Protect Your Dog Naturally From Sunburns to Nose, Skin and Ears With These Foods, Supplements and DIY Sunscreens


natural sun protection for dogs, homemade sunscreen for dogs
★ 5 min read
In this article:
  1. Dogs most at risk for sunburn
  2. Dietary support for your dog's natural sun protection
  3. Natural topical sunscreen protection for dogs
  4. Cautions
Did you know that dogs can get sun burned? Canine sun burns can be just as painful and damaging as sun burns experienced by us humans.

1.0 Dogs Most at Risk for Sunburn

Dogs most at risk of experiencing sunburn include:
  • Dogs with short hair
  • Dog with little or no hair
  • Dogs that spend a lot of time in or on the water (e.g. on the beach, swimming, in a boat).
But even a dog with a thick coat of fur can end-up with a sun-burned nose.

A dog’s ears, nose and underside are most at-risk for sunburn.

Your dog’s diet and genetics can also effect susceptibility to sun burn. Just like people, some dogs are more sensitive to the damaging effects of the sun’s UVA rays. A poor diet can also have a negative impact on a dog’s natural defense to resist sunburn.

Most commercial made-for-pet sunscreens contain a variety of health damaging toxic and carcinogenic ingredients. Some of these ingredients also block the skin's ability to absorb UVB rays.  Your dog needs to absorb the UVB to maintain her vitamin D levels.

Learn more about ingredients to avoid in commercial sun protection products in this article.

So what’s the best plan of action to protect your dog from the damaging effects of the sun’s UVA rays? 

The best all around protection is holistic and works on the inside and the outside by supporting your dog's natural mechanisms for sun protection.

2.0 Dietary Support for Your Dog’s Natural Sun Protection

Support your dog’s natural ability to withstand the sun by adding some lycopene rich foods to his / her daily diet.  Lycopene is a very powerful phytonutrient and antioxidant that occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables. Lycopene, a member of the carotenoid family is a red pigment that gives some fruits and vegetables their red color.  In addition to acting as the skins natural sunscreen, lycopene is important in disease prevention as it helps reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and macular degeneration.

After ingestion lycopene enters the lymphatic system, then moves on to organs such as the adrenal glands, colon and liver. The skin only absorbs a small part of the ingested lycopene. 
 
2.1 Increase Bioavailability of Lycopene

The bioavailability of dietary lycopene is increased when the lycopene containing food is ingested with a good-source fat. For example:
2.2 Species Appropriate Fruit and Vegetable Soures of Lycopene
 
Species appropriate lycopene rich fruit and vegetables for dogs include
  • Apricots
  • Asparagus
  • Carrots
  • Cabbage (purple cabbage)
  • Grapefruit
  • Goji Berries (wolf berries)
  • Guava
  • Tomatoes (lightly steamed)
  • Mango
  • Papaya
  • Parsley
  • Peppers – sweet, red
  • Rose hips
  • Watermelon
For a more extensive list of lycopene-rich fruit and vegetables for dogs go to this article.
 
Follow instructions provided in this article for adding fruits and vegetables to your dog’s diet.
 
To maximize lycopene add one of the healthy fats (noted above) or combine the fruit and veggies with a serving (teaspoon to tablespoon) of finely ground organic almonds, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. More serving tips here.

Learn more about lycopene, health benefits for your dog in this article.

3.0 Natural Topical Sunscreen Protection for Dogs

3.1  All-Natural Simple, Safe Oils

Option One, use natural oils that offer protection targeted to screen out most of the sun’s harmful UVA rays for relatively reasonable periods of time (not all day exposure) without the serious side effects of many commercial sunscreens. Natural oils also nourish the skin while allowing UVB rays through – thereby supporting the production of vitamin D. And one more advantage – unlike the commercial chemical-based sunscreens, if your dog licks his / her skin or fur the natural oils are health promoting.

Carrot Seed Oil This oil has a very high rating for sun protection - said to be between “30” and “38” SPF. Carrot seed oil is also packed with vitamins and antioxidants including carotene and vitamin A. This oil is of particular therapeutic value for dogs with skin issues. The only caution – carrot seed oil can have an orange tinge – for dogs with white or light fur and skin temporary color transfer may be experienced while the oil is present.

Red Raspberry Oil
Red raspberry oil has an excellent SPF rating – estimated at 30 to 50 SPF. This oil is also rich in vitamin E making it a good choice for dogs that are prone to skin issues. Vitamin E is also a natural preservative – this oil is naturally resistant to rancidity. Red raspberry oil also has excellent anti-inflammatory properties due to its high content of vitamin A and alpha linolenic acid.

Wheat Germ Oil
Wheat germ oil is lower on the SPF range but is still a good alternative also offering excellent levels for vitamin E making it a great choice for dogs already suffering from dry skin, irritated or inflamed skin.

3.2 Essential Oil Sunscreen

Option Two, you can make your own essential oil sunscreen – some essential oils have excellent sun-blocking properties and are anti-inflammatory.

To make your own essential oil sunscreen you will need an organic carrier oil and a high quality therapeutic grade organic essential oil.

Choose from:
  • Lavender Essential Oil, or
  • Roman Chamomile Essential Oil
For a carrier oil choose one of the following oils:
  • Coconut oil
  • Jojoba oil
  • Sesame Oil
  • Wheat Germ Oil
Preparation
  • Add 5 to 10 drops of essential oil for every ounce of carrier oil
  • Thoroughly mix the carrier oil with the essential oil
  • Apply sparingly
  • Avoid getting the mixture in your dog’s eyes

4.0 Cautions

  • Don’t use essential oil sun-screen on puppies that are younger than 8 weeks of age. 
 
Holistic Diet, Nutrition, Wellness Services Tailored to Your Individual Dog and Cat
 
For information about my holistic diet, nutrition, wellness services visit my:
 
Maintain good health | Address acute and chronic health issues | Pre and post surgery support and recovery
 
My holistic wellness services are available worldwide via video consultation.

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To set-up your holistic wellness consultation get in-touch via email:
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Holistic Behavioral Services For Your Dog
 
For information about my holistic behavioral services visit my:
For dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds
 
My holistic behavioral services are available locally in-person and worldwide via video session.
 
🌎  USA | Canada | UK | Europe | Australia | New Zealand | Asia | South and Central America | Africa | UAE
 
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To set-up your holistic behavioral session get in-touch via email:
Contact me.
 
Affiliations to Companies
✓ None.
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Article by Karen Rosenfeld
Photo credit: photo by Kojirou Sasaki
 


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