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I have a lot of customers that come in with questions regarding their dogs coat and skin.
Since I feel I am a skin and coat therapist I have come up with the following "suggestions" to help solve those
skin and coat issues.
Dry itchy skin does not always have to do with fleas. I have many customers that want me to 'dip' their dogs for fleas
because they are itching. Most likely it is NOT fleas but just dry skin.
Ask yourself what are YOU feeding your dog?
Here is how to choose GOOD, HIGH-QUALITY dog food:
1) When I chose a dog food, I chose one with HIGH meat content. At least 2-3 out of the top 5 ingredients be meat or
meat meal (first ingredient must be!). Meal is simply the meat with the moisture removed.
2) I want to see higher quality grains, such as barley, brown rice, and oatmeal, instead of seeing wheat and corn. Or
an alternative starch/carbohydrate such as potatoes or sweet potatoes.
3) I don't want to see any byproducts.
4) I don't want to see a lot of fillers (brewers rice, beet pulp, etc).
5) I don't want to see preservatives that are believed to be carcinogens (BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin).
6) I don't want to see artificial colorings such as the Red, Blue, and Yellow dyes.
7) I don't want to see added sugars (sugar, corn syrup).
8) I don't want to see mystery meats (meats identified only as "meat" or "poultry".)
Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?...
And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?...
Here are some examples of high-quality foods:
* Artemis
* Blue Buffalo
* California Natural
* Canidae
* Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul
* Eagle Pack Holistic Selects
* EVO
* Fromm
* Innova
* Merrick
* Nature's Variety
* Orijen
* Solid Gold
* Taste of the Wild
* Timberwolf Organics
* Wellness
* ZiwiPeak
Or check this website; the 4, 5, or 6 star rated foods are all good foods, 3 or less stars I would stay away from. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_...
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Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers
eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more of a low-quality food to try to get the nutrition
it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, higher-quality food will make your animals healthier, so
you save money on vet bills in the long run.
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What **NOT** to buy:
Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery
store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, etc.)
Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not always mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally
high quality food. Most of these foods have the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality
of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, Bil-Jac, etc..)
Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands
they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying
that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they
pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so
vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well.
Hills company, the makers of Science Diet, are heavily involved in vet schools. "Hill's scientists author more than
50 research papers and textbook chapters each year and teach at leading schools of veterinary medicine" (Source of quoted
section: http://www.hillsvet.com/zSkin_2/company_... )
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When switching foods, do it gradually so your dog doesn't get diarrhea. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A
You can always add some RAW turkey, chicken, plain yogurt, and apples. This small change will show a BIG difference in
your pets overall skin and coat health.
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Bath Brush and Beyond Pet spa.
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