# Food and supplements for a luxurious coat!



## Kissyfur (Jul 23, 2004)

Hi,

I am now feeding my puppy the 'Good for the puppy lovers soul dog food (holistic)' and love it but wondered if any of you add in other supplements that have made a huge improvement in your dogs coat of hair. Maggie's looks okay but I've noticed a little thinning.


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## Deanna (Jan 14, 2005)

Just curious as to why at 3 years old she is still on puppy food? Puppy food is way higher in calories and fat than adult food, because puppies need the added fat and calories for all that growing and development they do in the first year. Usually dogs are switched to adult food or an all stages food by the time they are nearing one year old. 

The only thing I ever add to Wilson's food is fish oil to help with his dry itchy skin which he develops during our cold dry winter.


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## pico's parent (Apr 5, 2004)

I started a few months ago putting 9-10 drops of fish oil on Picos (home-cooked) supper. He has a compromised liver which thinned his coat but it has thickened up nicely over the past year or so possibly due to the good results we've had with his Denosyl supplement for the liver problem along with my good home cookin'!

I use heavy-metal free cod liver oil in a bottle and rubber band an eye dropper to it and keep it refrigerated. He loves it.


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## starry (Sep 4, 2006)

I would lke to ask a quick question without starting a whole new thread as it may require just a short answer:
I am trying to keep the tearstaining down and have started using distilled water instead of tap. I don't know if we have hard(excess minerals) water or not am just trying all things. 
Should i use regular people water bottle not distilled?By that I mean like the type everyone buys (purified?) in bottles to drink on the run now days. 
My dtr thought the distilled didn't have the right content of minerals a body may need.She may have a point?
Guess I am confused as to what water type to use now.


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## kathym (Aug 5, 2006)

> I would lke to ask a quick question without starting a whole new thread as it may require just a short answer:
> I am trying to keep the tearstaining down and have started using distilled water instead of tap. I don't know if we have hard(excess minerals) water or not am just trying all things.
> Should i use regular people water bottle not distilled?By that I mean like the type everyone buys (purified?) in bottles to drink on the run now days.
> My dtr thought the distilled didn't have the right content of minerals a body may need.She may have a point?
> ...


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## samuelette (Apr 9, 2006)

I have found adding 1 teaspoon of coconut oil a day to my dogs food gives a nice shinning coat


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

I use the people filtered water, not distilled.

As far as the food and supplements go, I have never found any that really improved the coat much if you are already feeding a premium food.

When I began breeding and showing Lhasa Apsos (about 25 years ago) I had a dog with a great body, but a very poor coat. I did everything to enhance his coat including all kinds of different supplements and/or vitamins, etc. After I learned a little more about grooming, I was able to finally get his coat in decent enough shape to complete his championship, however, I cut him down as soon as he was a champion because he had such bad hair. I was also very, very careful about who he was bred to, taking the bitch's coat texture and pedigree into consideration.

After years of breeding, I'm a firm believer in the genetics that contribute to the luxurious coat. Premium food is very important and so is proper grooming and proper grooming tools and shampoos and conditioners, etc. as well as the type of floor that the dog lives on, i.e., carpet causes breakage to the hair shaft.

But all-in-all it's the genetics that make some have the luxurious coat and some not. Kind of like our own hair. No amount of supplements will make an improper coat texture into a proper coat texture.

With that said, however, if your dog's coat has just begun to thin, I would see the vet as this could be a thyroid problem or something else.


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