ProDerma Optimum Skin & Coat

ProDerma – Optimum Skin & Haircoat for Dogs

Recommended for growing, adult and senior dogs under the supervision of a veterinarian.

Dr. Barnett’s products have been used by over 3000 veterinarians in a clinical environment for the past 40 years!

Canine ProDerma is a scientifically formulated Veterinary Health Supplement that provides a blend of high biological value proteins, type I & III collagen, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and specialty ingredients known to be helpful in the structure & function of healthy skin and hair coat management.

ProDerma Provides Proactive Ingredient Support For:

Healthy, Vibrant Skin
Luxurious Hair Coats
Excessive Shedding
Hair Texture & Growth

Why is an Animal’s Skin & Hair Coat Important?

The skin is the largest organ of the body. Depending on the species and age, the skin may be 12 to 24% of a dog’s total body weight. The skin is also one of the most important organs of the body as it forms a barrier to protect it from infections, parasites, and the elements. One of the skin’s most important functions is to maintain the body’s internal environment, preventing the loss of moisture and other body constituents and providing them with its sense of pressure and touch. Because the skin is on the outside of the body, it is easily exposed to outside elements and quite susceptible to injury and disease.

Dr. Barnett’s Recommendations for:

Adult Dogs

There are many things capable of wreaking havoc with the skin and coats of dogs such as climate, fleas, mites, bacteria, insufficient nutrition, even seasonal weather conditions can cause significant problems with the skin and haircoat of your client’s dogs. Optimum Skin & Coat has clinically proven its effectiveness for over 40 years with consistent use by top breeders and over 3000 veterinarians.

Senior Dogs

We often see coats thinning and color changing as our dog’s age. These changes are due to hormonal levels dropping and the inability of the dog to process the essential nutrients needed to keep the coat looking like it did as an adult. ProDerma provides a balanced blend of highly active skin and haircoat ingredients in a formula that is easy for a dog to digest and utilize. Over 40 years of use by veterinarians has demonstrated clinical safety and efficacy that senior dog owners can count on.

Show Dogs

Whether its hair loss from whelping a litter or recovery from seasonal shedding, ProDerma will help your client’s dog get back to that winning appearance with a luxurious, full coat that says, “I’m a winner”. Show dogs need to be in peak health and look spectacular to be successful. For medium to long coated show breeds, ProDerma may be used along with ProBalance. ProDerma may also be used with ImmunoPro to protect your dog from just about everything possible that show, obedience, and agility dogs are exposed to when they come in contact with thousands of other dogs while competing.

Daily Recommended Dosage:

Dogs (All Ages)

Wt. Range (lbs.)

Scoops/Day

Servings

Toy

3 - 12

1/3

136

Small

13 - 25

2/3

Medium

26 - 44

Medium-Large

45 - 69

1 1/2

Large

70 - 99

Giant

100 & Up

2 1/2

Directions for Use:

Dosages may be administered once a day or split and provided twice daily. Sprinkle product onto any canine diet. Mix in or moisten to make a tasty, protein rich broth. To assure freshness and avoid settling, shake periodically, keep sealed, and store in a cool, dry place.

Whenever introducing a new Veterinary Health Supplement to the diet, it is always best to start with half the recommended dosage for the first week.

Canine ProDerma is a 100% highly concentrated powder that provides twice the value of capsules, pills or chewable products that require as much as 50% inactive fillers and binders. We avoid those unnecessary ingredients and as a result AVN products do more with less while providing far more servings per container.

Caution: Consult your veterinarian before using in dogs diagnosed with thyroid disease, long term use and when pregnant or lactating.

Key Ingredients in ProDerma

Biotin

Biotin is one of the sulfur-containing, water-soluble B vitamins necessary for the production and utilization of fats and amino acids and the integrity of skin and claws. Mammals are unable to synthesize biotin so supplementation should be considered if optimum skin and coat health is a goal.

Caution should be used when feeding raw egg white to either the dog or cat. Raw egg white contains a compound (Avidin) that binds tightly to biotin, resulting in its decreased absorption. Cooking the egg white inactivates the avidin. Also, the amount of biotin found in egg yolk is more than adequate to offset the potential loss of biotin. My recommendation is to only feed whole cooked eggs, never raw eggs to pets.

Functions of Biotin:

Biotin is a cofactor for enzymes involved in the metabolism of protein, fat and carbohydrate
As a coenzyme, Biotin plays a role in deamination, generating energy from amino acids
The five carboxylase enzymes in mammalian tissue requiring biotin are: acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase, pyruvate carboxylase, propionyl CoA carboxylase, B-methylcrotonyl CoA carboxylase and methylmalonyl CoA carboxylase

Hyaluronic Acid (HA)

Hyaluronic acid is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG), an exceedingly long chain of disaccharides (sugars) present in all connective tissues that is responsible for retaining moisture. As animals age, levels of hyaluronic acid decrease by as much as 50 percent. Deficiencies in Magnesium and zinc accelerate this loss.

Hyaluronic acid is a substance that attaches to collagen and elastin to form cartilage. HA not only helps keep the cartilage that cushions joints strong and flexible, but also helps increase the supply of joint-lubricating synovial fluid. Together, synovial fluid and cartilage function as shock absorbers that can withstand a tremendous amount of wear and tear. However, in joints afflicted by arthritis, hyaluronic acid levels become extremely low causing the synovial fluid to become less viscous and the cartilage less effective.

Hyaluronic acid performs many important functions. It helps deliver nutrients to and carries toxins from the cells that do not have a blood supply i.e. cartilage. Not only does it keep joints lubricated, but hyaluronic acid also encourages water retention in other bodily tissues. It is found in large concentrations in the extracellular matrix (ECM), which is the fluid-filled space between cells. HA locks moisture into the ECM, keeping collagen and elastin moist.

One of the most researched benefits of hyaluronic acid is in osteoarthritis. Its effectiveness in this area is related to its concentration in the knees, hips, and other moving joints. It is a major component of both cartilage and the synovial fluid that bathes these joints, binding to water to create a thick, gelatinous substance that lubricates and protects the joint cartilage.

Hyaluronic Acid is found in all bones and cartilage structures throughout the body. HA is especially found in various forms of cartilage but none more than the hyaline cartilage. Hyaline cartilage covers the ends of the long bones where articulation (bending) occurs and provides a cushioning effect for the bones.

Animal joints (like the elbows and knees) are surrounded by a membrane called the synovial membrane which forms a capsule around the ends of the two articulating bones. This membrane secretes a viscous liquid called the synovial fluid, which provides the elastic shock absorbing properties to the joint. Synovial fluid also carries nutrients to the cartilage and removes waste from the joint capsule.

Connective tissue is found everywhere in the body. Its major functions include binding, support, protection, and insulation of the tissues that make up the animal body. One such example of connective tissue is the cordlike structures that connect muscle to bone (tendons) and bone to bone (ligaments). In all connective tissue there are three structural elements: ground substance (hyaluronic acid), stretchy fibers (collagen and elastin) and a fundamental connective tissue cell type.

Collagen Type 1 & 3

Collagen Type I:

The majority of the body’s collagen is type I.
Ninety percent of collagen is type I made up of very densely packed fibers.
It is this type of collagen that provides structure to skin, bones, tendons, cartilage, connective tissue and teeth.
The natural levels of type I collagen found in the body starts to decline in our adult and senior dogs.
Due to its prevalence in connective tissue, its decline may result in less firm skin, brittle toenails and thinning hair.
As animals age it is important to support ligaments, tendons, organs and bones.
ProDerma provides Type I collagen to support skin and hair coat health.

Collagen Type III:

Collagen type III supports the structure of the muscles, organs and arteries within the animal body.
It is the second most abundant collagen type and is generally found in reticular fibers of the skin, tendons, cartilage, connective tissue and bone marrow.
Type III collagen also decreases as our dogs age making supplementation a viable option.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil)

Omega-3 Fatty Acids come from the oils found in most deep, cold-water fish. They are a strong anti-inflammatory agent. It is difficult for the dog and cat to synthesize omega-3 fatty acids, therefore they must come from either the diet or through supplementation.

The Omega-3 fatty acid series begins with alpha linolenic acid (ALA). In order for Alpha linolenic acid to be converted to the more important Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) specific desaturase and elongase enzymes must be available. These enzymes are considered insufficient in the dog early in life and for the most part lacking in the cat.

Marine plants and animals (algae, certain fish, krill and squid) are all potent sources of omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA and are therefore the best direct dietary or supplemental sources of for the dog and cat.

Functions of Omega-3 Fatty Acids:

Anti-inflammatory
Anti-Platelet Aggregation (reduced clot formation)
Vasodilation
Non-immunosuppressive
Retinal development
Brain development

EPA is primarily incorporated into the heart, blood plasma and prostate tissues. It is also present in cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids. DHA is one of the most abundant components of structural lipids in the brain and is essential for brain development and function during fetal development and the growing dog. DHA is also present in blood plasma, phospholipids, the heart, prostate and rods of the eye.

Amounts of EPA and DHA in Animal Tissues

Omega 3 fatty acids are incorporated into cell membrane phospholipids where they are converted to eicosanoids that facilitates decreased production of prostaglandin E2 metabolites (a potent inflammatory agent) and thromboxane A2 (a potent platelet aggregator and vasoconstrictor). Omega 3 fatty acids lead to a decrease in leukotriene B4 (a potent chemotactic agent and an inducer of inflammation) resulting in immunomodulation.

Once n-3 fatty acids are incorporated into the membrane phospholipids, these polyunsaturated fatty acids exhibit many additional biological functions, such as:

Altering membrane fluidity
Signal transduction
Gene expression
Hepatic lipogenesis inhibition
Fatty acid oxidation in the liver
Decreased triglyceride levels in the blood

Healthy Skin and Coat for Dogs

Let’s explore why healthy skin & hair coats are important. The skin is the largest organ of the body. Depending on the species and age, the skin may be 12 to 24% of a dog’s total body weight.