Dog has thinning fur - Answered by Dr. Slome

[BreBrash]

I have a 7 year old English Springer Spaniel. Recently she has been getting a very dry, brittle coat on her back that is thinning. She eats Purina Pro Plan 25-8 and gets left over meat scraps on a regular basis. We also give her Brewers Yeast as a dietary supplement. What else could she be missing from her diet that would help with her brittle coat?
Any Suggestions would be fantastic

[joeysmama]

Hi BreBrash and welcome. From what I have learned here in the past few weeks Purina is not the best choice. Check out the dog and cat food forum. There is a lot of good information there regarding dog food. I don't know if this has anything to do with your dog's thinning coat but I think you should definitley check it out.

Prin (one of the more experienced members here) helped me with a recommendation of dog food for my little guy. I was very impressed with the ingredient list. Hopefully she'll be along soon and give you more info than I can.

You can also do a search and turn up information that way.

[BMDLuver]

Welcome to the board. Most likely it is the high corn content in your dogs diet, although, as your dog is seven it could also be due to needing a different type of diet, meaning specifically senior designed. To help the coat be less dry and brittle, I would suggest supplementing with Omega 3. Brewers yeast is generally used as an appetite encourager in case you weren't aware of that. I would suggest having your dog checked by the vet as well as any change in coat could very well mean something else going on as well.

[Prin]

Along with what BMD said, I would also switch to a more fishy food (if there is nothing serious with her health first). Here are a couple:
Natural Balance Fish and Sweet Potato
Solid Gold Wolf King (what I feed)
Wellness Fish and Sweet Potato
Timberwolf Organics' Ocean Blue formula is quite fishy, but it is very hard to find: Timberwolf Organics
This one isn't my favorite, but it's still better than Purina:Eagle Pack Fish and Oatmeal

Personally, unless a doggy has a specific problem or is much less active than s/he once was, I'd stick to the regular food, but feed a bit less. It's just my opinion, of course, and a lot of people do believe in senior foods.

Oh, ya, remember if you switch, always switch very gradually. Purina is much easier to digest (there are things in there to help) than more natural foods, so the doggy's body might need time to adjust to working harder.

[coppperbelle]

I would agree with Prin on the food recommendations. I also feed a regular formula to my dogs as they age and don't bother with senior formulas. For overweight dogs I also feed a regular formula but in order to aid in weight loss will feed less.
My dogs eat Solid Gold supplemented with Seameal and Omega 3. I also add things like sardines on occasion. They all have beautiful coats.
It might be a good idea to have her tested for thyroid problems. It is a simple blood test.

[petdr]

There are 2 very important medical aspects that need to be addressed: Firstly the nutritional aspect – she needs to be put on a good quality food that is fully balanced and is recommended by a veterinary professional. What you put in is what you get out and the skin is the first organ of the body to suffer with poor nutrition.

Adding brewers yeast is not going to help and also adds to medical imbalances and will likely lead to some other complications long term including kidney problems. Most people that do not have their pets on professionally recommended food by your veterinarian either have not been told by their veterinarian which food is best for their dog ( in which case I suggest you switch to a more proactive veterinarian) or the client either doesn’t follow the recommendation for a variety of their own reasons that they feel is justified.

Secondly, your pet may have developed a hormonal disease with age, most commonly a thyroid deficiency which can easily be diagnosed with a blood test and easily treated.

This is obviously only touching the surface of what could be happening but these are the 2 conditions most commonly seen in my practice causing the symptoms you mention.

I hope the solution is simple either way. Please be aware that skin conditions take a month or 2 two before you see things starting to improve, so be patient.


Martin Slome DVM
Centre Street Animal Hospital
7700 Bathurst Street Units 40-42
Thornhill, Ont.
L4J 7Y3
Tel. (905) 771-9855