# Dull coat on my pooch



## guccigucci (Mar 3, 2009)

Hey all golden retriever experts I brought my golden to the vet today for a check up and I was wondering why my vet said my golden's coat is dull and coarse, well ofcourse I can feel it but I just don't understand why. He suggested putting her on the usual vet recommendation food to get everything balanced out; science diet or hills...but is that really the case?? Should I put salmon oil that is rich in both omega 3 and 6??

Or is there other types of food that will be the solution to my problem?? She baths once a month, and 5 times a week...what should I do??


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

You bathe her 5 times a week?? That's WAYYYYY too much! I would only recommend maybe 1 time a week, unless she rolls in something or gets so dirty that you have to give her a 2nd one.


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## guccigucci (Mar 3, 2009)

Sorry I meant I bathe her once per month and comb her five times a week...


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

What's your pup eating? And what kind of shampoo are you using for the once a month baths?

Sometimes, a little more fat can make a coat shinier, but it can also be a problem with fleas or with the thyroid that makes a coat dull.

So, tell us some more about what you feed and how you wash and groom your girl.


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

Oh, okay. Much better. lol You could try giving your pup a raw egg a couple times a week. Or try a brewer's yeast supplement. It's supposed to help their skin and coat. What kind of shampoo do you use?? You could try using a conditioner on her after her baths.


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## FinnTastic (Apr 20, 2009)

You can try feeding her salmon oil and feeding a high quality food. What are you feeding her? You could also choose yogurt as a treat. some people give their dogs raw eggs every once in awhile as well. I'm sure more experienced people will give advice as well.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

guccigucci said:


> Hey all golden retriever experts I brought my golden to the vet today for a check up and I was wondering why my vet said my golden's coat is dull and coarse, well ofcourse I can feel it but I just don't understand why. He suggested putting her on the usual vet recommendation food to get everything balanced out; science diet or hills...but is that really the case?? Should I put salmon oil that is rich in both omega 3 and 6??


What do you feed your dog now? 

Did the vet rule out health reasons for the dull coat? (I'm not worried about it being coarse, because they aren't exactly supposed to be silky or too soft). 

When you flip your golden over, does she have a full coat on her belly? Or does she have thinning? 

What do you groom your golden with? <- If it is too harsh a comb/brush, it could be stripping your golden's coat and causing breakage. 

Do you have a current picture of your golden?

How old is your golden?


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

If the vet's ruled out all medical conditions that could be causing a dull coat, I'd first look at the food that's getting fed. A lustrous, shiny coat starts from the inside. Depending on what you're feeding, it might be helpful to upgrade kibble to a better quality (fromms, orijen, evo, innova, etc) to help get the coat in better condition.

What shampoo do you use? Get a high quality shampoo made especially for dogs. I am a HUGE fan of earthbath. Here's the link: Pints :: earthbath® - totally natural pet care and you check the shampoos to see what might be best for your dog. I love the mango tango and puppy shampoo, myself and have bathed my dog with them about once a week this summer - it's actually improved the condition of his coat and skin. When you bathe, make sure you lather, rinse, repeat...and then rinse for longer than you think to make sure all the soap is out. I usually go another 3 minutes of rinsing past the point where I think I've gotten all the soap out.

Along with the bath, if you're brushing her 5 times a week, you can spray her coat with a conditioning spray. Deodorizing Spritz :: earthbath® - totally natural pet care (I swear I'm not affiliated with Earthbath in any way - their products are just amazing!!) I have the mango tango spray and Ranger gets it sprayed on and hand-rubbed in down to his skin before every brushing.

For additional dietary supplement, a raw egg (shell and all) a few times a week is greatly beneficial for a coat. You can also get salmon oil pills or liquid and give those on top of the food. If you go with the pills, pierce the capsules and squeeze out the oil onto her food. If she doesn't pop the capsules before swallowing them, she won't get the full benefit of the oil. I give Ranger 3 human grade salmon/fish oil pills a day - about 1000 mg each - we live in a super dry climate and he gets really itchy without him. I just give them to him as a treat since he pops the capsules - you can hear it pop in his mouth before he swallows.

Also, I have no idea how much she weighs or anything but if she's already on a high quality food, she could need some digestive enzymes/probiotics to help her get all the nutritional benefits from her food. I know a guy who's golden has to get powdered enzymes/probiotics otherwise she loses weight and her coat condition gets dull - and she's on Evo. If she has her digestive enzymes, she looks great. So that's a thought...

It will take a few weeks or months to start seeing results if you decide to change her food, add supplements and change "beauty" products so be patient. She should have a gorgeous coat soon!


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

What Ranger said, plus it depends on her coat type. The correct coat type should be shiny, but I've seen some goldens with other types of coat.

You can also get a leave in conditoner, bath her then leave that in her coat to conditon it more, but usually that means they pick up more dirt. But it's an option!

Lana


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

My first thoughts are parasites (worms), low thyroid or fleas. I would also ask how old Gucci is. Several years back, it was not uncommon for my young dogs (male and female) to go through an adolescent blow. They would lose a lot of coat and what coat they did have was coarse, dry and brittle. I tried everything and the only thing that really helped was time  I don't see this so much anymore but I know it still happens.

If you are feeding a really poor dog food, that can impact coat but most decent dog foods won't impact coat that much. Which brings to mind a digestion issue-if Gucci cannot digest food properly, that can lead to poor coat and stunted growth. I had a Belgian Tervuren years ago who could not properly digest his food. I had to buy a supplement that would digest it for him. He had awful coat and was always thin, although his energy level was always good.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Oh, and if you are brushing Gucci 5 x a week, make sure you always use something to spray the coat with before brushing. Never brush a dry coat-that can damage it. It can be as simple as water or as fancy as a leave in conditioner. I love Royal Coat for the Goldens-good for their coat and makes them smell so nice


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## sdain31y (Jul 5, 2010)

Linda, thanks for the hint about not brushing dry. I'd never heard that and was doing it. Can it be human leave in conditioner or should it be formulated for dogs? I see alot of people like Earthbath but have never seen it in Savannah.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Connie Gerstner Miller drilled that into my head  She would look at my dog's coat at a show and if she thought it looked like he had split ends, I got the lecture 

I have a cost conscious friend who just puts a little bit of conditioner (not even 1/2 a teaspoon) into a spray bottle and fills the spray bottle with water. To deodorize and add shine, you can use Listerine (gold) and water-I've even used that on the Black Pug. I've always liked the Royal Coat, and now I use the Espana too.


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## guccigucci (Mar 3, 2009)

Wow thx for all ur reply now I give her salmon oil as a supplement and may try to give her raw egg here and there...and yes she does have a full coat at her belly... And I just give her a warm rinse, soiap and rinse again, and finally air dry.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

first thing that comes to my mind is whether or not your vet checked her thyroid levels?


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## guccigucci (Mar 3, 2009)

Thx for the advice...vet said thyroid level is fine and thx for the advice for the royal coat...


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Do you know what her thyroid numbers were? Low normal is considered very low for a Golden.


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Tahnee GR said:


> Oh, and if you are brushing Gucci 5 x a week, make sure you always use something to spray the coat with before brushing. Never brush a dry coat-that can damage it. It can be as simple as water or as fancy as a leave in conditioner. I love Royal Coat for the Goldens-good for their coat and makes them smell so nice


This is why I love this forum, I am always learning something new.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

lgnutah said:


> This is why I love this forum, I am always learning something new.


Ha, and let me tell you-once Connie G Miller has lectured you on something, you don't forget it! Connie is very truthful and very blunt


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

A raw egg a couple times a week keeps Daisy's coat very soft and shiny. I swear there's a direct correlation between these two ... if I stop giving her eggs and then start up again, I notice an immediate improvement.


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## guccigucci (Mar 3, 2009)

No, I don't know the thyroid level numbers but I am going to the vet next week for a check up for guccui so I will ask for those numbers...anyway, where is the best place to buy royal coat?? And myu gucci is actually on natural balance large breed large bite with 6 pumps if salmon oil as supplement starting two days ago and she is having 3.5 cups a day.


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

My first thought is low thyroid. Our first golden was diagnosed about the time he turned 4 and his coat had gotten rather dull, coarse and was thinning. He also had the other classic symptoms--lack of energy, change in temperamtment, lack of energy

se3vera; years later his full brother, later litter was diagnosed low thyroid. Odd thing, buck didn't have a single symptom and his was caught at age 10 when we had a full blood panel done before dental------and his thyroid was lower than scooters had been.

I lerned right then that any dog can have from all the classic symtpoms to one or two to none. If the vet didn't suggest checking thyroid, i think you should mention it to him.


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