# Coarse hair



## chili (May 27, 2011)

Chili's hair seems to be stiff. I feed him raw and ziwipeak. my question is what else can I do to soften his hair? Or is it normal to be alittle coarse? 
it lays nice and flat but other people have commented on how coarse it is. even my parents 2 chics have soft hair and they eat crap dog food.


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## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

Jaxx has some coarse hair. With Jaxx it seems his darker hair is coarse.

Fish oil is supposed to be good for skin and coat so it may help his hair get softer. I know there is some fish oil in ZP though.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

It could just be his genetics. 

I agree with Amy though... add in some omega 3 fatty acids and see if that improves coat texture/quality. 

I'd start with a regular fish oil capsule for people. Poke a hole in it and drizzle over food. Start slow, maybe half a capsule every other day. If he tolerates it (some dogs get loose stools), then increase the amount. It's extremely difficult to overdo the fish oil. A therapeutic dose may be as much as one capsule every day for a couple of weeks, then you can back off to every other day, and then a couple times a week for maintenance.


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## joeandruth (Aug 11, 2012)

We use a 1200 fish oil capsule, twice daily. The easiest method is to use scissors to snip the tip off of the capsule, and then drizzle it over Simcha's Nutro kibble. It does have a very slight fishy odor, but Simcha does not seem to mind.


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## Star's Mama (Aug 15, 2012)

Right now I also feed zp and raw everyday. Like everyone else suggested, try fish oil or salmon oil. I can tell you that I just added salmon oil recently and it improves Star hair and skin more. My husband noticed last night that Star's coat is more softer since I added salmon oil. I also use coconut oil every other day for her coat and skin too.


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## Jmitchell&tiki (Oct 7, 2012)

Tiki has a couple patches that are course too.


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## jan896 (Dec 9, 2009)

Chico has course hair on his back...... When I give Salmon oil I can tell a BIG difference in his hair.....


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## Hollyg123 (Oct 30, 2012)

Tia had a course coat when I got her last week, but after a week on TOTW Pacific Stream her coat is much better. Very soft and silky. Crackers has a shedding issue and a week on TOTW Pacific Stream he has almost stop shedding completely.  


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## Mrs.J. (Nov 29, 2012)

I had the same question!
What about krill oil? We don't have regular fish oil, but we do have krill.


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## chili (May 27, 2011)

Thanks everyone. I will do the fish oil thing. But I have read that with fish oil you have to be careful of blood presure.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Krill oil is fine.

Fish oil and blood pressure? Would love to see links talking about that.


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## chili (May 27, 2011)

Brodysmom said:


> Krill oil is fine.
> 
> Fish oil and blood pressure? Would love to see links talking about that.


i read it one day while looking for supplements for myself. if i run across it again i will post it. sorry of no caps but i'm typing one handed because chili wanted a hug. lol


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## heartagram (Aug 4, 2012)

chili said:


> Thanks everyone. I will do the fish oil thing. But I have read that with fish oil you have to be careful of blood presure.


Fish oil thins the blood, so it is very useful in lowering blood pressure but on the other hand it can lead to the risk of hemmoraging & blood clotting problems if you over dose, thus why it is not reccomended if you're already on blood thinning medication or anything that thins the blood, including aspirin.

I work in a health food shop so thats what I know on the subject! but i'm sure there are plently of articles on the internet but I would imagine the same would apply to dogs as long as they're healthy and not on any such medications, It is a very beneficial supplement! would be very unlikely to overdose through diet to such an extent it would become dangerous unless on said medication.

Noah has very coarse hair but as of recent it has become incredibly soft, I'm not sure if it's his raw diet or the fact he now has coconut oil, though his shampoo and conditoner certaintly helps!


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I would not worry about hypotension in a healthy normal dog. It would take large amounts of fish oil to cause a drop in blood pressure. Probably far more than the normal person would administer. 

Fish Oil For Dogs Dosage | Fish Oil for Dogs - Page 3

I think the benefits far outweigh the risks when it comes to omega 3 fatty acids and I would not hesitate to use and recommend them.


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

Axle has coarse hair compared to my other two. They are all on ZP and raw so I figure its a genetic thing (although Chloe is his half sibling and she has a soft, shiny, silky coat). He also sheds a lot more than the other two.


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