Skin Care and What Your Dog Coat Can Tell You
When owners groom their dogs, they always love to see a shiny and lustrous dog, coat colors vivid and glossy, after they are done. They want the dog coat to look healthy and this can only be accomplished by providing the correct dog vitamins in the food and maintaining good skin care. The skin and coats of dogs are like a red flag to illness, allergies, skin conditions, flea bites, mites, feeding problems - which are always in addition to the fact they love to roll and play in the dirt, straw, and hay.
The skin of a dog is thinner and more easily injured than our own human skin. The dog coat is determined by many factors: bathing, cleanliness, nutrition, genetics, hormones, medical conditions, etc. In addition dogs that live outdoor have a much heavier coat grown for insulation and protection against the elements.
The Fur Of A Dog Coat
A dog coat is made up of different types of fur. They can be double-coated or single-coated. Double-coated dogs have a soft undercoat and a coarser topcoat; single-coated dogs only have one type, the topcoat. Most dogs shed in the early spring when it begins to warm up, and will develop a heavier, thicker coat of fur in the fall. This re-growing of fur in the fall is referred to as “blowing the coat.” Samoyed females blow their coats twice a year, while males blow it once around their birth dates. My American Eskimos and Cairn Terriers also blow their coats, with the females blowing their coats around the heat cycle. This period requires extensive grooming and brushing, line combing, etc. in order to remove the old dead coats. A bath does wonders about a week later to not only improve how they feel, but to finish the shedding process. If the old hair remains, those areas will become “hot spots” which become extensive itching areas to the dog, eventually forming sores and open area.
Domesticated dogs we have as pets shed twice a year, with many breeds fur resembling our own hair, as it grows longer and longer, requiring continuous trimming. An example would be a poodle – without a trim they look like a fuzzy bushman!
When judging a dog’s coat look for several things including:
- The length of hair
- It’s texture
- Markings
- Color – different breed standards have specific colors
Natural Shampoos
Many dog owners go to discount stores or grocery stores, purchasing the cheapest dog shampoo they can. Owners may not realize that these shampoos will harm the fur as they don't supply the dog vitamins and essential pH levels needed to keep the dog coat healthy and shiny looking.
About $10 a quart/$30 a gallon, the Veriuni line (http://www.dogshampoo.brigitterecommends.com ) of natural products are probably one of the best lines you can purchase for you dog, and you can purchase either a similar product line or this one, for the utmost safest quality care for your dog:
- It is non-toxic
- The ingredients are biodegradable, breaking down into harmless natural elements
- Contains no hazardous ingredients per OSHA regulation
- No petroleum distillates, EDTA, NTA, Ammonia, Benzene, Grain proteins, Enzymes or formaldehyde
- Free of all known or suspected carcinogens
- Biodegradable without effluent treatment processes
LINKS TO NATURAL CARE FOR YOUR DOGS
All Natural Remedies for Dogs and Cats - http://www.herb-doc.com/petcare.htm
Botanical Dog - http://www.botanicaldog.com/
Dog Services - http://www.dogservices.co.uk/list.php?ID=17
Dr. Goodpet - http://www.goodpet.com/
Only Natural Pet Store - http://search.onlynaturalpet.com/
Open Directory Project - http://dmoz.org/Shopping/Pets/Supplies/Health/
Finding the right products to promote a healthy dog coat, adding dog vitamins as needed for good skin care and maintaining regular bathing and grooming routines will help your pet stay in tip top appearance, even if they are just a companion and not a show dog.
