Improving coat quality

Beejou

Can anyone tell me how often I should be using E and fish oil?

You don't have to necessarily use fish oil for every meal. My dogs (and cats) all have fantastic coats.   I rotate oils with each meal.  Fish oil isn't the only oil high in omega fatty acids. It's only high in  Omega 3. Your animals need 3 and 6 and it doesn't hurt to have Omega 9's too. Whatever food you choose to feed should have a high amount of MEAT protein in it and then hopefully chicken fat or fish oil as it's main source of fat.  Then you need to check the omega 6/9 ratio in the guaranteed analysis. The ratio should ideally be 2:1 meaning for every  1% of Omega 6 there should be no less than 0.5% of Omega 3.  Even most higher quality foods ( I've found ) have very low OFA ratios and my dog's coats suffer.  You want at least 3-4% Omega 6 and at least 1.5-2% Omega 3. in the food.  Then you can supplement with any of the following :  Salmon Oil, Fish Oil (make sure it says it's been purified  or it can still contain contaminants like PCB's and mercury ), Borage Oil, Canola Oil ( high in Omega 3's) , Walnut Oil ( VERY high in Omega 3's ), Coconut Oil ( Probably one of the best oils ever for skin and coat ), Evening Primrose Oil, Flaxseed Oil,  Camelina Oil, Olive Oil,  Sunflower Oil.   I rotate my oils with each meal. My crew gets fish ( purified anchovy/sardine/mackeral/herring ) or salmon oil for one meal every day and then for the second meal I rotate from the above list depending on what I have on-hand.  Rule of thumb is to give about 1/2 tsp for each 10 lbs of weight.  ( so my 70 lb dogs get 3+ tsp  and little dogs  10 lbs get 1/2 tsp ). I also give them brewers yeast and garlic tabs every day... one tab for each 10 lbs.

I have to agree with the other's though.... Beneful is an absolutely horrible quality food... IF you can even call it food. It's certainly not food fit to feed a carnivore. It's more suited to feed a cow as it's nothing more than a bag of cereal, by-product waste and chemicals. Frankly I don't know how any meat-eating animal can survive on the stuff. 

One of my dogs came to me with a serious case of Demodex mange. Her coat was just nasty.... thin, dry and had HUGE patches where there was no hair at all and her skin was just rough, scaly and raw.  At first I took her to the vet who put her on Ivermectin.  This just made the situation even worse. So after a  week I discontinued it and went with the above regimen and a very high quality food ( specifically named meat meal  #1 ingredient , chicken fat / salmon oil as main fat source,  NO CORN, WHEAT or SOY, no meat or grain by-products, no artificial ANYTHING, no preservatives ( BHA/BHT, ethoxyquin, propylene glycol or propyl gallate ) , lots of NATURAL vitamins ( NO menadione - artificial Vitamin K supplement ) , and lots of minerals, anti-oxidents and phyto-nutrients etc from fresh fruits and veggies.   Within 2 weeks her coat began growing back and filling out and by the end of the month it was thick,  shiny and soft. She also smelled good, her skin was clear and supple and she gained weight and looked wonderfully healthy and has ever since.  At her last vet check-up ( we see a holistic vet ).... he actually praised me on how healthy she was and how good she looked.   Then, because this is a new vet , I thanked him and filled him in that she was a Demodex dog ( Demodex is lifelong, unlike Sarcoptic Mange ) . He couldn't believe it and neither can anyone else.  So I know this regimen,  the food, the vitamins and supplements WORKS and I have 8 of the healthiest animals on the planet right now and they all look incredible.

Good luck w/your dog ! 

I just recently started feeding Harry Natural Balance.  He has a sensitive tummy, and although his coat has always been shiny, he's had dandruff and itching problems.  I transitioned him to the NB allergy line and I already am seeing improvements in his dandruff, and if it's possible, his coat seems even glossier than before.  He's been on the NB only (post-transition from cruddy Purina One) for about a week and a half now.  He's scratching less, but still a bit more than I think would be normal, so I'm hoping that continues to improve (folks on here have said it might take a few weeks or so to really see all the improvements).  So far so good, so I will keep feeding him this line (they have three flavors you can rotate between in the allergy line) unless a new problem arises.

Don't be embarrassed!!  I was in the same boat when I first joined this board.  I knew nothing about dog nutrition, and I'm certainly no expert, but I have learned so much from folks on this board, that I know my dog will benefit from.  I was feeding Purina One, as stated above, and honestly thought it was a good food.  I was floored to find out otherwise!!  Now even for treats and such I ALWAYS read the ingredients.  I've put several things right back on the shelf!!

Question about the raw egg yolk - does it help with dandruff and itching, or just improving the quality of the coat?  If I choose to separate the yolks instead of blanching them, would I pour it over his kibble and feed that way?  Harry likes scrambled eggs, but I've only given him a nibble once or twice.  If it would help him, I'd be willing to add this as a supp as well. 

 The egg yolks help the coat and the skin in my dogs at least.  They're coats can get a bit dry in the winter as we have very arrid temps here and their coats get sooooo thick its hard to brush down to the skin to stimulate it.  The Egg really helps.  I feed my dogs whole raw eggs, but lots of people aren't comfy with that. 

And to the OP, please don't be embarrased.  When I got here I was feeding Iams!  I thought it was the best because it was the most expensive at WalMart.  I don't think many of us were born knowing what was best for our dogs.  You'll find that learning about nutrition for your pups never ends.  And its addictive.  You'll be giving advice here before you know it.  LOL

Natural Balance is a fantastic choice. My dogs did very well on it, when I fed it. I used the allergy line, because Emma is allergic to... everything. It made nice coats, healthy looking and acting dogs. 

There is no reason to be embarrassed. Most people don't realize the vast world of dog nutrition! I second the idea of donating the beneful to the shelter, what a great idea!! I also recommend canidae dog food. I've been feeding it for around 2 years, and i love it. It's only about $39 for 40lbs. I also really like innova's products.

Thanks again everyone for the info, especially the link to Dogfoodproject! I summarized it and printed it out for my fiances mother (who LOVES dogs, I think it's the main reason we get along so well) so she too can be more informed on choosing proper foods. After reading and rereading the instructions for analysis to be sure I had retained it all I looked on the Beneful label, the labels on my treats, and canned food, and have to say I am really disappointed. EVERYTHING I have for the dogs is poor quality. EVERYTHING! Until now it was all about marketing and slogans like "full of antioxidants!" and "Made with real beef!" Shame on companies for making a crap product look so healthy. (Shame on me for not being skeptical, too!) I can probably donate one of the bags, but unfortunately it's gonna have to stay for awhile. Significant other doesn't feel quite the same way about canine nutrition as I do, though he agrees a better quality, albiet more expensive food is just fine after we've used up what we've already paid for. (April 1st I quit my job to stay home with the animals/take care of the house, so money is going to be more of an issue than in the past. Otherwise, we would donate all of it. He's not a dog-hater, I swear, lol) However, until that day comes I am being sure to fix plenty of eggs, "stew" meat, hamburger meat, etc. to try to compensate a little bit. I cannot thank you guys enough for advice and opinions on this subject. My doggies thank you too =D I am going to take before/after photos of Roscoe's weight and fur. It will be interesting to compare it monthly!

 Oh, be sure to post them too!  It will most definitely be intersting.

I was in the same boat as you except I was feeding Pedigree. Maze developed really bad allergies and I had to find a better food fast. I honestly thought that Pedigree was a good food but after all the recalls they had, I started paying more attention to her diet.. So now she gets Innova Evo Red Meat and is MUCH better.

Now if I can get my Mom to listen to me.. Lol.. She feeds Beneful as well to her Daschund (which he loves) but he's not unhealthy and is really shiny.. Hmmm...*wanders off in her own thoughts..* 

oranges81

Now if I can get my Mom to listen to me.. Lol.. She feeds Beneful as well to her Daschund (which he loves) but he's not unhealthy and is really shiny.. Hmmm...*wanders off in her own thoughts..* 

   Some dogs do better on certain foods than others. Many of us here have dogs that thrive on a food while other member's dogs do poorly on it.
 

Beejou

I am being sure to fix plenty of eggs, "stew" meat, hamburger meat, etc. to try to compensate a little bit. I cannot thank you guys enough for advice and opinions on this subject. My doggies thank you too =D I am going to take before/after photos of Roscoe's weight and fur. It will be interesting to compare it monthly!

  I'm looking forward to hearing how Roscoe does. Remember to introduce the eggs, etc., slowly to avoid upsetting his stomach.