Dietary supplement for preventing or reducing shedding by animals

A dietary supplement for animals, comprising safflower oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, soya oil, cod liver oil, lecithin, natural flavors, herbs, garlic, and zinc. When fed to a dog or cat daily in a proper dosage, the supplement reduces or eliminates non-seasonal shedding and promotes healthy skin and a glossy, silky coat, without affecting the dog's or cat's natural shedding cycle and without causing any harmful effects. The composition also may be administered topically.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to compositions for keeping 
animals' skins and coats healthy. More specifically, the present invention 
relates to a dietary supplement for dogs and cats that prevents shedding 
out of season and promotes healthy skin and silky, glossy coats. 
There are over 54 million domesticated dogs and over 63 million 
domesticated cats in the United States. The owners of these pets and other 
animals have had to cope with the problems associated with keeping the 
animals indoors and coming into frequent contact with the animals. 
Additionally, these pet owners deeply care for their pets and want to keep 
them as healthy and as beautiful as possible. 
One of the problems pet owners often encounter is excessive amounts of pet 
hair clinging to clothes and fabrics and covering surfaces, including 
floors, carpets, and furniture. This is a result of shedding, the process 
by which many animals routinely lose their hair. New hair grows to replace 
that which is lost, so that the animals maintain a full coat. 
Shedding is a normal process for certain animals and breeds, and should 
take place in those animals every spring. However, many individual animals 
shed throughout the year, not just during their natural shedding cycle. It 
is this unwanted, non-seasonal shedding that creates the year-round 
covering of pet hair found in the homes and on the clothes of pet owners. 
Pet owners also are interested in keeping their pets healthy, and one 
aspect of that is healthy skin. Animals may be subject to myriad problems 
and diseases of the skin, including fungus infections and seasonal dry 
skin. Additionally, most pet owners want their pets to have a coat that is 
pleasing to the eye and to the touch. This is especially true for owners 
of show dogs, but is equally important to owners of household pets. It is 
desirable that pets have coats that look and feel healthy, glossy, and 
silky. 
In view of the above mentioned problems and considerations, the present 
invention contemplates a liquid composition that supplements a dog's or 
cat's food daily, prevents or reduces non-seasonal shedding and promotes 
healthy skin and a silky, glossy coat. Prior products on the market have 
partially met this need but have not fully achieved the objective. As 
described below, the present composition solves the problems and is safe 
and all-natural, does not interfere with an animal's natural shedding 
cycle, and is highly palatable to dogs and cats. 
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the aforementioned considerations, it is an object of the 
present invention to provide a liquid composition that reduces or 
eliminates non-seasonal shedding in dogs and cats. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a composition 
that, when ingested as a dietary supplement, fosters healthier skin in 
dogs and cats, including reduction of fungus infections and seasonal dry 
skin. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liquid 
composition that fosters healthy, glossy, silky coats in dogs and cats. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a supplement 
for dogs and cats that reduces or eliminates non-seasonal shedding but 
does not interfere with their natural shedding cycles. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a supplement for 
dogs and cats that is comprised entirely of natural products and is not 
harmful when ingested. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a liquid 
dietary supplement that is highly palatable to dogs and cats when mixed 
with their normal daily food supply. 
The present invention contemplates a liquid composition comprising 
safflower oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, soya oil, cod liver oil, 
lecithin, natural flavors, herbs, garlic and zinc, (and additional fish 
oils for cats). At least 3% of the composition is crude protein, at least 
86% is crude fat, no more than 1% is crude fiber, and no more than 1% is 
moisture. When the proper dosage is mixed into a dog's or cat's food, once 
daily, as a dietary supplement, it has the effects of reducing or 
eliminating non-seasonal shedding by the animal and fostering healthy skin 
and a glossy, silky coat on the animal. The supplement does not affect the 
animal's natural shedding cycle, and the animal does not experience any 
harmful effects.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a liquid composition 
is comprised of the following: safflower oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, 
soya oil, cod liver oil, lecithin, natural flavors, herbs, garlic, and 
zinc. The relative percentages of these substances in the composition are 
in the order listed. The resulting composition contains at least 3% crude 
protein, at least 86% crude fat, no more than 1% crude fiber, and no more 
than 1% moisture. 
The olive, soya, cod liver oils are an important source of vitamins A, B 
complex and E, and of linolenic and linoleic acids. Additional vitamins 
and anti-oxidants may be added to the composition where desirable. 
Although the exact mechanism of operation of the composition is not known 
to the applicant, there appears to be a synergistic relationship between 
the oils and fatty acids which results in the significant achievements of 
the invention. 
The composition preferably is mixed into an animal's food once daily as a 
dietary supplement. The dosage for a dog depends on the dog's size. 
Generally, a dog weighing up to 20 pounds should be given one tablespoon 
daily, a dog weighing between 20 and 45 pounds should be given two 
tablespoons daily, a dog weighing between 45 and 75 pounds should be given 
three tablespoons daily, and a dog weighing over 75 pounds should be given 
four tablespoons daily. The supplement has a taste that dogs enjoy, or, at 
the very least, do not resist, and is therefore easy to administer. 
If the supplement is properly taken, reduction or elimination of 
non-seasonal shedding by the dog occurs. Seasonal shedding is the loss of 
hair during an animal's naturally occurring shedding cycle. For many dogs, 
this occurs every spring. The present composition is designed to reduce or 
eliminate shedding during the rest of the year, at all times outside the 
dog's natural shedding cycle. The supplement will not affect the dog's 
natural shedding cycle, and there are no known harmful effects of taking 
the supplement. 
When properly taken, the supplement fosters healthy skin which includes the 
reduction or elimination of occurrences of fungus infections and seasonal 
dry skin. Further, the supplement creates a healthy looking and feeling 
coat. The dog's coat should be more glossy and silky as a result of taking 
a daily dose of the supplement. 
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, fish oils are 
added to the composition set forth above. This alternative formulation is 
specifically useful as a dietary supplement for cats. The positive results 
set forth above occur in a cat that ingests a proper dosage of the 
supplement daily, and there are no harmful effects as a result of taking 
the supplement. 
Although the compositions of the invention preferably are administered 
orally, the compositions may also be topically administered by rubbing 
into the coat and skin of the animal. 
The embodiments described above are illustrative examples of the present 
invention and the present invention is not limited to these particular 
embodiments. Various changes and modifications may be made by one skilled 
in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as 
disclosed and claimed herein.