As with humans, a dog’s levels of health and fitness are reflected in its appearance. If you provide the correct amount of quality food and fresh water and ensure that the dog enjoys proper exercise, you should be the owner of a dog that is in good shape and possessing a healthy skin and coat.

Obesity in pets is a condition that can develop very easily, and especially in neutered animals. It can cause or aggravate other disorders, such as diabetes, and some of the endocrine diseases, such as Cushing’s disease, which is caused by excess production of a hormone from the adrenal gland. This can lead to hair loss and skin lesions.

Obesity may also contribute to serious skin problems, which will have a detrimental effect on the coat quality and its density. Overweight dogs always molt a lot more than dogs that have the correct body weight for their size.

Feeding dogs on an unhealthy diet will reflect in a poor-quality, lack-luster coat. It must be stressed that the provision of a good, well-balanced diet is essential for a healthy coat and well-conditioned skin. As well as allowing a dog to eat its food efficiently, maintenance of good dental hygiene is also essential for a dog’s well-being, as decaying teeth and progressive gum disease slowly but surely poison the dog’s system.

Diet And Its Effects On The Coat

What you feed a dog has a great deal of influence on your pet’s growth, development and condition. A nutritious, well-balanced diet in suitable quantities helps to produce a well-muscled, healthy and happy dog. There are so many different ways in which you can feed your dog, with a huge range of commonly produced products to choose from. It will benefit you to take some time to research the diet that will best suit your dog. Talk to your vet if you feel you need more advice.

Dogs are not true carnivores and cannot exist on meat alone, unlike cats. Meat, which provides protein, should not form more than half of their diet. The rest of the daily calories should come from carbohydrates, which can be found in dog meal and/or vegetables including raw carrots, cabbage, and raw or cooked potatoes.

Dogs love apples, too! Protein is needed for growth, tissue repair and maintenance of metabolic processes. Essential fatty acids give a glossy shine to a dog’s coat and help to maintain a healthy skin. Carbohydrates add bulk to the diet and help maintain regular bowel movements. A balanced diet – be it a commercially made complete food or one prepared by yourself – should have all the vitamins and bulk your pet requires.

Daily requirements vary, depending on what sort of breed you have, your dog’s activity levels and what stage in its life it has reached. During puppyhood and the growing stages of any breed, frequent meals throughout the day of a high-quality food, with added vitamins and minerals and sufficient calories, help to maintain a good growth pattern.

If you are feeding a complete food, adequate vitamins and minerals should already be included in the mix, but if it’s your own dietary plan, these supplements, readily available in pet stores, should be added. At the other end of the scale, senior dogs require far fewer calories as their energy demands drop quite significantly. Of course, very active types of dog require a higher intake of food than less active types to maintain optimum levels of condition.

But a good, balanced diet provided in correct amounts combined with regular, ample exercise should ensure that your dog will have a healthy coat and skin. If the dog is in good condition generally, this will be reflected in its coat, which will possibly demand less attention. Improperly fed dogs often have dull coats and seem listless by comparison.

Dogs that are overweight will generally shed or molt a lot more than dogs of an appropriate weight, and they also feel the heat a lot more. Neutering can also cause dogs to get overweight easily, and it will often also affect their hair growth pattern.

Making sure that your dog is free from internal parasites also helps to ensure your pet is deriving the maximum benefit from its food. Needless to say, a good supply of clean, fresh drinking water should always be available. Should your dog regularly start to drink more than normal amounts of water, contact your vet as this might indicate an internal disorder or onset of illness.