Key Points
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The best oil for dog shedding depends on your dog's nutritional needs.
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Animal-sourced omega-3 fatty acid supplements are the best oil for dog shedding because they do not need extra processing by the body before utilization.
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Opt for cold-pressed extra virgin plant or nut-based oil over refined oil, as the high-heat refining process destroys most beneficial ingredients.
If you have a dog, chances are you're familiar with the never-ending battle to keep their shedding under control. From daily brushing to vacuuming hair from every corner of your home, it seems like you're fighting an uphill battle that never stops. What if there is a way to reduce your dog's shedding?
It may be as simple as adding oil to their diet and grooming routine. Here's everything you need to know about the best oils for dog shedding.
Why Do Dogs Shed Excessively?
Shedding is a natural process for all animals with fur, and dogs are no exception. Shedding is necessary to keep your dog's coat healthy and regulate their body temperature throughout the seasons.
Except for hairless dogs, all dogs shed throughout the year. Dogs with double coats tend to shed excessively once or twice during spring and fall when their bodies adjust to the drastic temperature changes. However, other factors may contribute to your dog’s excessive shedding.
Parasites
External parasites, like fleas, ticks, and lice cause your dog to scratch nonstop and irritate their skin which leads to inflammation. This causes your dog to lose hair more than usual.
Internal worms and protozoa cause shedding in a different way. By sucking your dog's blood and stealing nutrients, they cause anemia and nutrient deficiency in your pet. Consequently, your dog's skin loses its natural oils, leading to excessive shedding.
Allergies
Many dogs have allergic reactions to certain foods and allergens, such as pollen, dust mites, dander, and mold. Their skin becomes inflamed, causing your pooch to scratch constantly and lose more hair than usual.
Poor Diet
A poor diet is one of the leading causes of dog excessive shedding problems. Inadequate amounts of essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals in your dog's diet quickly result in flaky skin and a brittle coat that is more prone to breaking.
The Science Behind Oils
The saying "you are what you eat" also applies to your furry friend. Your dog's food plays a crucial role in their overall health, including their skin and coat conditions. Like humans, dogs require an array of amino acids, vitamins, and fats to keep their bodies strong and healthy.
Omega Fats
Omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids are essential for your dog's health. Although most animal sources of omega fats contain all three types, only omega-3 and 6 contribute to skin and coat health.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
There are three kinds of omega-3 fats: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). ALA is the precursor form of EPA and DHA and requires chemical conversion before your dog absorbs it for use. On the other hand, they readily absorb EPA and DHA without needing conversion.
Plant fatty acids only contain ALA, while animal sources contain mostly EPA and DHA. As a result, animal fatty acids are much more effective than plant-based fatty acids. The best sources of EPA and DHA come from seafood and cold-water fish. You often find wild salmon and krill oil in the best dog supplement oils.
Omega-6 Fatty Acids
Similar to omega-3, there are four types of omega-6 fats: linoleic acid (LA), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), arachidonic acid (AA), and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Although they do not directly prevent excessive shedding, they help boost your dog's immune system, reduce inflammation, and improve cell growth and repair. If your dog suffers from itching and skin infections, omega-6s help their skin fight against the infection and repair the skin from excessive scratching.
Omega-6s are available from many sources of vegetable oils, such as sunflower and safflower. Certain meats, such as chicken and turkey, are good sources of fatty acids as well.
Other Nutrients Essential to Skin and Coat Health
Besides omega fats, other essential nutrients work together to keep your dog's skin and coat healthy. Vitamins E, A, C, B7 (biotin), and zinc play the biggest roles in balancing the skin’s moisture level, regenerating cells, and strengthening hair shaft structure.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is responsible for cell renewal and sebum production. It keeps the skin and hair follicles moisturized while promoting enough hair growth to keep up with the shedding rate.
Vitamin B7 (Biotin)
Vitamin B7 boosts the production of keratin, the protein that forms your dog's hair structures. Not only does it strengthen their hair, but it also smooths down the hair cuticles so that the coat appears glossy and bouncy.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C manages collagen production and plays an important role in skin elasticity, cell growth, and repair. In addition, the nutrient serves as an antioxidant to support your dog's immune system and protect them from environmental toxins.
Vitamin E
The main role of vitamin E lies in its ability to reduce inflammation and keep free radicals from damaging your dog's skin. It works with fatty acids to lock in moisture and form a protective barrier over your dog's skin, making it more resistant to bacteria and allergens.
Zinc
Zinc promotes a healthy fatty acid metabolism in your dog's body and plays an important role in the overall skin regeneration process. Without a sufficient amount of zinc, your little buddy does not have the ability to use the fatty acids no matter how many supplements or fresh salmon they eat.
Which Oils Are Good for Dog Shedding?
All pet owners want what's best for their furry pals. When it comes to their health and well-being, owners go above and beyond, getting the most expensive supplements in the hope of curing the shedding problem.
Did you know some common oils are just as beneficial to your dog's skin and coat health as those expensive supplements?
Does Fish Oil Help Reduce Dog Shedding?
You often hear that omega-3 fatty acids are good for your pooch. Unless you incorporate fish and seafood ingredients into their diet on a daily basis, it's hard to get a sufficient amount of these fatty acids into your dog's system. That's why an omega-3 fatty acid salmon oil supplement for shedding dogs is a perfect way to ensure your pooch gets all the nutrients to reduce excessive shedding.
According to expert veterinarian Rania Gollakner, "stomach upset may occur when dogs receive doses on an empty stomach." As a result, it is better to purchase a liquid omega-3 formula that blends easily into your pooch's kibbles.
The best fish oil for dog shedding is The Paws & Pals Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil for Dogs & Cats. It includes EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin B7, vitamin D3, vitamin B12, and many other nutrients important to your pup's overall well-being.
Does Coconut Oil Help Reduce Dog Shedding?
Many people believe that coconut oil is full of omega-3 fatty acids, but that’s a myth. Instead, it offers a great source of medium-chain fatty acids. It provides your dog with a boost of energy and improves heart and immune system function.
What's interesting about coconut oil is that it contains lauric acid, caprylic acid, and capric acid. These fatty acids contain antifungal and antibacterial properties. When used as a moisturizer and natural conditioner for your pup's coat, it supports wound healing and minimizes the risk of developing infections. It also works as a great stinky mouth solution.
If you incorporate coconut oil into your dog’s supplements, choose organic cold-pressed virgin coconut oil. The quick harvest technique preserves more nutrients than refined versions of coconut oil.
USDA-approved Vivanaturals Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil is safe for both human and dog consumption and use.
Does Olive Oil Reduce Dog Shedding?
The Greeks and Italians credit olive oil with keeping their skin supple and moisturized. Luckily for dogs, the same applies to them. Olive oil contains a wealth of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, D, E, and K. It also includes polyphenols that help reduce inflammation and prevent chronic heart disease.
Although olive oil does not directly treat the shedding problem, it improves your dog's skin moisture retention ability and keeps the itching more manageable. When your pooch is comfortable and not scratching all day, they shed less.
Much like coconut, olive oil retains the most nutrients in extra-virgin form. The Colavita Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil is a wonderful choice to add to your dog's daily diet because it is less acidic than the refined versions.
Believe it or not, a little bit of olive oil helps your dog keep their healthy weight. The oil gives them a full feeling, so they won't constantly beg for more kibbles.
Is Avocado Oil Beneficial for Dog Shedding?
Avocado skin and pits contain high concentrations of persin, a chemical toxic to dogs. However, the oil does not contain persin, so it is safe for dogs to eat. Avocado oil is rich in oleic acid, lutein, and vitamin E.
Aside from benefiting your dog's skin and coat, lutein is essential to your furball's vision health. When combined with soybean oil, the avocado/soybean unsaponifiable reduces joint pain and improves osteoarthritis symptoms. If you have a dog that suffers from arthritis or is prone to health problems, the combo treatment is the way to go.
Does Sunflower Oil Treat Dog Shedding?
Sunflower oil contains one of the highest levels of omega-6 fatty acids of all vegetable oils. Known for its skin and coat moisturizing properties, this fatty acid aids in preventing inflammation, allergies, heart diseases, and other health problems associated with aging dogs. In addition, it features vitamin E to soothe your furball's skin and strengthen your dog's immune system.
Like any other vegetable and nut oil, always go with cold-pressed over refined sources of sunflower oil. Daana Organic Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil comes from batches of non-GMO heirloom sunflower seed oil. That means the oil contains higher concentrations of nutrients than GMO sunflower oil.
Flaxseed Oil (Linseed Oil)
Flaxseed oil contains high levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
If you have a dog with digestive problems, flaxseed oil keeps their stool firm and lubricates their intestinal walls. The omega-6 fatty acids help lower inflammation of the stomach lining so that your furry friend’s gut flora health improves. As a result of your pooch digesting and absorbing nutrients properly, their skin and coat also benefit from the oil.
If you decide to add flaxseed oil to your pup's daily diet, remember that the oil is perishable and oxidizes quickly when exposed to light or heat. It is best to store cold-pressed flaxseed oil in dark glass containers.
Always consult with your vet before incorporating something new into your pet's diet.
Oils to Avoid
Although some oils benefit human health, they are toxic to dogs. Check out the following list of oils to avoid giving to your dog as shedding treatments.
Perilla Oil
Perilla oil comes from the plant Perilla frutescens, and it is a common ingredient in Korean and Japanese cooking. Even though it contains high levels of omega fatty acids and offers many health benefits to humans, the oil causes liver damage and an abnormal fat metabolism rate in dogs.
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil is safe for human consumption and is a natural parasite-repellent. As a result, some pet owners think spraying their dogs with peppermint oil is a great way to naturally repel fleas, ticks, and mites.
However, peppermint oil is highly toxic to dogs. In fact, many other essential oils typically used for massages on humans are toxic to dogs as well.
Time to Incorporate Oils Into Your Dog's Shedding Treatment
Oils are an excellent choice to treat your dog's shedding problem. However, as with any treatment, you must consult your veterinarian before adding oil to your pup's diet.
Always opt for cold-pressed extra virgin oil over refined oil when choosing a plant or nut-based oil. It is important to store the oils properly in dark, cool areas away from sunlight and heat. Remember to follow your vet's instructions when you add the oil supplements, as a little goes a long way. Be patient, and let the supplement work its magic.
