Best Dog Food for Shedding in 2024 Reviewed by a Dog Trainer and Owner

As a fact, no dog owners want their pet to have dry and brittle hair. It is even worse when a dog suffers from dry skin, patches, or baldness. We all want them to have soft, smooth fur that we can always run our hands through.

What is the best food for dog shedding? Healthy dogs shedding occurs for reasons that include pregnancy, time of the year such as spring or fall and due to the type of breed. However, excessive hair loss can be caused by other factors such as allergies stress, diet imbalance, stress, dry skin, and hormonal imbalance. Almost all of these factors can be alleviated by feeding your dog the right food. This is why this article is dedicated to reviewing dog food and supplements that can help in minimizing or eliminating shedding.

Product
Best Overall
Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Dry Puppy Food, Chicken and...
CRAVE Grain Free High Protein Adult Dry Dog Food, White...
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Natural Adult...
Prime
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime
Pros
DHA for healthy skin and vision development
High protein and carbohydrate content for active adult dogs
It restores healthy skin to a dog
Best Overall
Product
Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Dry Puppy Food, Chicken and...
Prime
Amazon Prime
Pros
DHA for healthy skin and vision development
My preview
Product
CRAVE Grain Free High Protein Adult Dry Dog Food, White...
Prime
Amazon Prime
Pros
High protein and carbohydrate content for active adult dogs
My preview
Product
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Natural Adult...
Prime
Amazon Prime
Pros
It restores healthy skin to a dog
My preview

9 Best Dog Foods for Shedding Reviewed

More often than not, you as a customer will ask, “What dog food is best for shedding?” As a trainer, I can only recommend brands, but the final decision on what to buy lies on you. In terms of buying dog food, here are some of the factors that I have come to learn to influence a customer’s decision:

  • the formula used;
  • customer reviews;
  • the reputation of the dog food brand;
  • dog food cost.

1. Purina Pro Plan Dry Puppy Food – Best Dog Food for Dry Skin and Shedding

Are you looking for the dog food from a reputable brand that engages in enough research of formulas used? Purina may be the brand for you. As a product, been in the industry for long, it has a large number of nutritionists who facilitate in developing formulas. They also aid in testing the products developed before release into the market. One thing that makes the brand famous among the dog owners is the fact that it prides itself in having meat as its most significant ingredient. This makes it the best brand for protein-rich dog foods.

One of their innovative products under the Pro Plan brand is the Purina Dry Puppy Food. Its main ingredients include appetizing chicken, brewers rice, and just enough fish oil. This effectively makes the nutrition composition of the puppy food to about 28% for protein, 13% for the fat and about 6% for fiber. The protein, mainly from the chicken helps in ensuring that your puppy grows healthy and active. The fish oil help provides the DHA component key in required for the development of the puppy’s brain and vision. These fatty acids are also essential for developing healthy skin and beautiful fur. This is why this food is a typical recommendation among vets for dogs with skin rashes and extreme itching. Let’s not forget about their exceptional taste. One of my dog training clients tells me her dogs cannot stop wagging their tails when eating them.

Positives
  • DHA for healthy skin and vision development
  • High calcium content for stronger bones and joints
  • High protein levels for stronger growth
Negatives
  • Some customers hate the high carbohydrate content

2. Crave Adult Dry Dog Food – Best Food for Shedding Dog

With Crave adult dry dog food, you are guaranteed of high protein and carbohydrates content, and then you are probably thinking about Crave Adult Dry Dog Food. To put it into context it contains a composition of about 34% in protein, 31% in carbohydrates, and about 18% in fat content. Therefore, even without much of a review, I can tell you with certainty that it is a suitable choice for dogs that engage in high-level activities. This is because they make a large portion of Max’s and Dexter’s diets, both of whom we involve in high-level training and frequent hunting trips.

The brand believes that a dog should at least be able to imitate the diet of a wild wolf that feeds on high levels of animal protein. This is why the company utilizes genuine lamb as the main ingredient for the adult food category. The other reason I love about this brand is that they have managed to notice another great source of animal protein and DHA for dogs, the ocean fish. This particular ingredient also ensures that the food is rich in vitamins and contains the necessary minerals for a highly active dog.

Further, for those of you that have dogs with allergies for poultry and grain products, you can afford to relax. This brand contains no chicken and grains in the ingredients. You can also take heart in the fact that this company has not had any food recalls since its establishment in 2007.

Positives
  • No food recalls since the establishment
  • High protein and carbohydrate content for active adult dogs
  • Suitable for allergic dogs as it does not contain chicken or grain-related products
  • Very affordable for such high-quality food
Negatives
  • The high carbohydrate content may not be ideal for dogs that are not highly active

3. Blue Buffalo – Life Protection Formula for Large Breeds

This Life Protection Formula is produced by Blue Buffalo, a company that has dedicated itself to providing highly nutritious dog food. The organization differentiates itself by using real meat in the production of all pet foods to ensure that dogs and cats absorb maximum nutrients.

This brand contains explicitly superior chicken protein, which is very critical in building strong muscles for dogs. The organization uses chicken fat and flavor to make these delicious chewy.

Blue Buffalo also has fruits as major ingredients. For example, it contains pumpkins, apples, berries, carrots, and spinach. It also has sweet potatoes, pea, and brown rice, garlic, and vitamins such as taurine, phosphate, and glucosamine.

With all these ingredients, Blue Buffalo offers various benefits to a dog. The main one is the enhancement of the development of healthy skin. This capability makes it good dog food for shedding control. There is a time Max had flaky skin, and on researching and finding out that this food would help, I bought it. True to the online recommendations, the brand never disappointed. Within two weeks of giving it to him, I could see his fur starting to become soft and shiny.

It also enables pets to develop strong bones, muscles, and joints. These parts then allow a large dog to be able to move around happily. It also improves the immune system of a dog, thus allowing the pet to stay free of diseases.

It is natural, and the organization prepares the chewy on a very low temperature to ensure that it does not lose nutrients. The package weighs only thirty pounds.

Positives
  • It has natural ingredients that are prepared on low heat to avoid loss of nutrients
  • It restores healthy skin to a dog
  • It has a taste that is familiar to most dogs. Hence, it is delicious
  • It does not contain any artificial flavors
Negatives
  • It is only suitable for large breed dogs

4. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Adult Dry Dog Food

The Blue Buffalo is a renown brand among the dog keepers because it specializes in producing healthy food using only natural ingredients. Included in their product line is the Blue Buffalo Wilderness Adult. The grain-free food main components include a chicken, chicken meal, and fishmeal. The composition of these elements is tailored to the nutritious and energy requirements of an adult dog. As such, it contains 34% protein, 15% fat, 6% in fiber, and about 10% in moisture.

The presence of different types of meal helps in providing the protein required by a dog for strength and muscle build-up. Forming the blue buffalo dog food for shedding are LifeSource Bits that combines all necessary elements for the health of your pet. All these help in boosting the body’s defenses of your dog. You can count on the high fiber content to aid in the food’s digestion. It is also important to note that even though they are grain-free, other healthy alternatives such as peas and sweet potatoes provide the required carbohydrates.

Therefore, your dog’s active lifestyle is well catered for. For example, it forms part of Max’s diet because of the many hunting trips we make together.

Positives
  • Contains only natural components
  • Affordable pricing
  • Utilizes natural carbohydrate sources
Negatives
  • They use pea as an ingredient, which some dogs may have a problem digesting

5. Taste of the Wild High Prairie Puppy Dry Dog Food – Best Dog Food for Shedding

No products found.

Taste of the Wild product line greatly emphasizes on offering dogs what they would eat out there in the wild. Based on this thinking, they have managed to develop some of the better tasting, easily digestible foods around. This product line is also known for containing antioxidant elements with a view of improving your dog’s immune system.

Taste of the Wild High Prairie is just the right formula you need to nourish your puppy. To begin with, it contains buffalo meat as its number one ingredient. Unlike other kinds of beef, buffalo meat has a higher protein content and lower levels of fat. This is why the Roasted Bison and Venison Formula contains about 32% protein and about 18% in fat. Moreover, buffalo is an ideal source of animal iron and zinc. These are both essential components for growth and maintaining a strong immune system in your puppy.

It also comprises lamb and chicken meals as primary ingredients. Because of their dehydrated form, they contain higher protein levels. This ensures that your puppy has more than enough protein to grow and remain healthy. Also forming part of the ingredients are sweet potatoes that are both antioxidants and valuable sources of carbohydrates. Use of real vegetable and fruits in this formula helps in improving your young dog’s immune system, hence saving you frequent trips to the vet.

Positives
  • Contains buffalo meat that has higher protein and lower fat levels, respectively
  • Highly affordable compared to other brands
  • Contains active antioxidant ingredients that help improve your puppy’s immune system
Negatives
  • The tomato pomace ingredient may provide the required fiber content but at the same time maybe, the reason this formula has an adverse reaction to your puppy

6. Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food – Dog Food for Shedding

This is part of the Big Heart Pet Brands’ product line. This recipe’s main ingredient is real lamb meat, which provides your dog with high protein levels and essential amino acids. From my experience, both of these are essential in maintaining a resilient immune system in addition to building its muscles. Let’s not forget that lamb as red meat is an excellent dietary fat source that helps improve your dog’s energy levels and also increase the appearance of its skin and fur. From other dog owners I have interacted with, they tell me the lamb makes Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free even tastier. They also suggest that it is an excellent alternative for dogs with allergies for other protein sources such as chicken, turkey, or beef.

Even though lamb is the main ingredient, it has been flavored with pumpkins and sweet potatoes. The good thing about these two ingredients is that they provide the carbohydrates for improved activity. I also read elsewhere where these ingredients have been given a positive review for being tender on a dog’s stomach. This makes it a suitable option for dogs with selective eating habits or those that have negative side effects on other foods.

Positives
  • Pumpkins and sweet potatoes ingredients aid in improved dog food digestion
  • Salmon, as the main ingredient, provides a suitable alternative for dogs with allergies to other protein sources such as chicken
  • Suitable for selective eating dogs
Negatives
  • Due to the loss of real lamb’s moisture content, it seems to be lower after cooking them

7. Hill’s Science Diet Dry Dog Food – Dog Food for Less Shedding

Is your beloved one having high skin irritations, abnormal shedding, or high bowel sensitivity? I present a dietary solution from a company that has been in existence for a hundred or so years. Over this period, customer feedback and research have led them to produce food from carefully selected ingredients and in the right quantities. For example, they have taken precaution not to include any chicken by-products in Hill’s Science Diet because customers complain that they cause sensitivity or allergic reactions to their dogs. However, the diet does contain added vitamins, amino acids that are essential in maintaining healthy nourished skin for your pet.

The inclusion of organic-based ingredients makes this brand suitable for dogs on a vegetarian diet. It is also a significant reason why this brand has a huge vet recommendation for dogs with digestion complications and sensitive stomachs.

Positives
  • Organic based ingredients for improved digestibility
  • Suitable for dogs on a vegetarian diet
  • Ideal for maintaining a healthy dog’s skin
Negatives
  • Changes in the formula have left many dogs not liking the food’s taste

8. The Honest Kitchen – A Dehydrated Grain Free Dog Food

This is a high-quality feed that is prepared through dehydration. Instead of using preservatives, the organization gets rid of all the water in the food to increase its shelf life.

The food is low in carbohydrates with lots of proteins and vitamins. Standard components in this formula include eggs, carrots, turkey, spinach, cranberries, potatoes, and coconut. It also has vitamin B12, D3, E, and B1.

Honest Kitchen has also used minerals such as zinc, copper, potassium, and chloride in the manufacture of this nutritious treat.

The organization makes this food in the best dog food for shedding lab that has fulfilled FDA regulations. This is mainly because all the ingredients that make this food are also suitable for humans. Therefore, you can be sure that this food is the safest that you can buy for your pets.

Since it meets FDA regulations and uses natural ingredients, it is suitable for all ages.

The food is mainly in powder form to enable a pet to absorb maximum nutrients upon eating this treat. And it is easy to prepare because it requires you to add water for rehydration purposes. The pet can consume it alone, or you can top it on any other meal.

Positives
  • It is suitable for both adults and puppies
  • It contains minimal carbohydrates
  • It is suitable for traveling with your dog because of how simple it is to prepare
  • It is free of preservatives and genetically modified ingredients
  • It weighs only 4.3 lbs
Negatives
  • Low carbohydrate content makes it unsuitable for highly active dogs

9. Whole Earth Farms – Natural Dry Dog Food with No Grains

Merrick’s grain-free food manufactured is the best option for your household if your pets are allergic to grains.

It has sufficient proteins to help minimize shedding of the fur on your dog’s skin. It does contain grains. Hence, it is straightforward to digest. This ease of digestion is also enhanced by the fiber that is produced by sweet potatoes and peas, which Merrick uses in the production process.

It comes in four sizes. The smallest one weighs four pounds while the other two are twelve and twenty-five pounds. Therefore, you have the flexibility to buy the size that fits with your budget and the size of the dog.

The food is chewy meaning that you can serve it without anything else.

Positives
  • It has protein and fiber, which are essential
  • utrients for dealing with the shedding of the skin
  • It is made of 100% natural ingredients
  • It is suitable for all dog breeds in different stages of life
  • It is affordable
Negatives
  • It is not suitable for dogs with a chicken allergy

Dog Food Supplements to Restore Healthy Coating

Although dog food should be enough to keep your pet healthy, sometimes, the dog may lack enough nutrients. This is especially common when the pet is feeling unwell, making the vitamins in the food to be insufficient. In such a case, it is necessary to buy supplements for the chihuahua. Purchasing these substitutes may save you a lot of cash that you would spend on a vet for numerous checkups.

Therefore, although you may not need supplements right now, it is essential to know about the best ones. When the time of need comes, you will know what to get for your companion.

1. Pet Vitamin Co – Krill Oil Shed-Free Soft Chews for Dogs – Best Shedding Supplement for Dogs

Pet Vitamin Co is an oily supplement that has more capabilities and benefits than you can imagine. First, the organization that makes this product knows that it is essential to have olive oil in dog food for shedding. Therefore, they have included olive oil in addition to fish oil and fatty acids as significant ingredients.

The acids and oils in the product play a significant role in enhancing the health of a dog’s fur. They help in restoring a healthy and shiny coat for both dogs and cats. Therefore, if you have both pets, you can serve them with this food substitute.

The ingredients in this supplement also play a major role in reducing inflammation and itching on the dog’s coat. This is in addition to restoring the strength of joints. Once a dog gets healthy muscles, it becomes more active than it used to be before taking the supplement.

For a start, Pet Vitamin Co advises that you should give the dog two pieces of the chews, and then reduce to one with time. For a puppy, half of the chewy is enough to boost the health and immunity of the pet.

Positives
  • It weighs only a pound
  • It reduces inflammation and itchiness while restoring a glowing and healthy coat on a dog
  • It can be served alone
  • It enhances a dog’s mood
  • It is suitable for dogs of all sizes
Negatives
  • It is slightly expensive

2. Healthy Coat – Best Supplement to Stop Dog Shedding

This food supplement is produced by Healthy Coat, an organization that deals with the production of food substitutes for dogs and cats. The company uses omega 3 and 6 in all its supplements because of its importance for a dog’s health.

The supplement is suitable for all types of dogs. Therefore, you may give it to pregnant dogs, puppies, and adults despite the breed. It does not react with any dog breed because Healthy Coat uses only ingredients that are necessary for improving a pet’s health.

The supplement for shedding dog contains omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, biotin and vitamins of various classes with B and E making up the largest portion.

Once you start giving your dog this product, you will see changes in its fur. If it had any flakes, they would disappear because this supplement will help in restoring the dog’s healthy skin. You will also notice that your pet will start to glow once more, hence making it look healthy and attractive.

Sometimes, a dog may experience fatigue or lack of inactivity due to weakness in its muscles. However, once you give it this healthy coat, it will become energized. You will notice that the pet will start becoming active and friendly once more.

Healthy coat weighs only two pounds, which is easy to carry. This is also less costly to ship from the seller’s address to yours. It measures 4.5 by 3.2 by 9.2, meaning that it occupies minimal space.

Positives
  • It is affordable
  • It is good for puppies, adult dogs, and those that are pregnant or nursing
  • It restores fur, prevents it from shedding, and makes it glow healthily
  • It boosts energy levels in a pet
  • It does not require refrigeration
Negatives
  • It is difficult to serve it alone. Therefore, you have to mix it with food

3. Lambert Kay Linatone Shed Relief Skin

If you think about Linatone shed relief food supplement for dogs, Lambert Kay should be the product in your mind. Like most of the other substitutes, it contains fatty acids, which are critical for giving health to any dog’s fur.

The unique thing about this product is that it consists of some additional essential ingredient. For example, it has protein and zinc, which help in making the fur shiny. These are also important for the whole body, especially in enhancing muscles to gain strength.

It also has vitamin D3, E, A, and anise and soybean oils. These are also very useful in enhancing the coat of a dog to become soft and less flaky.

The product weighs only 1.1 pounds, and since it is a liquid, it is contained in a bottle that measures 8*3.5*1.8 inches. It is therefore easy to carry, and it economizes on space.

It is recommended to give a teaspoon per twenty pounds of body mass to both puppies and dogs. However, the serving of cats should be a quarter teaspoon for every two pounds of body weight.

Positives
  • It has proteins, zinc, fats, and acids
  • It makes the coating of a dog soft and with a healthy look and touch
  • It can be served to both dogs and cats
Negatives
  • It is oily, hence may become messy when serving

4. Wild Fur Skin and Coat Supplement for Dogs

Of all the other supplements, Wild Fur is unique in its way. It is an advanced formula that is mainly made using bilberry and grapefruit extracts. Therefore, this is a fruit centered dog food supplements for shedding.

These ingredients are vital in restoring the health of a pet’s coating. They are also special in that they boost the immune systems of dogs and help these pets in effectively absorbing calcium. Therefore, with it, you are sure of reducing visits to a specialist.

The container has at least sixty chewable treats for your canine, and it weighs only 3.68 pounds, which is easy to carry around.

Other fruits in these chewy treats include funnels and cranberries. This means that if you are giving your dog food with enough fatty acids and oils, Wild Fur may be the best option for you because it has everything else that is not contained in the food.

Positives
  • It is affordable
  • The treats are stored in a very light plastic container
  • You do not need to refrigerate the treats
Negatives
  • It lacks fatty acids, which are vital to restoring healthy skin

Test These Products on Your Dog and See Which One Works the Best

A pet is one of the friendliest companions you can have, especially if you live alone. Dogs are the main mates to humans, and since they offer more than friendship, you need to take care of them well. One of the ways you can take care of your dog is by feeding it with healthy food and the best dog shedding supplement. Food is necessary for every dog, whether it is ill or healthy while supplements are essential to the pets that are experiencing issues such as too much shedding of the fur and inactivity.

The above food and supplements are some of the products that I have found to work out for my two dogs, Max and Dexter. I have tried most of them, and they have enhanced the glow of Max’s and Dexter’s coatings. If you love your dogs, believe me when I tell you that you should try these products and find out the ones that work out for your pet. Each pet is different. Therefore, one product may not be effective, but the other one may be perfect. Do you own a dog? Have you given it any of the above supplements? What are the changes that you have seen on the pet so far?

Britta Thygesen

Britta Thygesen

A passionate dog owner and a full-time certified dog trainer. Aspires to make DogCareHacks a go-to place for all the doggo info. Shares personal experience and professional knowledge.

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