Hair coat...

Question
My 22 month old toy poodle's coat of hair is dull on his back, hips and rear end. And in some spots there appears to be dandruff.  Can I feed him sardines as a source of amino acid.  Also, what natural ingredients can I give him to help his joints?  I don't like giving him too much medication and the pills authorized by the vets made him throw up.

Answer
Hello El,
Unfortunally dry skin and skin issues in general tend to be more common in Poodles.  Its because they have hair rather than fur like most dogs and their hair needs more attention than most breeds of dogs.  Yes, you can feed your dog sardines, as they have Amino Acids, and also Omega 3 fatty acids that help the skin and coat.  I actually have come up with a diet that is very good for dogs with skin problems that you can make up and either feed to your dog straight, or add it in with his normal dry diet to help him.  

Here is the diet I recommend.

1 lb Lamb burger, cooked and most of the fat drained off.
1 can Salmon
1 can Sardines in Olive Oil
1 cup Spinach blended with the oil of the sardines
1 egg scrambled
1 1/2 cup Special K or Total Cereal
1 Apple Blended (or you can use 1/2 cup of Applesauce)
1/8 tsp Garlic powder
1 grated carrot
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked using chicken broth for better flavor
1/2 Tablespoon Cottage Cheese, this is optional and can be added per feeding rather than made up in advance.
You can also add fruits or veggies that your dog likes, or take out things that you think your dog will turn his nose up at.
This recipe is for a large dog, but if you think this is more than you would use in a week, it freezes nicely.  It has vitamins and minerals that are good for a dogs coat and skin.  I would use 1/2 of the recipe and 1/2 of your dogs normal dry food for now.  You might want to gradually work up to using 1/2 of the recipe though rather than just starting out with a half and half diet, as to not upset your dogs stomach.  Start off with 1/8 of the recipe, then 1/4, 1/3, and then 1/2.  This way your dog will get used to it slowly and he won't have diarrhea or gas.
I would keep your dog on this diet for at least a month to see if the change will help his coat and skin.

As for your dogs joint issues, products that contain Glucosamine, Condroitin, and MSM are all good for helping with joints.  Shark Cartilage tablets provide natural Glucosamine, Condroitin, and MSM, but you should run it by your Vet first just to make sure it will fit with your dogs diet.   

Give this a try and see how your dog does on it.  If you have other questions about this, or other questions in general, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim