Best Nutrition for a Shiny Coat

Home-made beauty remedies that feature olive oil, eggs and honey say that they will make our hair shiny, our nails strong and our skin flawless. While your dog may not let you cover its coat with a sticky mask, natural ingredients can also help it maintain healthy skin and fur.

Since topical masks and other beauty regimes likely won’t work for your pooch, the best way to supplement its natural processes with nutritious ingredients is through its diet. Whether you do this through pet food or specialized pet meds, you are likely to start seeing an improvement in the appearance of its coat.

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Omega-3 fatty acids are known to improve cell health on an animal’s organs, but it promotes healthy skin and shiny hair, too. Fats and oils are crucial parts of a dog’s diet for energy but also for a gorgeous coat, according to PetMD.com. You should avoid low-quality fats in dog food like tallow or lard, since these can cause weight gain. Instead, look for healthy sources of fat like plants. Oils from vegetable oils and sunflower and safflower oils will provide Omega-3 fatty acids, while pork fat and chicken fat can provide Omega-6.

Dog Food for a Healthy Coat

Many dog foods on the market today either contain these beneficial ingredients or the manufacturers add supplements for optimum health benefits. Natural Balance Ultra Premium Dry Dog Food boasts real chicken meat as its first ingredient but also has Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids added for healthy skin and coat. Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food also contains these healthy fats.

Supplements to Improve Your Pet’s Coat

If you decide to promote a healthy coat using supplements, there are also a few things to look for. You could simply give your dog a pure source of Omega-3s through supplements like Nordic Naturals Pet Cod Liver Oil, or you could choose a more complex vitamin. Brite Coat XS contains a combination of Omega fatty acids and plant oils to reduce shedding and scratching as well as create a shiny, healthy coat for your pooch.

Brewer’s Yeast

Another supplement that improves skin and coat is Brewers Yeast, which contains proteins, zinc and biotin that promote a healthy coat and skin. Other whole food supplements like Be Well for Dogs will provide your pooch with a host of vitamins and minerals that can improve the health of all its organs, including skin and fur.