inflammation and decrease the symptoms of allergic reaction. Since omega fatty acids deplete vitamin E in the body, it is always good to supplement the diet with vitamin E too.

Coconut oil is another great choice for improving the skin and coat condition of your dog. Coconut oil is a healthy, very easily digested oil
that has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties! Coconut oil can be used internally or topically and can also help alleviated symptoms of allergies in pets.
Beta-carotene plays a significant role in the intensity of a dog's coat colour. The build up of beta-carotene influences the coat colour the same way it gives various fruits and vegetables their colours. I have found significant improvement in the red tones of my German Shepherd's coat with the addition of some mashed up, boiled baby carrots. On top of the benefits to coat colour, beta-carotene is an excellent antioxidant with additional benefits to eye health. Carrots, pumpkin and sweet potato are the most ideal sources for beta-carotene to be added to your dog's diet. Remember to boil carrots and sweet potato, and buy only pure pumpkin puree - not the pie filling!

Zinc is a vital mineral for skin and coat health and often dogs suffering from a zinc deficiency will exhibit poor skin and coat condition - such as cracked paw pads, hair loss and lesions around the mouth, eyes and ears. Zinc, in addition to other important minerals such as copper, will certainly improve a dog's coat if they are not getting enough in their diet. In terms of natural sources, zinc is found in red meat and bone.
A raw food diet is an excellent way to dramatically improve your dogs health and physical condition, but a high quality grain free kibble can also result in significant improvement in skin and coat condition. Lots of meat and whole, real foods are essential. Removing useless ingredients such as wheat, corn and meat by-products can result in a significant improvement in skin and coat condition.

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Want to make dramatic positive changes with your dog's nutrition? K9 Instinct provides nutrition consultations and a collection of great canine diet and nutrition eBooks to help you keep your dog healthy and strong!


Angel
K9 Instinct
13 Comments
mat
5/23/2013 12:18:47 am

What is the dosage for zinc?

Reply
Katherine
7/19/2013 02:11:39 am

I absolutely love your page. The nutritional information you provide is fantastic. Even though I don't feed raw now, I hope to at some point in the future and I already know I will be referring to your page for help. Thank you.

Reply
Erica
7/19/2013 02:49:27 am

I saw on Amazon that Orijen is about $70 for a 30 lb bag. How long will that last? I don't have a GSD yet but intend to in the next year or so and doing some research on what to feed.

Reply
Sarah
7/19/2013 03:22:24 am

I am feeding raw but my shepherds are increasingly dealing with itchy skin and runny eyes?

Reply
Randy link
7/19/2013 03:33:39 am

I have 4 Saint Bernards and 1 German Shepherd pup and I feed them ALL Orijen. Why? Because it's the best and they eat half as much as they do with a Euchanuba and their stools are 2/3 smaller (which means allot with Saint Bernards. Figure on your GS to eat 5-6 pounds per week. Don't be concerned with the price because you're paying it forward for a happier healthier life and less trips to the vet!

Reply
Gregory Francis
5/12/2014 01:50:33 am

Hows your dog doing with raw food, I have stopped for a while,hope to start

Reply
Gregory Francis
5/12/2014 01:56:02 am

Hi Sara, how are you doing,
Hows your dog doing with raw food, I stopped for some time and hope to start, pls share your experience, thanks
Gregory Francis

Reply
Sharon Bronkhorst
11/27/2013 01:35:19 pm

Why should the carrots be boiled? Won't grated raw carrots be better?

Reply
Naomi Tiscione
4/21/2018 03:15:26 pm

Dogs cannot digest cellulose, so you have to puree or cook vegetables (all vegetables).

Reply
Alice cohorst
12/3/2013 11:41:47 am

How many omega fatty acids??

Reply
tom
2/27/2015 10:16:35 pm

how we can impove my dog coat

Reply
Nidhish
11/28/2015 06:09:02 am

Hello ! I wanted to know what to give my Boy a german shepherd 13 months to enhance his coat color .. I was preferring the Red color to be seen .. Any good nutrition for him !
Many Thanks

Reply
Jaspreet Singh link
5/14/2018 06:32:54 am

Really great work. We are also working on awareness about dogs . http://dognation.in/2018/05/28-days-conditioning-plan-for-your-pitbull-dog-making-him-muscular-and-building-stamina

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