A Healthy Skin and Coat for Your Dog
by Brigitte Smith
Does your dog always having a lush, soft coat?
Does your dogs skin remain rash and itch free?
If you said yes to either or both of the above questions, yours is a very fortunate dog.
More likely, like me, you said "No", or, perhaps "Sometimes".
Most of our dogs suffer from a dull coat and/or a skin irritation of some type from time to time. Some poor dogs seem to be plagued by skin problems, which often causes them to molt, or even to pull their own fur out in an attempt to relieve the itchiness.
This can be caused by a number of things, including a vitamin deficiency.
Even if you think youre feeding your dog an ideal diet, it may not be so. For years my vet complimented me on the great health of my dogs due to the largely raw diet I fed them, but little did I realise that down the track they would begin to develop degenerative conditions which I can now only attribute to a failure to supplement with vitamins and/or balanced holistic food.
Yes, diet can impact on your dogs skin condition and the look and feel of your dogs coat in a big way.
And fleas also, of course, can cause major skin irritation for your dog.
But for now, back to the external, and non-parasitic, causes of an irritated, dry or itchy skin.
Kara, my Rottweiler, has pretty sensitive skin - she gets a rash from coming into contact with the pollen from certain plants.
My Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Jet, is more hardy in the coat and skin department. Jets pretty lucky. She doesnt get incessant itches very often at all, although she has been known to molt once or twice in her 9 years.
To keep your dogs skin and coat in tip top condition and health, a good dog shampoo is really important. When my dogs were younger I sometimes used cheap shampoos from discount stores. I came to the conclusion that this was really false economy. They cleaned the coat reasonably well, but werent particularly beneficial to the skin.
Now I use an all-natural, enriched shampoo which helps relieve itching and dry, flaky skin. And the coat comes out really silky and it really seems to have a lovely shine. And it has a tearless formula, so its kind to your dogs eyes! If youd like to check it out, youll find the details by clicking here:
If your dog is anything like my Rottweiler, Kara, your dogs fur is often dusty and not so great to stroke. Kara loves rolling in the dirt outside. When the dirt in the backyard is dry, I can brush out the dust and dirt without too much trouble.
But when its damp Kara needs to be washed to really get her coat clean again. And when its been pouring rain for a day or two, I actually try to keep her inside the house as much as possible. Because, yes, she rolls in the wet, sticky mud, when she gets a chance. You should see the mess she gets in. She can be covered in mud from head to toe. And shes most put out when I wont let her in the house in that state!
Thats when the shampoo really comes in handy! That link again is:
(c) 2005, Brigitte Smith, Healthy Happy Dogs
Brigitte Smith is a dog lover with a special interest in holistic dog health.
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