WellCoat Skin & Coat Formula
February 20th, 2008
Indiana, our Shar Pei mix, joined the Domino Doggie family last November. After getting him situated, one of our immediate concerns was that he had very obvious skin issues. Doggie dandruff and extremely dry skin led to Indiana developing a habit of literally gnawing on himself for relief from the itchiness, and soon he was sporting bare patches of skin that looked red and irritated.
After confirming that he didn’t have fleas or a fungal infection, we started experimenting with ways to soothe his inflamed skin. Hydrocortisone sprays were a very temporary relief, and he absolutely hated the application process. Soothing oatmeal & shea butter shampoos made his fur glisten, but seemed to have to effect on his skin problems. Changing his food produced absolutely no difference at all.
Finally, it dawned on me that I could handle his dry skin much the same way I handle mine: I take flax seed oil supplements, and the difference in my skin is huge. When I run out or forget to take my fatty acids for a few days, my skin basically throws a fit and gets overly sensitized and breaks out. I wondered if giving Indiana some concentrated doses of fatty acids would yield the same sort of soothing, healing results as it did in my own skin, so I began researching and looking into various “skin & coat” dog supplements, especially the ones that included flax seed oil.
After about a week’s worth of consideration, I settled on WellCoat Healthy Skin & Coat Formula by Old Mother Hubbard. I’d fed my dogs food and treats by Wellness before, and had always been impressed by the high grade of their ingredients, lack of filler, and how much the animals seemed to enjoy their products. Furthermore, the WellCoat capsules include a wide range of fatty acid sources - 275 mg Borage Seed Oil, 125 mg Fish Oil, 75mg Oil of Evening Primrose, 25 mg Sunflower Oil, 25 mg Flax Seed Oil, and 10 IU of Vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol). This produced a good, complete mix of essential fatty acids (CLA, GLA, ALA, etc) - the fact that it seemed like the kind of effective supplement I’d buy for myself if I was having skin problems really sold me.
Upon purchasing the WellCoat pills, my first concern was if Indiana would be down with taking a gel-cap. Luckily for me, both he and Domino have pretty much gone crazy over the taste and consistency of these supplements: it’s at the point now that whenever they hear a bottle of pills/supplements being opened, they both CHARGE to wherever the noise came from in hopes of scoring more WellCoat. So apparently, the taste is fantastic in their minds.
Indiana’s about halfway through his 60-cap bottle now (taking 2-3 gel-caps a day) and the impact it’s had on his skin and coat is staggering. I honestly didn’t expect the supplements to help as much as they have: his dandruff is all but gone, his compulsive gnawing on himself as gone WAY down - he scratches about as much as a normal dog would now. His bare patches have significantly healed and the fur is about halfway grown back, with no new hot spots popping up since he’s been taking the WellCoat.
Overall, I’m extremely please with these supplements, and if your pet is having similar problems - don’t hesitate to give the WellCoat a try. Once we’ve finished the 60-cap bottle we’re on now, I fully intend to repurchase the 120-cap size and continue buying & using the WellCoat as long as it’s necessary.
Best Price: $12.99 & $19.99 at JB Pet Supplies
