Keeping Pet's Skin and Coat Healthy Part 1 – Nutrition. Grooming - Part 2

It's February and the weather outside is cold and wet, but inside pet owners and their pets are cozy, warm and dry. For those pets stuck inside, is the heat totally a good thing? Outdoors, what are the effects of the elements on their skin and coat?

For healthy coat and skin, pet dogs and cats need proper nutrition and grooming throughout the year, but during the winter months, there are special concerns for pet owners to think about. The outdoor wetness and indoor dryness can contribute to damp coats for dogs going outdoors and for dry skin and coat for pets indoors. Therefore it is important for pet owners to pay added attention to coat and skin care during the winter months.

Coat and Skin Require Excellent Nutrition

The pet's hair is more than just a gorgeous fur coat. It provides insulation from the cold and dampness, protection from the sun, and shields the skin from irritants and injury. The skin is a multilayered, highly active, complex system. It holds in water and body heat, and deters against bacteria and other foreign substances. The hair coat and skin are constantly shedding and renewing. With constant activity, this metabolically active system is very sensitive to the pet's health and requires excellent nutrition. Skin and coat are a barometer of pet health. A lustrous coat and unblemished skin are signs of good health. A dry coat and flaky, irritated skin are indicators of problems.

A complete and balanced diet is essential. A poor diet may produce dingy, dull, unkempt hair, excessive dander, oily skin, alopecia (hair loss), and red, itchy, inflamed skin.

The most necessary nutrients for healthy skin and coat are protein, essential fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin E, vitamin A, zinc, copper, iodine, manganese and selenium.

Protein is a major component of skin and hair, and therefore necessary in sufficient quantity and quality. Protein, as keratin, forms the outer layer of the skin. Skin pigment is primarily melanin, made from the amino acid, tyrosine. Hair is 95% protein. The amino acids methionine and cystine are critically important. The deficiency of these two amino acids and insufficient dietary protein may lead to dry, brittle hair, poor pigmentation, excessive dander, scaly skin, or skin wounds that heal poorly due to cells that damage easily. Protein deficiency may also lead to patchy hair loss and excessive shedding.

Fat plays a major role lubricating and protecting skin and coat. Sufficient fat and essential fatty acids are necessary dietary elements. The skin's sebaceous glands secrete an oily substance, sebum, which coats and waterproofs the hair, and gives it sheen. Skin oil also keeps the skin lubricated and supple, helping to act as a barrier to irritants. Studies have shown that the quality and composition of dietary fat affects sebum quality. Fatty acids are components of skin cell membranes, helping maintain their integrity and skin health. Specifically, the fatty acids (EFA's), oleic, linoleic, and linolenic are essential dietary components. If EFA deficient, dry, dull coat, excessive shedding and dander may result. The skin may be dry, greasy, scaly, itchy, with inflamed lesions, and be prone to bacterial infection. In addition to essential fatty acids, Omega-3 fatty acids may assist to deter skin lesions and keep skin and coat healthy.

Proper dietary vitamin content is also important. Vitamin A is essential for skin cell growth and maturation. Vitamin A might also play a role in treating seborrhea. Vitamin A deficiency may lead to skin and coat problems, including hair loss, skin dryness, excessive dander, and skin prone to bacterial infection. Vitamin E is essential for cell membrane integrity, preventing oxidation, keeping skin tissue healthy. The B vitamins niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, pyridoxine, and pantothenic acid are all important to skin cell growth and maintenance, and coat health. B vitamin deficiency may result in dry, flaky skin, and seborrhea, as well as hair loss. Biotin, another B vitamin, if deficient, may produce dry, scabby skin, red and itchy skin, or military dermatitis (small skin lesions). Though proper B vitamin dietary content is important, the value of therapeutic doses is unknown.

The trace minerals zinc, copper, iodine, manganese (not magnesium), and selenium play specific roles for skin and hair coat. Zinc is important for the health of the outer skin (epidermis). Though rare, zinc deficiency may show as crusty skin lesions, itchiness, and hair loss. Manganese is necessary for skin cell growth and maintenance. Its deficiency may show as poor coat and skin condition. Selenium, like vitamin E, is necessary to prevent oxidation of skin cell membranes, therefore necessary to help keep skin healthy. As previously mentioned, the skin pigment melanin is metabolized from the amino acid tyrosine. Copper is essential for this conversion, and is necessary for a properly pigmented coat. A black dog or cat might show a gray coat if copper deficient. Iodine is necessary for the production of the hormone, thyroxine, which regulates thyroid function. Iodine deficiency may result in poor coat condition and skin lesions.

Good Skin and Coat - Good Diet/ Nutrition

Pet retailers need to advise pet owners to pay attention to their pet's skin and coat health as a barometer of their overall health and whether their diet/nutrition is adequate. Poor skin and coat condition can be cues to poor nutrition. Though most commercial pet diets are fully adequate in all nutrients necessary for a healthy pet, a pet with excessive skin and coat problems may be a candidate for dietary nutrition evaluation. In addition to potential insufficiencies of the diet, food allergy may produce itchy skin and poor coat. So not only is the nutritional content important, but to evaluate whether a particular pet is sensitive to a particular dietary ingredient (protein), and therefore showing poor skin and coat, not due to a lack of one or more nutrients, but due to being responsive to an offending ingredient.

With excellent diet, the coat should be lustrous and shiny, the skin smooth and supple, the picture of good health.

Keeping the Pet's Coat and Skin Healthy Part 2 – Grooming

It's March now, but still pet's coat and skin are affected by winter dampness outdoors and dryness from heat indoors. As is nutrition, grooming is important to keep the pet's coat and skin healthy.

Pet owners should be instructed to regularly brush their pets weekly and shampoo periodically, about once every month or so. With the proper shampoo their dog's and/or cat's skin and coat will be clean, skin supple, and coat lustrous.

Pets going outdoors should be dried off after coming inside, their coat brushed out, and skin and coat inspected for debris picked up outside.

Longhaired dogs and cats need brushing more often, especially Maltese dogs and Persian cats. For these long and fine-haired pets frequent grooming is best, daily if possible. Shorthaired pets need brushing too, less frequently, but weekly if possible. Brushing removes loose hair, and also keeps out tangles, and helps to break up and remove mats.

Retailers can advise pet owners to purchase from a variety of grooming aids, including a variety brushes and shampoos for dogs and cats. Pin brushes are best for removing looses hair and debris. For shorthaired dogs, i.e. Dalmatians, Labs, Weimaraners, a shedding tool is excellent to remove loose hair. Steel combs and shedding combs are especially good for long and fine-haired dogs, i.e. Maltese, English Sheepdogs, and Afghans. A fine comb is good for cats, as are flea combs to search for fleas and flea ‘dirt'. Shampoos of various fragrances and types are available for coats that might need extra moisture, or medicinally to rid fleas.

Grooming time is a good time for pet owners to carefully examine their pets. While the pet owner is brushing their pet, it is important that they look for problems such as fleas, dry skin, irritation, abscesses and tumors. The ears should be carefully checked, especially for lop-eared dogs, such as Cocker Spaniels and Basset Hounds. Examining between toes for all pets is important to make sure the skin is healthy. Toe nails should look healthy, not too long, or in the case of cats, not ingrown.

Some pets are sensitive around certain body areas, so patience and a regular grooming schedule will help to allow pets to be less shy to be thoroughly handled. If a dog is touchy around the feet, or head or anxious, the groomer needs to take more time, be gentle, and careful to make the dog's experience a good one. Pet owners will hopefully start adapting their pets early in life, while puppy or kitten. Pets used to being handled and groomed will be easier to work with.

Though cats regularly groom themselves, longhaired cats, especially Persians, need plenty of grooming attention. If a Persian cat is not regularly groomed its coat will easily mat. Once excessively matted, the pet owner may have to take its cat to the veterinarian to be clipped. A few mats are relatively easy to remove, excessive matting is not, and is a painful and frightening experience for the cat. Under those mats is usually dry skin, excessive dander, and possibly skin problems.

Some dog breeds need more grooming attention. Dogs such as Scottish Terriers, Poodles, English Sheepdogs, etc., need periodic clipping/stripping, haircuts, not just brushing. A pet owner may do it themselves, but a professional groomer is probably better/easier for the pet and pet owner, especially for a skittish pet. The first time in a grooming shop may be a frightening experience for a dog. The pet owner should request the groomer to be a little more careful, take a little more time, if they know their pet tends to be a bit anxious. The sound of the clippers, dryers, other dogs, strange people handling him, away from his owner, all may elicit anxiety or fear in a dog. The pet owner should respond truthfully to the groomer's questions about the dog's temperament and previous grooming experience. If the client is not honest, this may result in a dangerous situation for the groomer and a bad experience for the dog. Most professional groomers do a great job – the dog comes home cleaner and looking well-coiffed.

Grooming Tips

It is best for the pet owner to routinely brush/comb his cat or dog, and spend at least 15-20 minutes per session. Short sessions are insufficient for proper grooming. Long sessions are not good for pets that will likely get irritated/anxious. Just like kids, they don't like to stay still too long. Pets should be acclimated to grooming early in life, and to sessions of progressing time periods. Grooming should be a pleasant experience. Talking to the pet during grooming and rewards and praise afterward is important.

Grooming should be from head to toe. The pet owner should be careful to follow a pattern, so as to brush the entire pet, head to tail, legs and feet. As the brushing proceeds, hissing or yelping might indicate a sore spot. Gentle examination of a sore area might reveal an abscess, tumor, or even underlying arthritis. As a pet's legs and feet are handled and brushed over, slight pain may reveal sore joints. Brushing and combing might reveal other problems such as burrs of plants, ticks, or other skin irritation. Any problems should be related to the veterinarian.

Pet owners can bathe good tempered pets at home. Pet retailers can advise of the proper shampoo and proper technique to make the experience good for pet and owner. The veterinarian is a good source of info as well. Gentle dogs are a lot easier than cats, but with patience and care cats can be bathed. Pet owners can gage the response of their pet. Probably a helper is necessary, especially the first time, one person to hold and manage the pet, the other to bathe it. The tub/bath should be adequate in size, bottom surface with rubber mat, and water should be lukewarm. It's good to put cotton in the pet's ears to keep water out. Thorough rinsing and towel drying is best. Pet owners can use a blow dryer carefully. Once bathed the pet's skin and coat will be clean, smell better, and be luxurious, especially since today's pet shampoos include ingredients to keep the skin supple, hair lustrous, and the newer formulas prevent tearing.

With proper grooming the pet will be a lot cleaner and a lot healthier too.