Dog, Dog Nutrition

10 things you can do to help your dog’s skin and fur recover, get healthier, soft and shiny.

Evelyn

Pet Expert & Writer

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After helping thousands of pets in Malaysia, one of the most common issues we have seen is a problem with skin and fur: dogs losing a lot of fur, scratching all the time, having bald patches, and many different types of rashes in the skin that can bleed or get infected.

Here are some of the key things you can do (or you should stop doing) to ensure your dog’s skin is healthy and also the fur is strong and shiny.

The first step is to check with the vet because the condition can be caused by viruses or bacteria and in those cases, the only thing that will help in the short term is having the right medicine.

The good news is that most of the cases are not a disease, but instead are usually connected to proper Dog Nutrition.

Let’s start with the 3 most important things you should STOP DOING if you want a long-term solution:

  1. Do not use any fillers in your dog’s food –  No rice, flour, corn, wheat, potatoes, starch or any type of complex carbohydrates. Dogs are not supposed to eat those because their digestive system is unable to process them effectively and as a consequence, it triggers skin issues (among other more serious issues in the long-term)
  2. Remove all the artificial stuff from the food: no colouring, no artificial flavors, no preservatives.
  3. Remove fake meats: no ingredient such as meat “meal”, meat “flavour”, “hydrolyzed” meat or byproducts.

 

Do these 3 things and after a few months, the skin issues will most likely be gone forever.

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6 natural things you can do in the short term to help with the current symptoms:

But let me be clear – this won’t solve the core of the problem, it will just help with the symptoms your dog is facing now. If you want to solve the issue you need to tackle the core of the problem: what goes inside your dog’s belly.

Try these to alleviate the symptoms:

  1. Include Salmon Oil and other Omega 3 rich ingredients in your dog’s food.
  2. Use Baking Soda, apply to their skin and hair. Use a brush to comb the baking soda out.
  3. You can apply Coconut Oil in the affected areas
  4. Feed nutritionally rich food to improve the immune system (Real meat and veggies)
  5. Add Turmeric / Golden Paste to their food.
  6. Apply Apple Cider Vinegar solution (1 part ACV + 2 parts warm water) in the affected areas, or even let the dog soak on it for a few minutes.

BONUS TIP: Once your dog’s skin and fur are healthy: here is how to bring it from GOOD to GREAT:

  • Marrow bones soup (but don’t feed the cooked bones!) or chicken feet soup. Has high amounts of Collagen and Glucosamine that will make your dog’s skin healthier and the fur strong and shiny.

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Unless nothing of these worked: Avoid Hypoallergenic Kibbles.

There are two types of Hypoallergenic Kibbles:

The first ones are usually the same dry food, with all the ingredients that cause the problem but with antihistamines (medicine) on top.  When your dog eats it the allergy is being triggered anyways, but the symptoms won’t show up because the medicine will block it.

That might sound like a good thing but is not. Your dog would be taking medicine with every single meal and the digestive system and the immune system will be so stressed that will make the organs work extra hard every single day until they start failing, triggering even more serious issues.

The second type of Hypoallergenic Kibbles is where they use ultra-processed meat (hydrolyzed proteins) that is so heavily processed that they are not real meat anymore.

Hypoallergenic Kibbles are overprescribed mainly because the Vets get a nice commission from selling them, that’s also why you can’t find them in supermarkets or pet stores, just when recommended by the Vet.

In my opinion, avoid Hypoallergenic Kibbles unless nothing else worked and after you got an allergic test (ask your vet for it) proving that the only option is using the medicine.

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Disclaimer:

Please be aware that in many cases these skin issues and patches in the skin are early symptoms that could lead to more severe (or even chronic) health conditions such as kidney failure, diabetes, liver failure and blindness.

Please check with your vet or talk to our Pet Nutrition Advisors (100% Free)

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