Explore how nutritional therapy for dogs with skin disease can enhance skin health and promote healing with the right balance of nutrients.
Skin diseases are common in dogs, and can result in discomfort, itching, inflammation, secondary infections, and hair loss. Proper nutrition plays an important role in maintaining healthy skin and hair in our canine companions. Nutritional therapy for dogs with skin disease can also help manage and treat a variety of skin conditions.
Nutrients essential for skin health
To maintain healthy skin, dogs need a balanced diet that provides important nutrients, including proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Supplementing specific nutrients beyond their normal daily requirement can be helpful in the management of some skin diseases.
Be sure to consult with your veterinarian before giving your dog any new supplements.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential fatty acids in the form of Omega-3s and Omega-6s. PUFAs help reduce inflammation, hydrate the skin, and prevent skin infections by maintaining a healthy skin barrier.
The Omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are available in high concentrations in fish oils and are immediately usable for dogs.
Plant-based sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, such as flaxseed oil, contain alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) which needs to be converted to EPA and DHA for utilization.
However, dogs do not convert ALA to EPA/DHA; the amount of ALA needed to reach therapeutic levels of EPA and DHA in a dog can cause gastrointestinal upset and lead to excessive caloric intake.
Note: Inflammatory conditions, such as flea allergy dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, and adverse food reactions, are the most common skin diseases in dogs. Supplementing Omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce inflammation and pruritus in these dogs.
Dogs also require Omega-6 fatty acids, linoleic and arachidonic acids, for skin health. However, adding Omega-6s beyond the recommended daily requirement does not appear to significantly impact the management of skin diseases.
Vitamins A, B complex, C D, and E all play important parts in maintaining healthy skin and coat in your dog:
- Vitamin A helps maintain skin hydration, regulates skin cell growth and differentiation, and plays an immunomodulatory role. It may help in the treatment of seborrhea in certain breeds.
- B complex vitamins, including B1, B2, B6 and B12, are important for the formation and maintenance of healthy skin cells. Given in excess of the daily requirement, they may not be beneficial for skin disease, but additional B vitamin administration is needed to maintain healthy skin when the dog’s ability to absorb it is reduced.
- Vitamin C is necessary for collagen production. It is also an antioxidant that can protect skin cells from free radical damage.
- Vitamin E is another antioxidant essential for skin health. It plays an important role in maintaining the skin barrier. Vitamin E supplementation is often recommended for autoimmune skin diseases such as varieties of pemphigus, vasculitis, and lupus, as well as inflammatory skin disease caused by allergies and food intolerances.
Zinc and copper play important roles in skin health and specific skin diseases:
- Zinc is important for the growth and repair of skin tissue and the maintenance of healthy skin. While dietary deficiencies are uncommon when dogs are fed a properly balanced diet, hereditary zinc-responsive dermatoses, as seen in many Arctic/northern breeds, require additional zinc beyond the minimum recommended amounts.
- Copper should not be fed in excess; however, copper deficiency can lead to dry, discolored, brittle hair and alopecia.
Note: Severe skin disease is often a symptom of underlying internal organ or endocrine dysfunction, and may require significant diet supplementation.
Nutritional therapy for the skin: commercial or home-prepared?
A commercial novel protein/novel carbohydrate or hydrolyzed diet is often recommended for dogs with skin disease. However, these diets come with challenges:
- They may contain or be contaminated with ingredients not on the label.
- There is little to no information available on how (and where) ingredients in commercial pet foods are farmed or harvested. Sensitivities to chemicals contained in or on individual ingredients could appear as an adverse food reaction.
- Many prescription limited-ingredient and hydrolyzed diets are expensive. For example, a 20 lb bag of dry kibble can easily exceed $100.
- There are limits to available novel ingredient options. Many of these ingredients are now routinely added to regular maintenance diets.
- Protein pieces in hydrolyzed diets can still be large enough to stimulate an immune response.
Home-cooking with balanced recipes can solve many of the challenges of commercially-prepared foods. For example,
- Ingredients can be tightly controlled and easily changed.
- Organic and/or local ingredients can be used.
- A huge variety of ingredient choices is available, depending on where you live.
The main challenge with feeding a home-prepared diet is ensuring it’s nutritionally balanced. It’s very important to work with a veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist for assistance and guidance.
Note: When it comes to preventing adverse food reactions in your dog, research in humans indicates that a varied diet early in life reduces the risk of atopy and the development of food allergies.
Skin disease is common and can significantly impact your dog’s quality of life. Nutritional therapy plays a critical role in treating skin disease by providing essential nutrients, controlling weight, and improving the skin barrier.
Food therapy based on Chinese medicine principles can improve skin health and reduce the risk of skin disease. By providing a balanced, nutritious diet and incorporating theories of food energetics, you can help maintain your dog’s skin health while reducing medication use.
How TCVM and food energetics improve skin health
In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM), each food has effects on the body that go beyond its nutrient profile. These effects are described as the food’s energetics and include temperature, taste, the patterns treated, and the channels/organs affected.
The table below provides examples of TCVM food therapy principles. Phrases such as “tonifying Qi” or “resolving Stagnation” may sound strange, but further investigation can help you understand how food energetics impact the body.
As an extreme but simple example, consider the effects of eating a hot pepper. The pepper is not actually hot; however, it will cause the lips and mouth to burn, the head to become red, and the body to sweat as if exposed to thermal heat.
Likewise, when we eat watermelon, we feel cooled and replenished by both its fluids and energy. Every food contains its own unique set of properties and affects the body in different ways.
Combining sound Western nutritional principles with TCVM food energetics has helped successfully manage skin disease in hundreds, if not thousands, of dogs.
Obesity may contribute to skin disease in dogs
Beyond a balanced diet and the additional supplementation of certain PUFAs, vitamins, and minerals, maintaining a healthy weight may be important in managing some canine skin diseases. A link between obesity and several skin conditions, including psoriasis, has been established in people.
Obesity may contribute to skin disease by increasing inflammation and altering hormonal levels. The impact of obesity on skin diseases in dogs is not fully explored, but weight control should be part of management until more information is available.
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