Listicle
5 Reasons Your Dog's Coat Supplement Isn't Stopping the Shedding
And why the coconut oil, the biotin chews and the weekly de-shed baths never fixed the dry skin underneath
If you've tried coconut oil, fish oil, biotin and de-shedding shampoo, and your dog still leaves hair and flakes on everything, you are not doing it wrong. You've just been handed one piece at a time.
I spent six years on coat supplements and shampoos for my Yellow Lab, Gus, and over $600 in just four of those months. The hair and flakes never stopped.
When my Basset Hound, Hazel, started flaking and shedding the same way, my neighbor Joan finally explained what every one of those bottles was missing. She ran her family's boarding kennel for 30 years. Here is everything she told me, on one page.
Every coat supplement gives the skin one piece at a time
Coconut oil. Salmon oil. Biotin chews. Zinc tablets. A $45 high-potency biotin and zinc formula. Each one gave Gus's skin one piece of what it needs.
Healthy skin needs several pieces working together, and none of those bottles had the whole set.
Every new product helped for a few weeks. His coat got shinier. Then the hair and flakes came back, on the couch, on our bed, on my clothes.
Healthy skin is a sponge, and collagen is the sponge
Joan said to picture healthy skin as a sponge. Collagen is the sponge. Hyaluronic acid is the water it holds. Vitamin E helps protect it. When all three are there, the coat grows in thick and soft.
When the sponge dries out, the coat grows in thinner and rougher, and more of it ends up on your floor.
That's the shedding, the flakes, the hair on every pillow you own. Hazel's skin went first: little white flakes along her back and a rough, dry feel under my hand.
Oil is wax on the outside of a dry sponge
Coconut oil and salmon oil can make a coat look shinier. Joan called it wax on the outside of the sponge.
You can wax a dried-out sponge all you want. It still can't hold water.
That's why Gus had a shiny coat on top and dry, flaky skin underneath. The shine hid what was happening.
Weekly de-shed baths can wash out the moisture you're trying to add
A de-shedding shampoo pulls out loose hair. Bathed every week, the skin can lose moisture right along with it.
I was adding oil to the inside and washing moisture off the outside, then wondering why the flakes kept coming.
Hazel's $23 biotin and zinc chews didn't help either. Joan read the label: biotin, zinc, flavoring. Two nutrients for the hair. No collagen, no hyaluronic acid, nothing to help the skin hold water.
The skin needs the whole set, all at once
Collagen types I and III are the main collagen in skin. Give the skin the sponge, the water and the protection together, and the coat has something better to grow from.
That's what Joan put in my hand on the back steps: a small bottle of Elvaro. Collagen types I and III, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, biotin and vitamin C, all in one bottle.
It already has biotin, so I dropped the extra chew. Fish oil is fine to keep if it helps. A few drops on Hazel's dinner. Not a drug.
What's in every bottle of Elvaro
Cold pressed liquid collagen for dogs. 900 mg of collagen in every 2 ml, with the whole skin set in the same drops.
What Hazel's first eight weeks looked like
- Weeks 1–2Still hair every afternoon. I was scared I'd waited too long.
- Week 3No flakes on her back when I scratched her.
- Week 4Her coat felt softer under my hand. Not dry anymore.
- Week 6One pass with the lint roller in the morning. That was it.
- Week 8The robot vacuum bin was half as full as it used to be. Our vet ran her hands through Hazel's coat and said it looked great.
Every dog sheds, and that's normal. Elvaro won't stop shedding. It gives the skin the whole set at once so the coat can grow in healthier. Give it 6 to 8 weeks, because a new coat takes time to grow in. Watch for fewer flakes and a softer coat first.
Questions owners ask
Should I keep my dog's biotin chew or fish oil?
Elvaro already has biotin, so many owners drop the extra chew. Fish oil is fine to keep if it helps. If your dog is on medication, ask your vet first.
Should I keep bathing my dog every week?
Ask your groomer or vet what's right for your dog's coat. Frequent de-shedding baths can dry out some dogs' skin.
Will it stop my dog from shedding?
No, and nothing should. Every dog sheds, and double-coated breeds blow their coat each season. What to watch for is fewer flakes, a softer coat and less hair on everything you own.
What if my dog has bald patches or sudden hair loss?
See your vet first. Bald patches, sores or sudden hair loss can be a medical issue that collagen won't fix.
How much do I give?
Dogs under 25 lb: 1 ml once a day. Dogs 25 lb and over: 2 ml once a day. Drop it straight onto their food.
My dog is a picky eater. Will they take it?
The bacon flavor goes straight on the food, so there's no chew to fight over.
How long until I see a change?
Give it 6 to 8 weeks. A new coat takes time to grow in. Most owners notice fewer flakes and a softer coat first.
Don't buy another bottle yet
Gus spent his last years behind the laundry room door every time friends came over. I kept adding one more product. Nobody asked what his skin actually needed.
Hazel made it through this fall's shedding season without the hair and flakes. She was at my sister's birthday party last weekend, right under the table.
If your dog is on a coat supplement and still shedding like this, you don't need one more single fix. You need to give the skin everything at once.
Give Your Dog a Softer Coat30-day money-back guarantee · Free shipping on qualified orders
Advertisement. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Individual results vary.