Healthy Skin and Coat
10/07/06

It may seem counter intuitive that our pets shed a lot in the fall. The summer coat sheds to make room for the heavier winter coat. If you’re sipping your coffee and notice a pet hair floating on top be comforted that you’re not alone.

Individual hair follicles cycle through four phases. The hair coat changes based in part on day length. Skin and coat health are also heavily influenced by various hormones, nutritional status, parasitic conditions, grooming, genetics and other factors. The skin is the largest organ in the body and can reflect our pets’ overall health. It’s often the first thing I assess when walking into an exam room.

The simplest advice I can give for healthy coats is to feed a good quality diet. The next sentence should be to avoid overfeeding. Likely the next best advice is to practice effective parasite control. Our favorite product for dogs is Sentinel^® parasite preventative. This monthly pill is guaranteed to prevent fleas, heartworms, and the three major intestinal worms. Cats should receive monthly applications of Revolution^® which prevents fleas, ear mites, certain intestinal worms, heartworms and more. These products will go along way towards keeping your pets healthy including their skin and coat.

Grooming your pets should be a regular activity. Train your pets to accept brushing from an early age. It’s one of those activities, like walking your dogs that has multiple benefits. You spend some quality time with your pet and get a good look at what’s going on with them as well. Is the coat thin and dry? Are there dry patches or patchy areas of hair loss? Is the coat supple, thick and shiny?

Vitamin E (the “natural” version) and fish oil (Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids) can be very beneficial for a number of reasons including skin and coat health. Of course there are a variety of disease conditions that adversely effect the coat so if your pet is having skin problems despite your good care have your veterinarian take a look. So take some quality time with your pet this month to re-examine their skin and coat, but above all, take some quality time!