Coat looks dusty?

channellkat · Post by **channellkat** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 12:58 pm

I have three beagles two hunting that I keep out side in Seneca above ground kennels and one inside lap dog. All three dogs get the same food, medication, water, ect....... About two weeks ago the hunting dogs coats started looking like they had dust all over them. I would pet them down and the dust/dander would roll. Up till them their coats were always nice clean and shiny. Nothing has changed with the lap dog, still nice and shiny and no dusty look. Now that it is colder I just put some straw in their box but this was after they started looking this way. I feed Diamond Purple bag and have for about a year. Could it be the food, the change in temp, or what? Now that buck season is over I'm ready to get em back out.

Thanks for the help

~Fred

Lance · Post by **Lance** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 4:42 pm

Give them a couple of days on the new straw......should make a difference.

Bunny Runner · Post by **Bunny Runner** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 6:44 pm

What is the fat % in the food. Some times when a dog is taking in more fat than it can use (from exercise, etc) it will show in it's coat. It will look as you described and the hair will appear almost slick but kinda dull (from oils).
I would imagine that once they start running more, this problem will cease as the fat in the diet will be getting used up.

What type of dog is the "lap" dog? It may be the coat on this dog is not showing the same thing due to a difference in the "lay" of the hairs.

channellkat · Post by **channellkat** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 9:29 pm

Lap dog is a beagle about a year and a half.

Beagle Bill · Post by **Beagle Bill** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 5:47 pm

I noticed this in my dogs last week. I went out of town for a couple of days this week, came home today and the condition is much worse. Now its big flakey scales, kinda greasy, and one dogs hair is coming out more than normal. I started using Pride 24/20 and the four dogs just finished the first 50 pound bag

Bunny Runner · Post by **Bunny Runner** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 6:51 pm

To much processed fats! Some of these dog foods have a very undesireable type of processed fats.
Post the ingredients lists of your dog foods and I'll show you what I mean.

Bunny Runner · Post by **Bunny Runner** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 7:08 pm

Ok, here is the ingredient list for the Pride food you are feeding.

Ingredients
Meat and bone meal, Ground yellow corn, Corn Gluten Feed, Poultry Fat (stabilized with mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Poultry meal, Beet Pulp, Ground Brewers Rice, Animal Digest, Fish Meal, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate in Gelatin, Manganous Oxide, d-biotin, Manadione Dimenthylpyrimidinol Bisulfate (Source of Vitamin K), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Ethylenediamine Dihydroidide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Inositol, and Sodium Selenite

On the surface this appears to be a decent food, but when you break it down by ingredient, you can see there are alot of QUESTIONS.

Meat and bone meal is any meat (horse, goat, cow, dog, cat, roadkill, etc) that the rendering plants can get. It's all mixed up in a big vat with the bones and all, cooked down, dehydrated (moisture removed) and then ground up into a "meal". There are alot of unknown fats in this as well.

Poultry fat can come from ANY kind of poultry (Chicken, turkey, guinea, etc). Also, since it is rendered (melted down and processed) it is usually not of a good quality and can even be rancid.

The thing about all the GENERIC terms on the dog food labels is you never know what your dog is eating and can change from batch to batch. Rendering plants get what ever is cheapest and by the way, are NOT government inspected or regulated.
Here is a link for a site by an X-USDA inspector and Veterinarian.

http://www.belfield.com/home.html

There is alot of other food related info on this site as well (use the links on the right hand side of the page).

The fats in a dog food need to be able to be digested in order to utilize them for energy. Fats that are hard to digest or are not being utilized with come out in the coat and feces, but can also be stored in the liver, kidneys, etc and cause health problems.

I would change foods and give them more exercise. Look for a food with a "specific" fat and also Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids. These are GREAT for the skin and coat and also for the immune system and reduce the inflammatory response.

Beagle Bill · Post by **Beagle Bill** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 9:47 pm

Thanks for the info. This is my first year with my own dogs and there is a lot more to it than I realized, but that makes it all the more satifying when your own dogs are burnin up a rabbit . By the way I'm also out of North Carolina, guess I need to add that to my info. Thanks again, I thought it might be a skin disease I was fixing to learn about.

TOUCHSTONE · Post by **TOUCHSTONE** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 7:59 pm

A tspoon of corn oil can help if the coat is dry. Add this small amount to food every 3rd day. Also check for lice. Good luck! Dan

can do kennel · Post by **can do kennel** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:27 pm

Bunny Runner wrote:Ok, here is the ingredient list for the Pride food you are feeding.

Ingredients
Meat and bone meal, Ground yellow corn, Corn Gluten Feed, Poultry Fat (stabilized with mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Poultry meal, Beet Pulp, Ground Brewers Rice, Animal Digest, Fish Meal, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate in Gelatin, Manganous Oxide, d-biotin, Manadione Dimenthylpyrimidinol Bisulfate (Source of Vitamin K), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Ethylenediamine Dihydroidide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Inositol, and Sodium Selenite

On the surface this appears to be a decent food, but when you break it down by ingredient, you can see there are alot of QUESTIONS.

Meat and bone meal is any meat (horse, goat, cow, dog, cat, roadkill, etc) that the rendering plants can get. It's all mixed up in a big vat with the bones and all, cooked down, dehydrated (moisture removed) and then ground up into a "meal". There are alot of unknown fats in this as well.

Poultry fat can come from ANY kind of poultry (Chicken, turkey, guinea, etc). Also, since it is rendered (melted down and processed) it is usually not of a good quality and can even be rancid.

The thing about all the GENERIC terms on the dog food labels is you never know what your dog is eating and can change from batch to batch. Rendering plants get what ever is cheapest and by the way, are NOT government inspected or regulated.
Here is a link for a site by an X-USDA inspector and Veterinarian.

http://www.belfield.com/home.html

There is alot of other food related info on this site as well (use the links on the right hand side of the page).

The fats in a dog food need to be able to be digested in order to utilize them for energy. Fats that are hard to digest or are not being utilized with come out in the coat and feces, but can also be stored in the liver, kidneys, etc and cause health problems.

I would change foods and give them more exercise. Look for a food with a "specific" fat and also Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids. These are GREAT for the skin and coat and also for the immune system and reduce the inflammatory response.

Bunny Runner Thanks alot for the information

I feed Purina Pro Plan, and during the cold months up here in New England, I will throw in a table spoon or 2 of bacon grease in the food if I see a dandruffy hide. Thanks again for the good info

Bunny Runner · Post by **Bunny Runner** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 5:57 am

Can-do
You are very welcome!
Since you are already supplementing with fats, I might recommend using a Fish oil supplement. This is MUCH better (with Omega 3's) for skin and coat and doesn't have the nitrates that bacon has. It's almost 100% digestable and bioavailable.
You can find it at health food stores, just make sure you get a fish body oil and not cod liver oil (with can cause vit. A toxicity).
You will be pleasently surprised at the results!

Renee'