A glorious, glossy coat is not just nice for your dog to have, although it will definitely get you stopped in the street by strangers, the condition of your dog’s fur is actually a key indicator of their overall health. Chances are, when your dog’s fur is looking healthy and shiny on the outside, your pup is thriving on the inside.
So, we’re here to give you our top secrets on how to get your pup’s coat in the best condition, so keep reading to find out everything we know. After all, everyone wants their pooch to have a coat that you’d be jealous of yourself!
What are the signs of poor skin and coat condition?
Dry skin and fur
Dull coat
Brittle and coarse hair
Shedding excessively
Dandruff
Overly greasy fur
Bumpy, flaky skin
Excessive scratching, biting and chewing at fur
Poor coat and skin condition could be an indicator of various things, such as illness, stress, lack of grooming, a change in season and weather, and then perhaps most notably, poor nutrition.
So, how do you get your pup’s coat to look lustrous, glossy and silky smooth? Well, we’re here to reveal all.
How to get your dog’s fur healthy
All about the food
To get your dog’s fur healthy and shiny, it’s essential that you start from the inside out. If your pup is eating low-quality, highly-processed food every day, they won’t be getting the nutrition they need to thrive in all aspects of their life, and it’ll be reflected in the quality of their coat. The skin is the biggest organ of the body, so it becomes extremely visible when the skin and coat aren’t getting the correct nutrition.
Complete and balanced dinners are at the forefront of keeping your dog’s fur healthy, so your pup needs to be eating food made with all the right proteins, fats, carbs, vitamins and minerals to give them everything they need. Get the balance right and give your dog’s coat its time to shine.
Proteins
As you’re probably already aware, protein is an important component of your dog’s diet, and it plays a really important role in the makeup of your dog’s coat. Around 90-95% of your dog’s hair structure is made up of proteins, and around 25% of your dog’s daily protein consumption goes straight to their skin and coat to keep it looking and feeling great.
It’s clear to see that protein is a necessary part of your dog’s diet to keep their fur healthy.
So, when it comes to choosing what food is right for your dog, always check the ingredients label for the protein source. Ideally, you want protein to be the first thing listed on the label, as this means it’s the ingredient that makes up the majority of the food.
For the highest quality protein source, it should be named as it is, like ‘turkey’, ‘duck’ or ‘beef’, as this means that real cuts of meat from the animal named have been used.
We only use high-quality, real meat in our Pure recipes so that your dog is always eating the very best. This will ensure your pup gets all the nutrition they need and the right amount of protein to get their fur looking healthy and glossy.
As a result, your dog will be getting a good amount of protein to not only maintain their nutritional needs and coat condition, but they’ll be getting the perfect quantities to make sure that they’re thriving and their coat is shining.
Vitamins, minerals and nutrients
Your dog’s food needs to meet various nutritional requirements, and there are a few specific ingredients that are amazing at pampering your pup’s skin and keeping that coat looking and feeling glossy and great, such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Omega-3 is a powerful anti-inflammatory, which will help ease skin problems and keep your dog’s skin soft, while omega-6 helps to keep the coat smooth and shiny.
Vitamin E is also an extremely beneficial antioxidant that should be packed into any complete dog food, and it’s particularly helpful for boosting the quality of your dog’s skin and coat. It works to moisturise the skin, reduce any flakiness that can contribute to a dull coat, stimulates hair growth and even helps to rebuild damaged follicles of hair. Essentially, vitamin E is pretty multi-talented and totally vital in your dog’s dinners.
But it's not just the nutrients that go into the food that matter, how they’re processed is incredibly important to consider too.
Many dry dog foods, like kibble, are processed using a method called extrusion. This involves the ingredients being put under a harmful, high heat and then squashed into the brown kibble biscuits we see in the packets. However, this process often kills loads of the nutrients that were originally in the ingredients.
So, your dog needs to eat food that’s minimally processed and packed with natural, nutritious ingredients to get that coat in tiptop condition. At Pure, our food is bursting with goodness, packed with all the essential nutrients your dog’s fur needs and is carefully prepared by us here in Yorkshire. None of the nasties, none of the harsh processing, just all of the goodness your dog needs.
Supplements
If you don’t think your dog is getting enough nutrients in their food to keep their fur healthy, you could give your pooch omega-3 fatty acid supplements to boost their skin and coat condition.
However, your pup should be getting all the nutrition they need from their daily dinners anyway. But if you’re finding that their coat is still dull, supplements might be the next step to give your dog that extra little boost.
Here at Pure, we like to make sure that your dog is getting everything they need and more to thrive from their food. We include natural sources of omega-3 and omega-6 in all our tailored recipes, which provides a whole host of health benefits, including easing joint aches, maintaining cognitive function, and of course, keeping your dog’s fur healthy, shiny and soft.
Grooming
Your pup deserves to sport a super shiny coat that everyone will be jealous of as they walk down the street, and just like human hair, good hair needs the proper care.
Brushing your dog regularly (in both directions) helps to remove dead hair, dead skin, dirt and debris from your dog’s coat, alongside distributing the natural oils along the coat, making it look shiny, silky and brighter. And of course, don’t forget the odd bath here and there to get rid of all that muck they pick up on walkies.
How regularly you groom your dog will depend on what type of fur they have, short-haired dogs will be much more low maintenance compared to a long-haired dog or curly-coated dog who’ll require frequent brushing to get rid of dead hair and stop those luscious, long locks getting matted or tangled.
Parasite protection
Every pooch will come across a pesky little parasite at some point in their life, which can be a real bother. Fleas and ticks lurk in your dog’s fur to greedily steal their blood, which could cause your dog to itch, scratch and bite at their own fur, potentially causing hair loss and damage to their coat.
Pet parents should routinely check their dog for parasites, especially after walkies through the long grass, and use parasite preventatives where possible to keep those pests at bay so they don’t cause any harm to your dog or their coat.
Talk to your vet
Some dogs naturally do just have a duller coat than others, but if you feel like your dog’s fur is unusually dull, or they’re scratching and biting at it nonstop, it’s a good idea to make a trip to the vet to check everything’s okay.
As we know, a dull coat could be a sign of illness, stress or the excessive scratching could even be an indicator of allergies.
Here’s where tailored dog food can come in handy. If you do discover a problem, such as an illness or allergies, a tailored dog food recipe can help to support their illness or be totally personalised to suit your dog’s allergies. And in turn, this will help boost the condition of your dog’s coat so they not only feel healthy, but they look it too.
At Pure, all our recipes are totally tailored. We use real, natural ingredients and tailor the recipes to suit your dog’s needs down to a tee. We make tailored recipes made to suitable for various ailments and allergies, and each one is just as nutritious and delicious as the last.
Every ingredient in our recipes is intended to benefit your dog’s overall health, which as we know results in a healthier-looking coat that’ll impress absolutely everyone you meet.