ok i have noticed that my viz has got loads of dry flaky skin at the moment and also has started to get a lot of wind. i think it could be that the burns doesn't have enough fat to make her coat better .
also she looses weight quite easily so i have to give her a lot of burns - hence i think the wind problem.
anyway my question is:
a) does JWB test on animals
b)is the salt content a problem
c)does it contain BHT etc...
d)is the fat content going to make a difference to the coat of my viz possibly (top 3 questions most important)
thanks

Hi Anna,

I can't answer all your questions but I add evening primrose oil to my boys dinner (which is JWB by the way as he too is rather skinny!! and burns just made him look skinnier too!) to help with his coat - after his tail op at Xmas he dropped his coat so this I'm told will help improve it!  We have been putting 10ml in per day to his breakfast.  Although sometimes if he has tinned sardines in sunflower oil I then don't.

Just to say we have been doing this for 2 weeks and I can say it is looking thicker! and shinier!

My gordon will not put on weight either but he is only 2 so in time (we hope)! he will.

thanks. i add evening primrose oil anyway - the same as u -10mls. but i sometimes forget.
thanks again

Hi,
My brown Dobe has a lovely coat which a lot of dog owners ask about. I give her a few drops of omega 3 oil with her barf diet and a 1/2 tsp of easygreen mixed into the evening meal. I found that any dry food dried out her coat, but perhaps that's just her?

i would love to feed barf but unfortunately my parents don't and i have to respect their wishes. thanks for the advise but i would have thought the wonderful coat is due more to her diet - when i did try barf my dogs coats were wonderful, still good now but no where near as good unfortunately.
thanks for the advise
anna

I found my dogs lost weight on Burns and their toilet was loose so I took it the off of it.   Mine put weight on when they are fed Arden Grange as the fat content is more suited to an energetic gundog breed (I have Large Munsterlanders), you'll probably find your Viszla is needing a fat content of 15%+ to suit her.  And that in turn would help her coat.  However I give mine Salmon Oil too, http://www.fish4dogs.com/cms/nutrition.aspx.  For a dog Viszla size you'd only have to give half a teaspoon daily of this product.   Royal Jelly is also useful for bringing coat back too.

well i have just brought some JWB - still going through all the searches to find my answers but thought i would give it a try.
thanks for the link and i will try it. i am really annoyed as she was looking so good - then all of a sudden her coat went. and only a couple of weeks till her first show :(
thanks again
anna

Hi anna I use kernelcoat in preperation for shows it works very quickly and gives a shine also try giving a tin of pilchards once a week (wash the tomatoe off).
long term i feed Arden grange and they dont suffer from dry skin , my dogs are vizslas.
wheres your first show? are you doing the national?

yeah the national. i am so nervous
i prefer feeding a food that doesn't contain maize which if i remember arden grange does. also it is very hard to get where i am.
where would i get kernelcoat from?
also do you think giving her the performance/puppy JWB would help as it has higher fat content?
thanks for the suggestions
anna

you can get the kernel coat from here http://www.homoeopet.co.uk/kernelcote.htm  
what class are you in at the national we are only showing one this time and shes in PB

there was a mistake in entering so unfortuantely we are in OB
maybe see you there?
thanks for the link

will do! my bitch is called Gunfields Bodza ,good luck in your class its a nice show for shopping!

mine is Paddockend Snow Nymph - a bit random name but hey!!!
i love shopping. good luck to you too

I would try Nutro if you don't want to use Arden Grange.   Nutro is formulated for a healthy coat & skin. http://www.nutro.co.uk/dog/index.htm

My dobes coat is fine he is fed on Pro plan Lamb. I also ive him Codliver oil, (1000mg capsules 3 x a week!) he looks lovely and his skin is good now (did go through a fase of dry skin)

Hi Anna,
Im copying the following (below) from John Burns's booklet 'A Guide to Natural Health Care'

>My dog has dry,flaky skin.Does he need more oil in his diet?<
>No! Dry,flaky skin (dandruff or scurf) is a sign that there is an excess of waste matter in the dog's system.It is not a sign that there is anything lacking in the dog's diet.The solution is to feed in smaller amounts.This will enable the body to eliminate the waste matter and the skin condition will then improve<

'food' for thought...
(must confess I use an oil supplement tho'- Supersolvitax)

interesting maybe i will try 3 meals a day - we shall see.

Mmmm..reading more;

>Often,increasing the food intake will reduce the efficiency of digestion so the dog may not put on weight.Increased feeding may even cause problems<

perhaps this 'catch 22' is what you've inadvertently fallen in to?

problem is if we don't give her enough food then she eats her own poo :(
i have swapped her on to JWB and will see how that goes. it has a slightly higher fat content - 3% up and i have just ordered some kernelcoat and will be buying some Salmon oil.
thanks for all the replies and if anyone has anyother suggestions i wouldbe happy to hear.
on the burns side of things i think it suits oneof my dogs down to the ground but obviously ziggi just needs a bit extra fat.
thanks again
anna

Ive noticed that alot of dogs who eat burns also have dry coats,which IMHO is because the food is too low in fat and oils! I am sure Burns is aware of this, hence his convenient answer above :rolleyes: Once owners start supplementing with more fat and adding an oil or two the problem dissapears.

Well if you get the same complaint coming up, then you make sure you have a convenient answer don't you? ;)

All ours are fed on Burns and have fab coats :D We don't add anything to the food, Chloe gets the occassioanl RMB but thats it. HVs can be prone to scurfy coats, we find a quick rub with a chamois or duster a few times a day soon sorts it out, like horses it encourages the coat to produce more oil :)

I have a friend who has Vizslas she feeds them Arden Grange and they have lovely coats. She uses something called Hokimix (food addative not sure of spelling) for showing, it makes the coats a lovely rich colour as I gather they can lose colour in the sun. i also know of someone who owns two and feeds Beta Active, they have lovely coats too.

i have now been using kernel coat for 3 days and her coat is better than it has ever been.
i would reccomend it to anyone - she is looking fairly good even if i do say so myself.
thanks for all your help
anna

That could be very true HG as I was feeding the chicken variety of Blades food and then when I started back on the lamb (plus same time giving cod liver oil) it all cleared up.. He seems to have less waste coming out of other end than when he was on the Chicken. So maybe digestability has something to do with it