5 Homemade Dog Coat Treatments

5 Homemade Dog Coat Treatments

Make all-natural home remedy to make your dog’s coat look and feel its best

Here at Two Little Cavaliers we often get questions from readers about what they can do to make their dog’s coat and fur look its best. Here are 5 Homemade Dog Coat Treatments that are all natural and will not harm your dog no matter how young or old they are. You most likely have the ingredients for many of these coat treatments in your home right now and quite possibly use them in your own daily life. Of course if your dog has an allergy to one of the treatment ingredients you should refrain from trying that home remedy.




1. Honey – For Dry or Sun-Damaged Dog Coats
Whatever reason your dog’s coat is looking dry honey can help. Whether your dog has spent too much time in the sun, you have hard water in your house, or your dog has had one too many visits to the groomer with a hot air hair dryer, or the winter season has seen too many days of needing the heat to work overtime its time for some sweet help.

Massage a generous amount of honey into clean, damp fur, let sit for up to 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. You can also add a little bit of olive oil to loosen the honey for easier application. If your dog licks a bit of the honey there is nothing to worry about. In our house if Indiana has a slight tummy upset I give her about a half a teaspoon of honey telling her it is tummy medicine and it almost always does the trick to calm her tummy.

Other uses: Honey is a natural humectant, which means it attracts and locks in moisture. Historically, honey has been used by humans to treat a variety of ailments in themselves and their dogs, from gastric disturbances to ulcers, wounds and burns, through ingestion or topical application. Hairless dogs with Acne Problems can also be treated with honey which will help breakdown the infection under the skin a thorough rubbing with a wash cloth after treatment will get rid of the infection which was brought to the top and leave your dog’s skin feeling soft.




2. Lemon Juice – For Dry Itchy Skin and Dandruf Treatment –
To fight dry skin brought on by any number of factors in your dog try a lemon juice and olive oil mixture for their coat and skin. The acidity in lemon juice helps rid your scalp the dry flakes of skin, while the olive oil moisturizes the [newly exposed] skin on your dog’s body.

Mix equal parts lemon juice, olive oil, and water and massage thoroughly into your dog’s skin and coat. Let mixture sit for no more then 10 minutes at a time. This treatment should only be done inside (you don’t want the lemon juice to come into contact with the sun or heat lamps which will interact with the pigmentation of your dog’s fur. Rinse well and lather shampoo into coat well to get rid of any lemon juice before your dog is allowed outside again. As with the honey treatment there is no problem if your dog tries to lick the lemon and oil mixture. They probably will not be a fan of the lemon and leave it alone after a lick or two anyway.

Other Uses: Lemon Juice can be used to change the acidity of your dog’s water to help combat bladder or yeast infections (a good pro-biotic is also a good idea to combat the infection).




3. Cornmeal or Cornstarch – For Oily, Greasy, or a dirty coat and paws –
Used properly cornmeal or cornstarch is an inexpensive way to remove oil and grease from your dog’s coat and paws between grooming. Cornmeal and Cornstarch will bond with the oil, grease, or dirt and can then be combed or brushed from your dog’s coat. This is something that can be used as often as needed and poses no danger to your dog (unless they are allergic to corn). Pour 1 Tbsp cornmeal or cornstarch into an empty salt or pepper shaker you have around your home and sprinkle onto dry coat until you’ve used it all. After 10 minutes, use a brush or comb to completely remove cornmeal or cornstarch from your dog’s coat. If you have ever seen a waterless dog shampoo it is made from a base of this ingredient.

Other uses: Cornmeal can be used as a base instead of wheat to make dog treats.




4. Avocado – For Frizzy coat –
Many of you may have heard that avocado is toxic to dogs. This is not completely true. The giant pit (seed) and skin as well as the plant’s leave are toxic. The fruit itself is not and can be found as an ingredient in some very high end dog foods. For this treatment you will only be using the fruit and disposing of the pit and skin so there is no chance of harm to your dog. Its oils and proteins boast the best combination of nutrients for smoothing and weighing down an unruly coat.

To Use: Mash up avocado and massage well into clean, damp coat. Let sit for up to 15 minutes before rinsing with water. Treatment can be applied every two weeks.

Other uses: You can feed your dog avocado as a treat to help fight frizzy coat from the inside out. Since it is such a rich addition to your dog’s diet we only recommend about an 1/8 of an avocado no more then twice a week. We have been told that regular addition of avocado to your dog’s diet can aid in coat growth.

Note(4/30/14) The flesh of an Avocado is not poisonous to dogs. The pit and skin of the Avocado and the leaves and bark of the tree are. Dogs that live in a house or farm with Avocado trees are known to sit under the tree and wait for them to fall to the ground in order to eat them. The flesh from the avocados you would find at your local store or farmers market is safe for your dog to consume in moderation. Over indulgence would cause stomach upset and a very shiny coat. I personally had a Labrador that would sit under an old Avocado tree and wait for them to fall so she could eat them. By the end of the season she was shaped like an avocado and had a very shiny coat.




5. Plain Yogurt – For Dull coat –
There are many things your dog can encounter that will leave a film that both saps moisture and dulls shine. Swimming in your pool for instance or rolling in the mud. Plain yogurt can help reverse this damage. The Lactic acid in the yogurt will gently strip away dirt while the milk fat moisturizes.

To Use: Massage plain yogurt into damp coat and let sit for up to 20 minutes. If your dog licks some off there is no danger or issue of harm though full fat yogurt in too large a quantity could lead to stomach upset so limit any licking that does occur. Rinse with warm water, then shampoo coat as you normally would.

Other uses: Plain yogurt with its Probiotics can help heal scrapes and shallow wounds. It will clean out any bacteria that got into the area without the use of chemicals. Plain yogurt as an addition to your dog’s diet is a great way to help them fight or keep away infection.

Which of these 5 Homemade Dog Coat Treatments will you be trying to help get your dog looking its best?