# Coat lacks shine



## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

I'm not sure what food you are currently feeding. Is it Science Diet? If so, which one?

The percentage of fat in a food can make a difference in coat and skin quality. 

I've found that adding a small amount of salmon oil or unrefined coconut oil to the meal can improve coat and skin over time. You start with very small amounts.


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## maggiesmommy (Feb 23, 2010)

We give Maggie fish oil and have noticed a remarkable difference in how shiny and soft her coat is.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

His coat could be changing too... about that age they can look a bit frumpy with that in-between coat.


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## Kinjal (Dec 26, 2011)

Science diet- puppy large breed neutered. 

Fish oil- like the capsul I take every morning?


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

Kinjal said:


> Science diet- puppy large breed neutered.
> 
> Fish oil- like the capsul I take every morning?


Yes, my dogs and I both take a human grade 1000 mg salmon oil capsule every morning.

I also occasionally give them a couple of bites of well-cooked bland fish (no spices) if I've fixed some for my own dinner.


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## Tennyson (Mar 26, 2011)

I've given Mick a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil once a day since he reached puberty.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

There are also some tablets and capsules you can buy in a pet store that work very well. They usually refer to coat in the title. Some are fish oil based, and some are liver based, but they work quite well.


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## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Buddy takes supplements daily including fish oil and biotin. His coat is growing in gorgeous now compared to when I got him.


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## WasChampionFan (Mar 31, 2012)

My own opinion is that you shouldn't have to supplement for coat if your are spending money on a premium brand. Scientifically, Omega 6, not Omega 3, is responsible for coat shine. 

If you want to supplement, its better to use a fat balanced product like Nupro or high quality Canola Oil which has a 2-3:1 Omega 6/3 ratio. Pretty darn perfect.


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

There's no such thing as "good quality" or "natural" canola oil.
Canola = Rapeseed genetically engineered/modified.
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...rition-feeding-recipes/104972-canola-oil.html


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## WasChampionFan (Mar 31, 2012)

T&T said:


> There's no such thing as "good quality" or "natural" canola oil.
> Canola = Rapeseed genetically engineered/modified.
> http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...rition-feeding-recipes/104972-canola-oil.html


What you posted is complete rubbish. The original canola plant was not genetically modified, it was developed with old fashioned cross-breeding.

There are many things we eat and our dogs eats that have toxic cousins, like potatoes. The potatoes we and our dogs eat have been developed by the same manual cross-breeding to produce lower levels of solanine and other alkaloids than the native potatoes from South America, which by the way kill hundreds of people each year.

The GMO varieties of Canola have the same exact oil as the non-GMO variety. The modification only effects the leaf.

Also, 50% of the Canola crop is non-GMO, it is easy to find non-GMO, propeller expressed Canola oil.

This is just another of the internet myths.

Do you know what Linseed Oil (toxic and used in paint) is?


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## aerolor (May 27, 2011)

If you are feeding your dog the best quality food you can afford and it suits him, maybe the best way to add a sheen to the coat is with grooming more frequently. I add a blob of marg or butter to the food sometimes, but with a good food it is not really necessary. I occasionally add a smear of baby oil when brushing the coat out (but only a tiny bit). Extra grooming will help if the coat is a bit dull, shedding, or inbetween changes. Sometimes over-bathing will make the coat dull if detergent type shampoo strips out the natural oils from the coat.


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

WasChampionFan said:


> What you posted is complete rubbish. The original canola plant was not genetically modified, it was developed with old fashioned cross-breeding.
> There are many things we eat and our dogs eats that have toxic cousins, like potatoes. The potatoes we and our dogs eat have been developed by the same manual cross-breeding to produce lower levels of solanine and other alkaloids than the native potatoes from South America, which by the way kill hundreds of people each year.
> The GMO varieties of Canola have the same exact oil as the non-GMO variety. The modification only effects the leaf.
> Also, 50% of the Canola crop is non-GMO, it is easy to find non-GMO, propeller expressed Canola oil.
> ...


*"50% of the Canola crop is non-GMO"*
More like 80% ... 


*"The GMO varieties of Canola have the same exact oil as the non-GMO variety. The modification only effects the leaf."*
That's exactly what Monsanto & FDA want you to believe

*"rubbish"*
Here's more ? ...
CANOLA OIL STUDIES
Robert L. Wolke, in that _Washington Post _article, said, “I found no research studies indicating that today’s low-erucic-acid canola oil, as distinguished from ordinary rapeseed oil, is harmful to humans.” That is because, even though canola oil now has GRAS status, no long-term studies on humans have been done with low-erucic-acid canola oil. Animal studies on low-erucic-acid rapeseed oil were performed when the oil was first developed and have continued to the present. The results challenge not only the health claims made for canola oil, but also the theoretical underpinnings of the diet-heart hypothesis.

The first published studies on the new oil were performed in 1978 at the Unilever research facility in the Netherlands _(R.O. Vles and others, “Nutritional Evaluation of Low-Erucic-Acid Rapeseed Oils,” Toxicological Aspects of Food Safety, Archives of Toxicology, Supplement 1, 1978:23-32). _The industry was naturally interested to know whether the new LEAR (low-erucic) oil caused heart lesions in test animals. In earlier studies, animals fed high-erucic-acid rapeseed oil showed growth retardation and undesirable changes in various organs, especially the heart—a discovery that touched off the so-called “erucic acid crisis” and spurred plant geneticists to develop new versions of the seed. But the results of the LEAR study were mixed. Rats genetically selected to be prone to heart lesions developed more lesions on the LEAR oil than those on olive oil or sunflower oil. 

In 1997, researchers at the Canadian Institute for Food Science and Technology examined LEAR oils.They found that piglets fed milk replacement containing canola oil showed signs of vitamin E deficiency, even though the milk replacement contained adequate amounts of vitamin E _(F.D. Sauer and others, “Additional Vitamin E Required in Milk-Replacer __Diets that Contain Canola Oil,” Nutrition Research, 1997;17(2):259-269). _Piglets fed soybean oil based milk replacement, fortified with the same amount of vitamin E, did not show an increased requirement for vitamin E. Vitamin E protects cell membranes against freeradical damage and is vital to a healthy cardiovascular system. 

In a 1998 paper, the same research group reported that piglets fed canola oil suffered from a decrease in platelet count and an increase in platelet size _(J.K. Kramer and others, “Hematological and Lipid Changes in Newborn Piglets Fed Milk-ReplacerDiets Containing Erucic Acid,” Lipids, January 1998;33(1):1-10). _Bleeding time was longer in piglets fed either canola oil or rapeseed oil. These changes were mitigated by the addition of saturated fatty acids from either cocoa butter or coconut oil to the piglets’ diet. These results were confirmed in another study a year later. Canola oil was found to suppress the normal developmental increase in platelet count _(S.M. Iunis and R.A. Dyer, “Dietary Canola_
_Oil Alters Hematological Indices and Blood Lipids in Neonatal Piglets Fed Formula,” Journal of Nutrition,July 1999; 129 (7):1261-8). _

Finally, studies carried out at the Health Research and Toxicology Research Divisions in Ottawa, Canada, discovered that rats bred to have high blood pressure and proneness to stroke had shortened life spans when fed canola oil as the sole source of fat _(W.M.N. Ratnayake and others, “Influence of Sources of Dietary Oils on the Life Span of Stroke-Prone Spontaneously __Hypertensive Rats,” Lipids, 2000;35(4): 409-420). _The results of a later study suggested that the culprit was the sterol compounds in the oil, which “make the cell membrane more rigid” and contribute to the shortened life span of the animals _(M.N.Wallsundera and others, “Vegetable Oils High in Phytosterols Make Erythrocytes Less Deformable and Shorten the Life Span of Stroke-Prone pontaneously_
_Hypertensive Rats,” Journal of the American Societyfor Nutritional Sciences, May 2000;130(5):1166-78). _
FDA does not allow the use of canola oil in infant formula _(Federal Register, 1985). —vf_


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## AnnaJack (May 5, 2012)

I mix scrambled eggs in with my dogs food for natural omega's to help their coats stay soft and shiny


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## WasChampionFan (Mar 31, 2012)

More rubbish. By the way, canola oil is not allowed in human baby formula in the US because it is not worth spending the research money on. 

Not one country has limited the use of Canola Oil for any human or animal application, including the EU or Japan, which are the most difficult.

The Japanese have been using the oil like the Italians use olive oil, not even the low EA acid oil, for close to 1,000 years. The Japanese people are among the healthiest in the world.

The Canola Oil myth is pure Urban Legend. I am not going to address all of those links but Vitamin E use is found in the metabolisms of all fats, plant or animal. You are taking the same approach that many take when they comment on Vitamin K3, stick up a bunch of studies out of context to support your political point of view. 

By the way 80% of the crop in Canada is GMO. That is not true of the US crop or the European crop. The European crop is larger than even the Canadian crop and 100% of that crop is NON-GMO.

I did not see one study about canines or humans. Why? because the oil is totally safe and they don't exist.

This piece from Oklahoma State sums it up:

http://www.canola.okstate.edu/Myths Debunked Canola Oil.pdf


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

WasChampionFan said:


> More rubbish. By the way, canola oil is not allowed in human baby formula in the US because it is not worth spending the research money on.
> 
> Not one country has limited the use of Canola Oil for any human or animal application, including the EU or Japan, which are the most difficult.
> 
> ...


 

Thought that "Oklahoma State" link content looked familiar ...
Taken from no other but the Canada Canola Oil Council FAQ
(and probably funded by them too) 
http://www.canolacouncil.org/canola_oil_the_truth.aspx


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

OK, T&T and WasChampionFan, so I'm reading your battle of words and sources and my inquiring mind wants to know the following:

What are your qualifications for making these statements? Are you a nutritionist or have any degree In the area? 
Have you worked for a dog food company ever? Or for a animal watchdog group? 

I'd really like to know more about both your backgrounds. You both sound knowledgable but are on complete opposites of the topic. I know a lot about scientific research ( mostly on humans) but I am thoroughly confused now.


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## GoldenPines (May 23, 2012)

aerolor said:


> I add a blob of marg or butter to the food sometimes, but with a good food it is not really necessary.


I would be very cautious of adding margarine or butter to any pet food, it can trigger things like pancreatitis. 

For a shinier coat I second using fish oil, I personally like Nordic naturals but Carlsons Finest is pretty popular too.


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## aerolor (May 27, 2011)

GoldenPines said:


> *I would be very cautious of adding margarine or butter to any pet food, it can trigger things like pancreatitis. *
> 
> For a shinier coat I second using fish oil, I personally like Nordic naturals but Carlsons Finest is pretty popular too.


I'm quite surprised to hear that - never heard that it was a risk before. Maybe its the type of fat? As I said with a decent diet it is not really necessary anyway, but I know a lot of people do add these type of fats to the diet and I sometimes do the same. My dogs enjoy the odd slice of buttered toast. I have never known a case of pancreatitis be attributed to doing it. I would be interested if you could provide further information.


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## T&T (Feb 28, 2008)

OutWest said:


> OK, T&T and WasChampionFan, so I'm reading your battle of words and sources and my inquiring mind wants to know the following:
> 
> What are your qualifications for making these statements? Are you a nutritionist or have any degree In the area?
> Have you worked for a dog food company ever? Or for a animal watchdog group?
> ...


No scientist here.
Just a very concerned consumer voicing her opinion on Monsanto's GM Frankencrops.
But here's all the science ... and politics ... behind GMOs.
BTW ... meant to type 
More like 80% is GM canola ...


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

Appreciate the link. I've only watched the first 10 min. so far but will definitely watch the rest later. We need more concerned consumers.


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## sharlin (Feb 26, 2007)

T&T sent me the link on Monsanto quite some time ago. After watching the whole series I came away with a whole new attitude about big business (on a global scale), private enterprise, and government oversight. Actually pretty disturbing. I am glad T&T spent the time and effort to be a concerned consumer and shared the links and information with us all. THANKS T!!!


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## GoldenPines (May 23, 2012)

aerolor said:


> I'm quite surprised to hear that - never heard that it was a risk before. Maybe its the type of fat? As I said with a decent diet it is not really necessary anyway, but I know a lot of people do add these type of fats to the diet and I sometimes do the same. My dogs enjoy the odd slice of buttered toast. I have never known a case of pancreatitis be attributed to doing it. I would be interested if you could provide further information.


The link between pancreatitis and high fat foods is pretty concrete, even with people. I dont think a piece of buttered toast on a large breed dog would do anything, but if one is consistantly adding dollops of butter or lard than that could definitely be an issue. If you try googling it you will find a wealth of information.


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## aerolor (May 27, 2011)

GoldenPines said:


> The link between pancreatitis and high fat foods is pretty concrete, even with people. I dont think a piece of buttered toast on a large breed dog would do anything, but if one is consistantly adding dollops of butter or lard than that could definitely be an issue. If you try googling it you will find a wealth of information.


Thank you GoldenPines - Pancreatitis is quite a complex condition and I think it is worth my doing a bit more investigation, partiicularly as my vet told me a good way to improve the coat was with a bit of extra fat. 
I had a quick google and within a minute or two came up with quite a lot of detailed information. I think there are many factors to consider before making conclusive decision on what is to blame. Just for interest, below I have pasted an extract from the Whole Dog Journal - should you be interested. 

*Causes of pancreatitis*
Pancreatitis is often blamed on high-fat diets, though there is little scientific evidence to support this. Active, working dogs, such as sled dogs, can eat as much as 60 percent fat in their diets without developing pancreatitis, but *too much fat* may cause trouble for middle-aged, overweight, relatively inactive dogs, who are the ones most commonly affected by pancreatitis. Too much fat can also cause problems for some dogs with chronic pancreatitis.
*Dietary indiscretion,* such as eating rancid fatty scraps from the garbage, can also lead to pancreatitis, particularly when a dog accustomed to a low- or normal-fat diet ingests high-fat foods. That’s why pancreatitis incidents are thought to increase after Thanksgiving, when people may feed their dogs a meal of turkey skin and drippings.
*Low-protein diets have also been shown to predispose dogs to pancreatitis, especially when combined with high fat intake.* Some prescription diets may be a concern, such as those prescribed to dissolve struvite bladder stones; to prevent calcium oxalate, urate, or cystine stones; and to treat kidney disease; especially for breeds prone to pancreatitis.
Several medications have been associated with pancreatitis, most recently *the combination of potassium bromide and phenobarbital* used to control epilepsy. This combination has a much higher risk of causing pancreatitis than phenobarbital alone (no studies have been done on the use of potassium bromide by itself).
*Many other medications* have been linked to pancreatitis, though the relationship is not always clear. These include certain antibiotics (sulfa drugs, tetracycline, metronidazole, nitrofurantoin); chemotherapy agents (azathioprine, L-asparaginase, vinca alkaloids); diuretics (thiazides, furosemide); other antiepileptic drugs (valproic acid, carbamazepine); hormones (estrogen); long-acting antacids (cimetidine, ranitidine); Tylenol (acetaminophen); and aspirin (salicylates).
Corticosteroids, such as prednisone, are especially controversial: while veterinarians have long considered them to be the most common drug to cause pancreatitis, recent human studies have discounted this link. Based on anecdotal evidence, however, I believe the association does exist in dogs. I personally know dogs who developed pancreatitis within days of being given corticosteroids.
*Toxins,* particularly organophosphates (insecticides used in some flea control products), as well as scorpion stings and toxic levels of zinc, may also lead to pancreatitis.







Pancreatitis can occur in dogs of any age, breed, or sex. That said, most dogs with pancreatitis are middle-aged or older, overweight, and relatively inactive.

Certain conditions may predispose a dog to pancreatitis. These include *diabetes mellitus* (though it is not clear whether pancreatitis precedes diabetes); *acute hypercalcemia* (high levels of calcium in the blood, usually from a calcium infusion or poisoning rather than diet or supplements); *hyperlipidemia* (high fat content in the blood, again usually due to metabolic disorder rather than diet); *hypothyroidism;* and *Cushing’s disease* (hyperadrenocorticism).
Both diabetes and hypothyroidism can affect fat metabolism and lead to hyperlipidemia, which may predispose a dog to pancreatitis. Miniature Schnauzers are prone to developing hyperlipidemia and thus may have an increased risk of pancreatitis. Obesity predisposes dogs to pancreatitis, and the disease is often more severe in dogs who are overweight.
Pancreatitis can occur in dogs of any age, breed, or sex. That said, most dogs with pancreatitis are middle-aged or older, overweight, and relatively inactive. *Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Collies,* and *Boxers* have been shown to have an increased relative risk of chronic pancreatitis, and *Cocker Spaniels* an increased relative risk of acute and chronic pancreatitis combined. *Dachshunds* have been reported to be predisposed to acute pancreatitis.
Other breeds mentioned as having an increased risk for pancreatitis include the Briard, Shetland Sheepdog, Miniature Poodle, German Shepherd Dog, terriers (especially Yorkies and Silkies), and other non-sporting breeds.
People sometimes develop autoimmune chronic pancreatitis, and it is theorized that dogs may as well. German Shepherd Dogs have been shown to develop immune-mediated lymphocytic pancreatitis, which predisposes them to pancreatic atrophy.
Pancreatitis has been associated with immune-mediated diseases, which may include IBD, though the cause-and-effect relationship is not understood. While there is no scientific evidence to support this, some doctors have suggested that food allergies could be a rare cause of recurrent or chronic pancreatitis. I think IBD could possibly be both a cause and an effect of pancreatitis, or that both could be caused by an underlying autoimmune disease or food allergy.
Dogs with immune-mediated pancreatitis may respond well to corticosteroids such as prednisone, which suppress the immune system, even though this drug has also been thought to cause acute pancreatitis.
*Trauma to the pancreas,* such as a result of the dog being hit by a car, can lead to inflammation and pancreatitis. *Surgery* has also been linked to pancreatitis, probably due to low blood pressure or low blood volume caused by anesthesia. Gallstones (choleliths) can block the bile duct, and thus the flow of digestive enzymes from the pancreas and can lead to pancreatitis in people; it is likely that the same would be true for both species (pancreatitis can also block the flow of bile from the gall bladder).
Other theoretical causes include bacterial or viral infections; vaccinations; obstruction of the pancreatic duct; reflux of intestinal contents up the pancreatic duct; impaired blood supply to the pancreas due to shock, gastric-dilatation volvulus (bloat), or other causes; and hereditary factors. In rare cases, pancreatitis can be caused by a tumor in the pancreas.
In most cases with dogs, the cause is never found. In people, pancreatitis is most commonly caused by alcohol abuse.


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