coat problems dry ichy flaky sores mange

To understand coat problems we must look below the skin, and think about this from inside out. First, the skin is the biggest filter organ of the body therefore, if we do not provide adequate nutrients to that body, which allows the body to make the antioxidants necessary to detoxify, we will see the end result on the surface of the dog…a pretty awful coat.

There are many things that can disrupt a gorgeous coat, so we need to take a look at some of these things to rule some serious issues, before we go to great lengths and great financial expense to correct the problem.

There are many links in this article to direct you on to other information. It is very important that you read the whole article first, then go back and look at the links where you are directed for more information.

Dry/Flaky/Shedding Coats

If your dog has a dry, flaky coat - more than likely this dog is on a poor quality food, lacking in nutrients, full of preservatives, toxins and no dietary enzymes (living component) present in the diet. Dietary enzymes represent the living component to a diet and these are what provide the nutrients to the body so it can detoxify or cleanse itself, without disrupting the coat and skin.

The solution to this problem is to get the dog on a comprehensive feed program which is located at this website. If you look at the index, you will notice numerous feed program which are directed for correcting specific problems.

When in doubt, use the Adult Feed Program or the Puppy Feed Program if your dog is under 1 year of age. You should start to see a difference in the dogs coat in 30 - 45 days, so be patient, but it will take up to 6 months to totally correct the problem.. Remember “Rome was not built in a day“, it took a long time for your dog to get this way and it takes some time to repair.

New coat starts to come in down the middle of the back and as it “blows out” it gradually is replaced like a blanket that wraps around the body. Topline or the line of the back is first to blow out and on top of head, this is where you well start to see new changes. The last hair to blow out is along the sides of the neck and sides of the legs.

Note: On black dogs, regardless of the breed, dead or dying hair will turn reddish brown and be replaced with black hair when blowing coat - again plan on a good 6 months for this to take place.

Those of you showing your black danes… soaking the dog in a good dog shampoo with a good dog conditioner (with a pH for dogs),then using a Zoom Groom on the coat after it is towel dried, will drop out lots of the fluffy dead coat. Do not use a rake or a shedding blade, you want to use a rubber tool so you do not destroy the new coat -- please seek the help of a professional groomer on this one and not do some homemade attempt using your own Pantene shampoo and some left over grooming tool you used on your horse.

Itchy, Smelly, Chewing at Feet and Skin

This kind of coat normally represents serious nutritional deficiencies, as well as being on antibiotics more than once in this animal’s life, without you replenishing the beneficial bacteria of the gut. Strong levels of beneficial bacteria in the gut are so very important to the overall health and well-being and to keeping the fungus/yeast levels in the gut a minimum. The gut is the seat of all Wellness so again, we have to start from the inside out to repair this coat.

Yeast/fungus and bacteria are normal critters to be living in the body, it is when they become out of balance and there is yeast/fungus overgrowth that we see major skin problems. These major skin problems are “always” diagnosed as a skin allergy, when in fact they are not, they are an imbalance in the levels of yeast and beneficial bacteria of the gut.

The actual term for this is a Systemic Yeast Infection. Since it seems “allergies” are the biggest overall health problem in this country, 99% of the time, it is my experience working with hundreds of dog owners per year, that if we change the diet and the environment of the gut, the allergy just mysteriously goes away.

That fact is, according to research (references sited in my articles on Systemic Yeast), food allergies are actually very rare in animals. If your dog has been diagnosed with a food allergy, please read my article on Allergies at this site. Then take the time to read the articles I have on Systemic Yeast Infections so you understand the Cycles of Yeast, how it can affect Bloat and Torsion in an animal, and how to correct it with the Blackwatch Feed Program for Systemic Yeast Infections. This will save you lots of money in allergy tests, constant switching of foods - most of which are about as palatable as sawdust and questionable in “quality” as well.

I also have information on human systemic yeast infections if this is a condition that plagues you as the pet owner.

The if this does not do the trick, and it is my experience you can get this animal back on track with a few things. A super premium meat based diet, then the Yeast Removal Kit which contains:

Blackleaf tincture to kill the yeast/fungus
Nzymes - dietary enzymes to detoxify the dead/dying yeast and flush it from the body
Probiotic - BakPalPlus to replace and over grow the fungus
OxE-Drops to keep the pH of the gut where it should be.

Keep in mind that when the body is detoxifying…it will get worse for about 2 weeks before it gets better…why? Because the skin is the biggest filter organ of the body and you will see the cleansing results on the skin of the dog as the body flushes this out of the system. BE PATIEN and follow instructions to a "T" - here is some good shampoo and sprays to help with this process:

Micro Tek Anti-itch Shampoo, Spray and Coat Rebuilder Kit

Oh, Those Awful Teenage Coats

Those of you with short coated breeds, and particularly some lines of great danes, you will notice in their teenage months 11 month - 18 month they will go through a normal puppy shedding that in some cases is pretty awful. This is often the first shed major shed they have going into their spring after their first winter.

They will start to look like they are shot full of beebe’s or an old ratty mouton coat, similar to a shedding buffalo or deer hide! The dead coat will get fluffy and lighter in color - pale yellow on a fawn, and red-brown on blacks and light grey on blues. This coat shed is not as evident on those from the brindle or harlequin patterning, but can be evident on the Mantle color.

This is the teenage “blowout” and it takes 6 months to repair it. I reiterate, those of you showing your black danes… soaking the dog in a good dog shampoo with a good dog conditioner after (with a pH for dogs),then using a Zoom Groom on the coat after it is towel dried, will drop out lots of the fluffy dead coat.

Do not use a rake or a shedding blade, you want to use a rubber tool so you do not destroy the new coat -- please seek the help of a professional groomer on this one and not do some homemade attempt using your own shampoo and some left over grooming tool you used on your horse. Just because you are anxious to get this dog looking jet black and in the ring, is no reason to destroy the new coat which will be with you a long time. Now after that
knuckle wrapping…we can move on to a suggestion to help you get this coat blown out and the new one in. Of course, you are wise enough to get this dog on a comprehensive feed program (that does not mean just a good dog food), but the things that go with keeping this dog in a state of wellness. If your dog is ONLY blowing out coat due to teenage development or after a litter and the dog is on a sound nutritional program, then this information will apply to your situation.

Quick Coat Repair, from the inside out!

A few years ago, I got back a one year old puppy that had been raised on a substandard diet. When this puppy came back to my home, her coat and skin was in need of major repair. She looked like a buffalo or deer that was molting sheets of deadcoat. In addition to changing to a quality diet, I used a fatty acid product that encourages dead coat to drop out and stimulates new coat growth almost overnight! Actually, within 30 days, all of the old coat had dropped out, her coat was repaired enough that she could have gone into the show ring!

The product is called Ultra Oil - a balanced 3-6-9 Omega oil and it will not disrupt the balance of the Omegas on the holistic food you are currently using. It is primarily Essential Fatty Acids and it makes all the difference in the world!

Demodex Mange

This is primarily a problem when a young animal’s immune system is in need of support.
Rather than go into this in detail, I will direct you to my article at this website. This type of mange is very common in young Danes and other large dogs, due to the stress of growing, vaccines and inadequate nutritional support. This can be remedied, it is not genetic as the mite is on all dogs (and on you too), and it can be repaired naturally with a good diet and some additional immune boosting supplements. (See Article).