You’re searching for the best dog food for shedding and we’re here to help you. Shedding is one of the downsides of dog ownership, but it doesn’t have to be because changing your dog’s diet may just be the solution to your shedding woes.
The Best Dog Food for Shedding
The best dog food for shedding is one that is high in essential fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6) and rich in vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, most dog foods found in your local grocery store do not contain the nutrition required to help excessive shedding in dogs.
Can Dog Food Make Your Dog Shed More?
Absolutely. One of the reasons your dog sheds is due to unhealthy skin and coat. Skin and coat health starts with proper nutrition and is improved with regular grooming. So, when your pup suffers from excessive shedding, the first course of action is to change your dog’s diet.
What Dog Food Helps with Shedding?
The best dog food for shedding is a fresh raw diet. It’s easier than ever to give your pup THE golden standard of dog food – fresh and raw.
Before making the switch though, it’s important to know why this is the best food for dog shedding.
How Dog Food Leads to Excessive Shedding
Low-quality dog food is a major culprit in excessive shedding, The following is how dog food makes some dogs shed more.
Corn Dries a Dog’s Skin and Hair
Most commercial dog foods found at local grocery stores contain fillers, such as corn. Eating too much corn dries out a dog’s skin leading to itchy, flaky skin which then causes hair loss.
A pooch with sensitive skin is even more susceptible to dry skin. That’s why some dog breeds need even more help to prevent hair loss.
When skin isn’t healthy, it doesn’t provide a good base for dog fur. This causes the fur to become weak and that’s why it falls out.
Dry skin also makes dogs itch themselves, which then pulls their fur out. With the fur already weak due to being unhealthy, it easily comes out.
Coat Health Suffers
It’s not only the corn drying out your dog’s skin that is causing shedding, it’s also the health of your dog’s coat. Since most commercial dog foods don’t have all of the essential nutrients needed for a healthy coat, it isn’t strong enough to survive on your dog.
Shedding is the dog’s way of releasing what isn’t good so the body can replace it with what is good – healthy fur. When a coat grows unhealthy, the hair is brittle. The brittleness of the hair leads to more shedding as it breaks off. Unfortunately, it’s just another cycle as the new fur grows just as unhealthy as what fell out.
Improving the health of your dog’s coat can decrease the amount of fur around the home. It means less work for the dog owner – you!
Allergic Reactions
Humans aren’t the only ones with food allergies. Allergic reactions to ingredients, especially fillers, can cause shedding.
Shedding can be an indicator of overall health. While some shedding is healthy and normal, too much of it means there’s something not quite right with how the body is functioning. A dog’s body doesn’t function well when it is battling a threat it perceives because it doesn’t bode well with one or more of the ingredients in the dog food.
Best Dog Food for Shedding Is…
The best food for dog shedding is one that has a balance of protein, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, and fiber. Since most store-bought dog foods are made with fillers and preservatives, they are not the best dog food for shedding. Instead, wholesome fresh raw dog food is the best for shedding.
Fresh Raw Dog Food for Shedding
Fresh raw dog food is the best for shedding. Dog owners who feed their pups fresh raw dog food include fruits, vegetables, and lean meats in their dog’s diet. These foods are high in the nutrients a pet needs to have healthy skin. Let’s explore the most important nutrients and foods that can be used for a dog’s food.
Protein
High-quality protein from raw meat provides a dog’s body with the power to improve and maintain a healthy coat. Since protein is such a huge factor in overall health, it’s why any dog food should have it as its main ingredient.
A dog should consume 1 gram of protein for every pound of ideal body weight. For instance, if a dog is overweight and should be 50 pounds vs. 70 pounds, that pup should receive 50 grams of protein.
Lean raw meats such as beef, lamb meal, chicken, and fish are the best.
Caution: Crude Protein
Many dog owners look at the ingredients on bags of dog food and think crude protein is protein. Crude protein is not true protein – another reason to consider raw dog food.
Crude protein does not indicate the nutritional value of protein. It is unsuitable as a nutrient. Crude protein is the chemical analysis of true protein with nitrogen. It’s why researchers at Cornell University report that the crude protein amounts are usually overestimated.
Fatty Acids
Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids from fish oils, olive oils, and flaxseed oils are essential to overall health, including skin and coat. They help maintain skin health and promote a strong immune system. They also play a role in cell growth.
Signs of a deficiency of fatty acids are dry, flaky skin with a dull coat.
By feeding a dog a raw diet, you can add hearty fatty acids by including fish such as salmon. Salmon is high in omega-3 and should be included in a dog’s diet a couple of days a week. Tuna is another option that dogs absolutely love.
Olive oil and other healthy oils provide fatty acids. Many dog owners pour a tablespoon over fresh raw dog food, which is the perfect amount.
For those that have a difficult time getting enough essential fatty acids in their dog’s food, fish oil supplements are an option. Learn about fish oil for shedding.
Essential Vitamins and Minerals
Dogs require essential vitamins and minerals just like humans. The most important vitamins and minerals for dog shedding are:
- Vitamin A
- B vitamins (biotin, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamine, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12)
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- Choline
Fruits and vegetables are the best sources for the above list of essential vitamins and minerals. Dogs can easily get all of the above from eating:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Blueberries
- Broccoli
- Brussel sprouts
- Cantaloupe
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cranberries
- Cucumbers
- Green beans
- Orange
- Peaches
- Pears
- Peas
- Pineapple
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
- Sweet Potatoes
Do you find the above fruits and veggies in store-bought dry dog food? Probably not.
Of course, you can find some of the above in the list of ingredients but usually, with all of the fillers and preservatives, it’s unlikely that it has enough of them to really give your pup the vitamins and minerals needed.
Choosing fresh dog food for your pup means giving him/her the nutrition needed to be healthy. Healthy dogs don’t shed as much because their skin provides a strong foundation for a strong coat.
Prebiotic Fiber
Prebiotic fiber is highly beneficial to dogs. It’s important to include it in a dog’s diet. You can do this easily by incorporating the following foods into the diet:
- Apple
- Banana
- Flaxseed
- Chicory Root
- Raw Oats
As you can see, there are some foods that serve more than one purpose in the body. Include foods that satisfy a wider range of nutritional requirements for overweight dogs.
Brown Rice in a Dog’s Diet
People often think brown rice is good for dogs because it’s healthier than white rice for humans. Dogs need the starch of white rice. If you’re going to give your furry friend the best dog food for shedding, white rice is better UNLESS there are diabetes concerns. It has a high glycemic level which can raise blood sugar levels.
Feeding Fresh Raw Diet Is Easy
Most dog owners do not feed their pups fresh raw dog food because they believe it’s too hard. The good news is that it’s not as hard as most think. Many fresh and raw dog food companies have made it easy for dog owners to feed their pooch a fresh and raw diet.
Fresh Raw Dog Food Companies
Dog Ownership Guide recommends a fresh raw diet because of all its benefits. Some of those benefits include:
- Improving gastrointestinal functioning
- Decreasing risks of food sensitivities
- Improving skin and coat health
With more dog owners learning about the advantages of this type of diet, many companies have emerged. These dog food companies provide dehydrated or freeze-dried raw food delivery.
Happy Dog Food
Happ Dog Food sells dehydrated fruits and vegetables combined to help dog parents make their pooch fresh raw meals easy. They just have to add water and meat such as lamb to feed a yummy and healthy lamb meal.
Veterinarians recommend the Happy Dog brand because they believe in the ingredients and variety of them in the recipes. You won’t find any fillers, artificial flavors, artificial colors, or any unhealthy additions for taste. They use naturally sweet ingredients such as sweet potato to make their recipes taste good.
You can learn more by reading this article: Happy Dog Dog Food
Only Natural Pet
Only Natural Pet offers everything a pooch needs dehydrated. All that dog owners have to do is add water.
The recipes include healthy fats with fish oil for healthy omega-3s and omega-6s.
All recipes include high-quality protein as the main ingredient. Of course, there are no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, and are made from all-natural ingredients.
Learn more about Only Natural Pet by reading: Is Only Natural Pet Food Good?
Ollie Dog Food
Ollie is a delivery service for your dog’s food. They deliver fresh human-grade food. Yes, that means you could eat it, but you likely wouldn’t want to eat it.
They use all-natural ingredients, no preservatives, no fillers, etc. It’s just like homemade dog food, but without all the work.
Ollie worked with veterinarians to create their recipes. The options are plentiful when it comes to flavors. The most popular are beef, turkey, lamb, and chicken.
You don’t have to worry about providing the nutrition your pooch needs when you pick Ollie dog food. You can give your pooch the best dog food for shedding quickly and easily.
To learn more about Ollie dog food, read this article: Pros and Cons of Ollie Dog Food
Spot and Tango Fresh Dog Food
Spot and Tango is another trustworthy brand for fresh dog food. They offer customized packages of fresh food and a formula that surprises many dog owners – dry dog food. Spot and Tango call their fresh dry dog food – Unkibble. It’s just like kibble but not like commercial dry dog food. You can learn more about it by reading these articles:
Can Fresh Raw Dog Food Eliminate Shedding?
No. Dog food cannot eliminate shedding. Shedding is a natural and healthy process for dogs. Even Yorkies shed, which you can read more about in this article: Do Yorkies shed?
Depending on the dog breed, shedding helps dogs live more comfortably. Dogs with double coats are warm in the cold, winter months. Dogs shed that double coat in the spring and summer or they would be too hot in the warmer months.
Shedding is also a way for the coat to become healthier. If damaged fur didn’t shed, a dog’s coat would never improve in health and appearance. It would also lead to skin issues as the damaged hair makes the skin drier and more irritated.
Shedding is a way to cycle through different coats for different seasons AND get rid of the old so the healthy new can come through. That is, as long as the new comes in healthier.
Only damaged and old fur sheds. When fur grows healthy and that health is maintained through diet and grooming, there isn’t so much shedding.
How to Reduce Dog Shedding
In addition to feeding a dog a healthy diet, grooming is another way to reduce dog shedding. Brushing, bathing, and using high-quality products to ensure your dog’s coat remains soft and strong can greatly reduce shedding. This is especially true of dogs that don’t shed much.
Have a dog that doesn’t enjoy baths? Read: How to Bathe a Dog That Hates Water
An additional way to reduce your dog’s hair from taking over your home and car is with dog shirts. They cover your dog’s body, which keeps the loose hair inside of it for when you’re ready to dispose of it. Learn more about it here: Do Dog Shirts Help with Shedding
Fresh Raw Dog Food – Best Dog Food for Shedding
The dog food that helps with shedding is fresh and raw. Including fresh fruits and vegetables with raw meats such as lamb or salmon make for a great lamb meal or salmon meal. With wholesome ingredients, your pup will benefit from enhanced health, including the health of the skin and coat. THAT’S what leads to a decrease in shedding.
When looking for dog food that helps with shedding, check out our picks:
Our picks are based on researching each of the companies to ensure they provide high-quality fresh and/or raw food for dogs. Have you tried any of the above brands? Let us know in the comments if it helped with your dog’s shedding. We always appreciate a review from our readers.
Please discuss any new food choices with your veterinarian to ensure it is safe and healthy for your pup.
If you have a Maltipoo, consider reading: Do Maltipoos Shed?
Yorkie dog owners concerned about shedding can read: Do Yorkies Shed?
