What is the characteristic that, more than anything else, makes us look at a dog and say that it is a "beautiful dog"? Without a doubt, it is the thick, shiny coat, which, when well maintained, immediately shows the good health of our four-legged friend. So let's take a look and try to understand the characteristics of our dog's skin and coat.

The Skin

The first thing to note is that there are no specific differences from the corresponding structures we have in humans: the skin has a protective and temperature-regulating function within the body, and these two functions are also present in dogs, with a few differences: firstly, dogs do not sweat, but remove excess moisture through the lungs.

The Coat

Secondly, the hairs are long and spread over the entire body, and they serve to create an isothermal layer (i.e. at a constant temperature) that insulates the body from the external environment and protects it from the cold and also, contrary to what one might think, from the heat. If the dog is healthy, it can have a beautiful coat, but if the dog is ill, the nutrients are mainly used to feed the vital organs, at the expense of those that are not directly important for sustaining life. This means that in the case of a chronic or debilitating disease (e.g. kidney failure or tumours), the coat may look unsightly, with dandruff, dullness and a tendency to fall out.

What should you take into account?

But what are the important elements we need to consider from a nutritional perspective to give the dog a beautiful, thick and shiny coat? The coat is made up of keratin, which is a protein: a lack of protein in the diet or proteins that are difficult to digest can lead to hair that breaks and is difficult to regrow. To maintain the beauty of the coat, we do not need a lot of fats, but the right fats are necessary, specifically those from the PUFA family, omega-3 and omega-6. Among the trace elements, zinc is the most important and most related to the beauty of the coat, so if there is a deficiency, the dog will lose hair without regrowth and the skin will appear thickened. In addition, dogs' coats can display a wide range of colours, and nutrition can influence coat colour change, as it affects the production of pigments that are deposited in the coat and are responsible for its colour.

Dark coat

For example, in dogs with black coats, if the diet lacks certain substances, such as phenylalanine and tyrosine (2 essential amino acids), the coat begins to change from black to "reddish". However, if the diet is supplemented with adequate amounts of phenylalanine and tyrosine, this process is reversible and the coat can become darker again. A copper deficiency can also cause the black colour of a coat to fade. Dogs with dark coats need twice as much tyrosine as other dogs. Foods high in tyrosine and phenylalanine are usually found in beef, pork, chicken and fish.

Light coat

Problems caused by poor nutrition can also be observed in dogs with light coats, which often tend to turn yellow and develop a reddish colour around the eyes. In cases of excessive tearing with orange discolouration, which is difficult to remove and does not seem to be affected by washing, essential amino acids such as phenylalanine and tyrosine, which are ingested through food, play a key role. This type of tearing, rich in waste products from protein metabolism, is caused by a diet rich in ingredients with a high tyrosine and phenylalanine content. It is therefore necessary to first and foremost intervene in the diet by choosing foods that are largely based on fish, such as herring, anchovies, trout, sardines, cod, etc., which contain lower amounts of these essential amino acids.

In summary, proper nutrition is essential for every coat!