What's best for your furry friend's coat? This is the eternal question for pet owners – and a lifelong uncertainty about whether you're really doing it right or if a different type of diet could give your dog more. Especially when health problems arise, everyone wonders: could I have changed something if I had fed a better diet? In other words, which food is best for both health and a beautiful coat?
Coat as an indicator of health
Everything has its pros and cons. The key is what suits you so that you can then harmonize it well with your furry friend. It's pointless to feed BARF, for example, if you absolutely don't have time to prepare balanced mixes and would find it difficult to pay for ready-made, frozen ones from the store. So first, choose what is closer and more natural for you. Then, find the best product within that type of diet.
How do you know if something is missing from the diet? After several weeks of feeding, the coat will start to become dull, cottony, dandruff may appear, itching, excessive shedding, or even skin irritations.
Poodle coat quality
How to find the best food?
It's certainly not a bad idea to consult an expert, or a vet. But be careful there, because most vets recommend food with which they have contractual prices and commissions, and not every vet is honest about this.
If you are already feeding something you are unsure about, you can try giving your furry friend blood tests, which will tell you at least a little more. Whether the organs are working as they should and if they are lacking important minerals in their body.
Kibble food
Recently, the most hated food, where it's hard to find real quality in the flood of profit-hungry companies. Fortunately, the trend is now more focused on quality processing and ingredients, but it's far from true that the most expensive is the best. The main thing is to read the analytical components (in addition to the ingredients) and adapt the type of kibble to your dog's activity levels.
Raw BARF
This popular trend now has more modifications, but don't be fooled – don't make your dog a complete vegetarian, as they wouldn't get all the necessary nutrients in their diet. The popular myth that a dog that eats raw meat is aggressive and bloodthirsty has long been debunked. BARF is about thoroughly studying what and how, getting advice on meal planning, and regularly monitoring whether your dog is truly thriving through veterinary testing. Because every dog is different...
"Your dog is not a wolf in a Chihuahua's coat. Over the years alongside humans, dogs' digestive systems are beginning to resemble humans' more than wolves'," explains Bára Vítková from BiBI FOOD. "The nutritional needs of a wild animal do not match the needs of its domesticated version. In addition, you must ensure that a raw, meat-based diet is complete and balanced."
Cooked food
Grandfathers may have done it a little differently, but they weren't actually that far off in terms of nutritional quality. Well-cooked food preserves all important nutrients, is easily digestible and wholesome. We highly recommend foods like Bibifood, which contain no preservatives. They are custom-formulated by nutritionists and cooked with ingredients from local suppliers. It's such a delicacy that a human would rather eat it themselves than give it to their dog.
"Food doesn't have to be just a daily routine. I believe it has the power to heal dogs too. All kinds of allergies (related to poor coat!) and many health problems stem simply from the dog not getting everything it needs, not getting what is natural for it," adds Bára from Bibifood.
A well-chosen diet can extend a dog's life by up to 2 years! In today's world full of advertising and marketing tricks, this is not an easy task, but it's worth the effort of searching.
