We all love cuddling up with our precious pups, but keeping their skin and fur healthy is about more than just making sure we have a cosy snuggle pal.
A healthy coat on the outside is usually a good sign things are nice and healthy on the inside, so here are some tips for keeping your dog’s skin and fur healthy and soft.
Keep baths infrequent
It’s no secret that we are passionate about getting dogs to drink more water and stay hydrated - but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they need to bathe in it!
As a general rule, dogs don’t need to take baths very often, unless they’re particularly muddy or dirty. A gentle rinse roughly once a month should be more than enough to keep them clean, and won’t disrupt their natural oils and self-cleaning process.
Doggie skin can be sensitive to chemicals, so if you use soap, be sure to choose a gentle, dog-friendly one that doesn’t cause irritation or discomfort. Most of the time, a quick wash with some warm water is more than enough!
Extra tip: be very careful not to get water into your pup’s ears as this could lead to infection.
Groom your pup regularly to avoid knots and skin conditions
Different breeds have different grooming needs, but for all dogs, it’s important to maintain their coats regularly. Whether you brush it yourself or pamper your pup with a professional groomer, regular grooming is an important part of skin and fur health.
It’s also important to choose the right kind of grooming for your pup. For example, some dogs need to be hand stripped, while others may need to be clipped. Equally, some dogs will need to be groomed more often than others depending on their fur, or how much they moult.
A good idea for young pups is to get them used to being groomed early. You can take them for a quick wash or a clip of the nails so that they get used to being touched and groomed. That way, when it’s time for a full makeover, they should be much more comfortable.
Diet
Washing and grooming your canine’s coat is important (as we’ve discussed above), but that’s looking after the fur that’s already there. To make sure that your pup’s coat grows out in the best possible condition, they need to have a healthy, balanced diet full of nutrients.
In fact, what your pup eats and drinks is the most important factor in how healthy their coat will be. Specifically, they need a careful balance of digestible proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals to achieve healthy skin and soft fur.
Supplements
Dogs don’t always get the nutrients they need from their food. Some, for example, are picky eaters, so their diet often lacks the variety necessary to get all the nutrients they need.
For other dogs, depending on their diet, they may consume lots of different nutrients, but not actually digest them, meaning they don’t get the benefits of those nutrients.
Certain supplements like omega fatty acids, horsetail and spirulina encourage a healthy coat. Together with good hydration, supplements can also ensure that your pup digests all of the goodness it ingests, as well as helping to ward off disease by boosting the immune system.
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