Give your pet’s skin and coat health a boost by working from the inside out! Nutrition plays a vital role in ensuring he looks — and feels — his best.
Skin, coat, paws and nails are external factors you can use to judge the health of your dog or cat. If he has dry itchy skin, a dull coat with excessive shedding, or brittle nails, it could be a sign he needs nutritional support.
Rather than reaching for a new shampoo or cream, take a look at how you can support his skin, coat, and nails from within. Too much grooming can cause more harm than good. Over-washing strips the skin of its protective and moisturizing oils. Excessive grooming can also disrupt the skin’s microbiome and weaken its barrier against irritants. Instead, focus on providing the nutrients your dog or cat needs to make healthy tissues.
Healthy fats
These are an essential part of a dog or cat’s diet. Unfortunately, many commercial pet foods do not provide enough healthy fats. Fish oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, and lecithin are great pet-friendly sources. They provide Omega-3 fatty acids that help prevent the skin irritation and inflammation contributing to rashes and hot spots. Omega-3 improves the skin’s protective barrier by locking in moisture and keeping out irritants that cause dryness, redness, and itchiness.
Providing your animal with healthy fats speeds wound-healing by providing him with the essential fatty acids and vitamins his tissues need to regenerate. You’ll also see a shinier coat and less shedding. Antioxidants found in olive oil and flaxseed oil help his skin age gracefully.
Vitamins and minerals for skin and coat health
These are the building blocks of many processes and tissues that contribute to your dog or cat’s health.
- Vitamin A is critical for keeping skin smooth and rejuvenated. When vitamin A is low, skin becomes irritated, dry and scaly.
- Vitamin D3 is a must for healthy coats as it helps create new hair follicles. When there isn’t enough vitamin D, hair becomes brittle and growth slows. When looking for a vitamin D supplement, we recommend D3 over D2, as it’s better absorbed.
- Vitamin E is used in the formation of collagen fibers. And since collagen is involved in the growth and formation of hair and skin, it’s foundational.
- Silica is one of the most abundant trace minerals in your animal’s body. It is essential for synthesizing the collagen and enzymes that strengthen skin and enhance elasticity. A diet rich in silica results in less hair loss, and a brighter, shinier coat. Our favorite form of silica supplementation for animals is diatomaceous earth. It’s high in silica while also providing many digestive health benefits. By improving digestive health, your animal will better absorb the nutrients required for healthy hair, nails and skin.
Additional health benefits
Besides skin and coat health, healthy joints, ligaments and muscles, better eyesight, improved brain health, improved wound healing, and excellent digestion are just some of the many other health-promoting benefits you’ll see when nourishing your animal with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.
Sources of healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals
Dr. Maggie Skin and Coat includes the perfect balance of Omega-3s, Omega-6s, DHA, and EPA from anchovy fish oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, and lecithin. It also includes vitamins A, D3, and E. NaturPet’s Intesti Care provides food-grade diatomaceous earth plus other digestive-supportive ingredients.
