Thursday, August 27, 2009

Dog Skin Care begins with Good Dog Food

I’ve been reading a lot about dog skin care lately. What prompted my interest was a discussion that a group of us was having about our dogs and I was surprised at how many had dog skin problems. Dry flaky skin, itchy skin, rashes, hot spots, eczema, bug bites that just would not go away. Needless to say all these conditions make our doggies miserable. They tend to scratch at the offending spot if they can reach it with their paws, or bite at it especially if it happens to be on one of more of their paws, or even rub up against something if it’s an area that can’t be reached by paw or mouth to get some relief. Bald spots and open sores that are hard to heal are often the result.

In my business I call on pet retailers and the first thing I did the next day when I was on my rounds was to ask some of the owners of these stores if they had customers who came in with dog skin problems. Yes, apparently there are plenty of customers who come in looking for products that would relieve their pets of things that make them go itchy scratchy – not just dogs, but cats and even ferrets.

The first resource is diet. The preferred type of food that customers like to buy for their dogs is kibble followed by canned. In either case you really need to know what the ingredients are and what the source of those ingredients is. In an effort to keep prices down manufacturers take free rein with fillers such processed grains and ground up animal “produce” which can be anything from ground up chicken feathers to discarded offal. The operative objective is to give food to the animal that makes him feel full.

The problem with this process is that nutrients are sadly lacking. Just as it is important for us humans to eat nutritious foods so it is also with our pets. Poor diet is often the underlying cause of skin problems, dogs, cats and ferrets alike.

Granted, some of the major brands have been improving the nutrient value of the food they manufacture for our pets and have begun to market them as specialty items.

What I find most interesting however is the growth of boutique brand manufacturers. These tend to be small to medium companies. Their whole premise is to manufacture quality pet food that is high on nutrients and low on fillers. The ingredients are whole foods. They use real chicken or beef meat and put in vegetables for much needed enzymes. Some of the foods are fortified with additional vitamins. Omega 3 fatty acids are often mentioned in the ingredients list which helps to promote a soft and silky coat.

The boutique brand foods are higher priced. Pet store owners tell me that increasingly their customers are choosing to spend a few dollars more on quality pet food in exchange for a healthier pet. But it’s not always just the diet, sometimes its other things: fleas, environment, grooming and more. But feeding your dog a quality dog food is a good first step to good dog skin care.