Hi

one of my cavaliers - Pippa approx 1 year old (I've only had her two weeks) - has a wiry coat - most of it anyway, my other two - both boys - have very soft fluffy coats - is a wiry coat quite common in Cavs?

thanks

Hi,
Has Pippa been spayed? I'm no expert but I do know that spaying and neutering can often alter the coat. I have two boys, both neutered, 1 black and tan, 1 ruby and luckily they have both managed to keep soft coats - my ruby you would never know had been neutered but my black and tan has gone a bit thick and more difficult to keep looking tidy.

If her coat is really thick and wiry, I believe that Mars coat kings are good in keeping things under control although I have never used one - Lucy is your girl to talk to ;-)

Pippa has only been spayed two days ago so that isnt whats made her coat wiry- but thanks for the thought

Maxine

What colour is she Maxine? I have seen quite a few Tri's looking wiry.

Hi

She's a blenheim - she does have some small patches of soft fur round her face and head but the majority of her is wiry - I'm secretly hoping that she will shed the wiry hair and come soft and beautiful!  It doesnt seem fair that the two boys have the soft beautiful coat and the girly with the pink collar gets the tough macho coat  :)

Maybe it is a diet thing?

I'm assuming that she's a rescue and thought perhaps she could have been clippered at some stage - guarenteed to ruin a Cavvies coat but then you say shes only about 1 year old so I don't know?? I've just discovered Quistel shampoo and love the stuff. It stimulates blood supply to the skin and promotes new hair growth, maybe try shampooing with something similar, give her a good daily brushing and try an Evening Primrose Capsule (500mg) daily - might help her new coat come through better? As messyhearts mentioned, could it be a diet thing? If you don't know her history and she's not had decent food then that could be a factor - good skin and coats come from within....

I know enough of her history to know that she wasnt fed well - apparently the owner just threw treats all over the floor and when they were gone would throw more down - no proper meals as such!  She is on good food now so maybe that will help - I shall look for quistel shampoo and can I just buy the evening primrose capsule from normal shops or do I have to find a doggy version?

Thanks for all your help and suggestions

Maxine

>can I just buy the evening primrose capsule from normal shops or do I have to find a doggy version?

Human grade from health shops tend to be better quality. I would highly recommend fish oil and vitE over EPO,Fish oil is omega 3,EPO is omega 6 which is found in abundance in commercial foods,Fish oil is also more easily absorbed and has better results for coat and skin.

Beware though if giving Cod Liver Oil as I understand too much is dangerous - I steer clear because I'm frightened of over dosing the dogs. Is there another fish oil capsule to give Ktee or what is the correct dosage of CLO for a Cav sized dog say around 9kg? Quistel do an Omega 3 tonic - www.quistel.com but I don't bother with this as I feed Arden Grange Salmon variety and just give Evening Primrose oil

Omega 3 fish oils are a different thing to cod liver oil - there isn't any of the worry about overdosing. You just need to buy something labelled fish body oil rather than cod liver oil (healthspan do a good one).

ahhh right. Thanks Zarah.

It should be straight and quite silky really, not fluffy or harsh. I expect a proper diet will help a fair bit. :-)