One of the big perks of feeding your dog the right diet is that it can contribute to comfortable skin that’s free of itchiness and a smooth, shiny coat. Many dogs with sensitive skin have allergies - to grain or otherwise - so dog foods that contain grain will be riskier for them. Firstly, both Burns and Pooch & Mutt options contain healthy, protein-rich ingredients to support muscle growth and recovery for a dog. Onto fat content - a lower amount of fat keeps dogs lean, and is also great for dogs prone to pancreatitis, as high amounts of fat can trigger inflammation in the pancreas. Dolly has been taking these tablets for a few weeks and she seems to like them. They help her walk around and play with her toys even more than before and I noticed that her legs seemed less stiff. It’s like she can do everything without too much pain and it doesn’t seem like she is in as much discomfort anymore. I think they are really helping to speed up her recovery. Omega oils are essential for skin and coat quality, cardiovascular/ heart health, immune response, cognitive/ brain function and joint function/ mobility.

First up is Pedigree , one of the original and most well-known commercial dog food brands in the UK. We compared its dry dog food, Dry Vital, with Pooch & Mutt Complete Superfood . Dogs with sensitive skin benefit from supplements for skin and hydration. Collagen as well as omega fatty acids are great examples of this. For this reason we've calculated the approximate 'as fed' percentages for the main ingredient categories in the finished product. Fish oil is our number one recommendation for a gorgeous coat as it’s a real doggy wonder product. It’s rich with omega 3 fatty acids essential for a nourished coat and healthy skin - so much so, that a dry coat and itchiness can be indicative of an omega 3 deficiency in your dog’s diet. As a powerful anti-inflammatory, omega 3 is also great for dogs’ joints, mobility and heart health (1)(2), so you can’t go wrong with a supplement such as our Salmon Oil for dogs. The nutritional information of Harrington’s is vague - it’s unclear which meats are included. This means the contents could change over time and cause a reaction or digestive issues in your pup.If you have any specific questions about your dog’s coat and skin, get in touch with us today. For some tasty supplements to improve your dog’s coat and skin, try our Bionic Biotic or Salmon Oil for Dogs supplements. We also offer a full Skin & Coat Bundle which contain vet-approved food specifically for a soft & shiny coat, Salmon oil supplement and Skin & Coat tailored treats.

Pooch & Mutt Soft & Shiny is a fish-based food, which contains a higher abundance of omega fatty acids to help reduce skin inflammation and prevent itchiness.

Carb-rich ingredients: includes all ingredients derived from grains, pseudo-grains, potatoes and other starchy root vegetables, sweet potato and legumes (except whole peas which are categorised under fruit and veg) except for isolated protein and extracted oils. Also includes fibre supplements. Burns Wet Food contains brown rice, which could trigger an allergic reaction in dogs with a grain allergy. Dogs don’t need to be bathed as much as humans - their delicate skin needs time to produce its own natural oils, and they’re relatively adept at cleaning themselves. Bathing your dog every three months is a fail-safe option for most breeds - unless your dog gets particularly messy on a regular basis (you live in the muddy countryside, or if it’s long-haired, for example) and could benefit from a bath more often.

It’s also key to know exactly what you’re feeding puppies, so that if they react badly to a meal, you can clearly read the label to investigate the ingredients. A regularly brushed dog is a soft and shiny dog, so be sure to get the comb out as often as you can, despite how wriggly or resistant your pooch may be. Brushing every couple of days is ideal, whether they have stubby, sheep-like or swishy fur. Biotin for dogs is a complex B vitamin proven to improve dogs’ coat and skin (4), as well as essential for maintaining processes in your dog’s body such as muscle formation, healthy digestion and thyroid function. As well as other signs, a biotin deficiency can show up in dogs through dry, scaly skin, a scruffy or unkempt appearance, brittle fur, skin lesions and excessive shedding. Onto the chunky, jellified or gravy-drizzled slurp fest that defines the best wet dog food. For this important test we compared Lily’s Kitchen Fishy Fish Pie with Pooch & Mutt Fish, Potato & Pea Wet Food . Nutritional additives per kg: Vitamin A (3a672a) 19 000 iu, vitamin D3 (3a671) 1,400 iu, , vitamin E (3a700) 450mg, vitamin C (3a312) 250mg, vitamin B1 (3a812) 3mg, vitamin B2 (3a825i) 4mg, niacinamide (3a315) 12mg, calcium-D-pantothenate (3a841) 1.0mg, folic acid (3a316) 0.5mg, vitamin B12 0.04mg, biotin (3a880) 0.6mg, choline chloride (3a890) 600mg, zinc (3b606) 85mg, iron (3b106) 72mg, manganese (3b504) 35mg, copper (3b406) 15mg, iodine (3b201) 0.65mg, selenium (3b810) 0.18mg.In the Pooch & Mutt option, the main ingredient is salmon - a tasty and healthy lean protein that’s gentle on the tummy. References• ‘An un-commissioned randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind study to test the effect of deep sea fish oil as a pain reliever for dogs suffering from canine OA’, 2012 - National Library of Medicine