Inside. Outside. If the inside is healthy, the outside will show it. I am talking about the condition of your dog’s health and the appearance of her coat and skin.

One of the fundamentals of natural dog skin care is a good diet.  In recent years new brands have appeared on the shelves of pet stores with improved ingredients and nutrient value, but what is truly interesting is the increasing number of pet parents who choose to cook for their for their furry family members.

People who already cook for themselves just put on an extra pot alongside theirs which is now doggie’s pot. That takes me back to my years of growing up. We had pets – both cats and dogs. My favorite was Molly. Molly was a dog; she was a beauty of indeterminate breed but for sure there must have been some black lab and border collie too! Her skin was soft, slightly wavy and so shiny and she was forever playful, full of spunk and always eager to please. She was super friendly. I now know that she was also super healthy.

When I took Molly for walks people would come up to pat her and often commented on her soft and silky coat. Of course, mom cooked for her and all our pets. We lived in Japan back then and ready made dog food was not easy to obtain – yes, it was that long ago!

Mom’s “pet cuisine” would often be based on rice, into which she would throw vegetables and meat. The meat would be scraps she picked up at the butcher’s or the fish store. The meat was mostly cheaper cuts of beef but sometimes there was chicken and on the rare occasion lamb, but it was fish which got thrown most often into that pot.   Honestly, it was as good as the food that was put on our table to eat, the only thing is that it was bland as mom did not add any seasonings to her doggie deli dishes.

It is no wonder that Molly was so healthy. The food that she ate was nutritious. There were no fillers, no ground up produce masquerading as food – there was just good, wholesome food. The rice provided carbohydrates, the meat and fish protein, the vegetables enzymes and the added bonus was the omega 3 fatty acids from the fish which of course is the reason her coat was so silky and shiny. Without knowing, mom was practicing the most fundamental  steps of good dog skin care.

Today’s food does not pack the nutrient value of those years so if you decide to be the chef de chien cuisine, you may want to add some supplements too. You can find plenty of recipes for home made dog food on the internet. Here’s to your and your dog’s good health!

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