9 Effective Tips To Keep Your Dog’s Coat Healthy

Dogs are a popular preference for pets among several households across America. Statistics show that 65.1 million American homes own a dog. As a dog owner, one of the things you should know and cannot compromise on is the importance of ensuring your dog is happy and healthy. This means ensuring they are well-fed, have sufficient exercise, receive the needed attention, and have sufficient space to play. An important aspect of ensuring your dog’s good health and happiness is keeping their coat clean, shiny, and healthy. This is not only good for your dog but also for your and your family’s safety, as it prevents health risks. So, how do you keep your dog’s coat healthy? Below are nine effective tips you should consider.

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Know your dog’s coat

Being knowledgeable about your dog’s coat is the first step to ensuring you take the right measures to ensure its health. A mistake most dog owners make is thinking that their dog’s fur is similar to that of humans. However, this is not entirely the case. Like humans, dogs’ fur is made of keratin and grows on the follicles of the inner layer of skin. However, when they achieve a certain length, the hair falls out— known as shedding. A dog’s coat is made out of three types of hair, namely the whiskers, the guard, and the undercoat. These various types of hair differ in color, thickness, and texture in the different breeds of dogs. Therefore, to adequately provide your dog with the coat care it needs, knowing more about its coat and how best it can be kept healthy is vital.

Prioritize bath time

Your dog may not like bath time, and honestly—neither do you, but it is a vital way of ensuring their good health. Regular baths prevent the growth of fungi and bacteria, which cause great discomfort for your dog. When a dog experiences fungal and bacterial infections, its skin becomes flaky, moist, or crusty, making it itchy and uncomfortable. It may also experience several health concerns, such as yeast dermatitis or staph infection.

However, it is important to note that bathing your dog every day can be just as unhealthy. This is because you may remove the skin’s natural oils in the process, damaging the skin. Additionally, dogs have different coat types and personal needs. Therefore, putting yours on a bath schedule that adequately satisfies these factors is important. You must also pay close attention to the type of shampoo you use for your dog’s bath time. Moisturizing and organic shampoos are usually a great option. If you are worried about not giving your dog a good bath or have limited time, you should consider hiring a grooming service to provide your dog with an excellent and healthy bath.

Consider an oatmeal bath

Although regular baths are great for your dog, you can give them a nice dog-care treat with a nice oatmeal bath. Oatmeal baths are a great alternative to shampoo baths for several reasons. For one, they are less expensive. You also reduce the risk of harming your dog’s fur as no harsh ingredients are used. Oatmeal baths also soothe a dog’s dry and itchy skin and maintain the glow of its oat. Furthermore, these baths help treat any skin allergies they may be encountering. To make an oatmeal bath, all you need is grounded oatmeal. You can simply place the grounded oatmeal into the water and then get your dog in or create a paste, smear it on the dog, then rinse it off. It is important to remember that although oatmeal baths are a great alternative to shampoo baths, they do not completely replace these baths.

Brush their coat often

Closely linked to bath time is brushing your dog. As mentioned earlier, regardless of the breed, dogs shed their hair from time to time. Sometimes, these hairs do not fall out on their own, making the coat matted or shabby-looking. Regularly brushing your dog can help take off the dead hair. It also helps distribute natural oils across the coat, removes dead and dry skin, and maintains the health of your dog’s coat and undercoat. If your dog sheds often, you should use a de-shedding brush to remove the dead hair. You should also get a quality dog brush to ensure you get great results from brushing and your dog’s safety.

Provide quality food

Your dog’s diet plays a significant role in the health of its coat. A dull and lustreless coat is a telltale sign of an underfed dog. Proteins ensure your dog has a beautiful, shiny, and healthy coat. This is because they supply the body with amino acids that stimulate and build hair and skin, as well as nails, tendons, muscles, and ligaments. Therefore, choosing foods such as those from Nextrition, which contain lamb, chicken, and turkey, is a great idea. You should also consider including Omega 3 & 6 sources in their meals. These fatty acids aid in keeping the coat shiny and healthy by releasing oil onto the skin to keep it moisturized and reduce inflammation. Therefore, you should consider including various sources of Omega oils such as sunflower oil, flaxseed oil, or fish oils in your diet. However, you should be mindful of how much you include, as too much could make your dog sick. To be safe, consult your dog’s veterinarian for advice.

Encourage regular exercise

There are several advantages to giving your dog the chance to exercise. It reduces their risk of contracting fatal diseases, prevents obesity, and keeps them fit and happy. Exercise is also another effective way of keeping your dog’s coat healthy. By exercising regularly, your dog’s blood circulation improves, even when it’s resting. When this happens, the blood can effectively carry important nutrients to the other organs, including the skin. Therefore, exercise doesn’t just improve your dog’s physical and mental well-being and makes its coat shiny and healthy.

Protect them against pest

Pests such as ticks and fleas are a major health concern for dogs and you, the owner. There are several ways your dog could contact these pests; however, getting rid of them as soon as they are detected is important. In addition to compromising their health, pests also tend to destroy the health of your dog’s coat. For instance, once fleas are attached to your dog, they can cause scabbing, itching, and scratching. This is largely due to your dog picking at the fleas-infested area. They also cause skin irritations and infections. Therefore, it is important to implement preventive measures in time to avoid these pests and their effects. Regular baths are one effective measure. Cleaning the home regularly is another way to keep your dogs safe from ticks and fleas. Pruning your grass and limiting your dog’s interaction with it will also prevent pests from wreaking havoc on your dog’s coat and overall health. You should also actively check your dog for any of these pests to detect the problem promptly and provide the needed solution. You can look for flees and ticks using a flea comb. You should also choose a reputable flea spray to eliminate and protect your dog from these pests.

Know the telltale signs of an unhealthy coat

Another effective way to keep your dog’s coat healthy is knowing what an unhealthy is. Knowing the telltale signs of an unhealthy coat puts you in the position of identifying this problem with your dog and rectifying it before it’s too late. So, what are these signs? A common one is a dull coat. If your dog’s coat seems to lack luster and flair, it is fair to say it is unhealthy. Dryness is another indicator of an unhealthy coat. This may be due to skin allergies, not rinsing or drying properly after a bath, or using shampoo with harsh chemical ingredients. Other signs include lumps, open sores, and bald spots.

Talk to experienced professionals

A veterinarian (or a vet) is the best professional to consult regarding your dog’s health. When caring for their coat, consulting a vet would give you access to the right information. Your vet could provide trusted solutions to the problems you may be experiencing in your efforts to keep your dog’s coat healthy. After all, the last thing you want is to compromise their overall health in the process. You should also consult your vet if your dog doesn’t seem to be improving despite your efforts to keep their coat shiny, as this may be due to a more complex issue. Another professional to consult concerning the health of your dog’s coat is a groomer. Groomers are knowledgeable in keeping the dogs well-groomed and their coats healthy. Therefore, they can give you advice on how to do the same.

A healthy dog is a happy dog. As a dog owner, you want to ensure your furball lives life to the fullest without discomfort or risk of disease. The state of a dog’s coat says a lot about its health and how it is treated. Fortunately, the mentioned above can help ensure that your dog’s coat is in good condition and health to ensure your dog is happy.