Coat Defense is a pioneering equine and pet care brand founded by Vince and Sandy Polentes. The brand offers natural, chemical-free solutions — powders, pastes, and shampoos — that treat common conditions like rain rot, fungus, scratches, and general skin issues without the harsh ingredients found in traditional products. Built on a reputation for safety, transparency, and proven results, Coat Defense has earned a loyal following among horse and dog owners who refuse to compromise on what goes on their animals' skin.
CoatDefense (coatdefense.com) has 23 customer reviews on Consumer Courier, with an average rating of 3.1 out of 5.
Also known as
coatdefense.com
Website
coatdefense.com
Category
Pet Stores
Location
Ashburn, Virginia
Listed on Consumer Courier
2026
About these reviews
Reviews are shown as their authors wrote them. The company can reply, but cannot edit them.
The score is the plain average of the published reviews on this page.
My dog always smells of yeast during the rainy season
My dog always smells of yeast during the rainy season, and has to have zyrtec or apoquel daily for itching. As soon as I sprinkled on the powder all over her body, she immediately stopped scratching, and slept all night. She scratched when outside, but stopped inside. So hopeful it continues to work for her. So far, so good.
Response from CoatDefense· Jun 26, 2026
Hi Shari, definitely keep us posted and let us know if you need help along the way! Keep the powder on constantly for a few days, which can be several times a day. The powder changes the terrain on the skin so pathogens that cause the itching cannot thrive or survive. This is why it is so important to keep it on to get ahead of it. Once cleared, it is a great prevention especially when used as a final dry after baths. Big hugs to you and your sweet pup!
JA
Jess A.
Posted
Coat Defense is the only brand I trust…
Coat Defense is the only brand I trust for my horse—and myself. Beyond helping manage his skin issues, I have peace of mind knowing I’m not exposing either of us to harsh or questionable ingredients long-term. Their products offer a simple, effective dry approach to problems that are often driven by excess moisture. They’re also incredibly versatile—I’m still finding new ways to use them all the time.
Response from CoatDefense· Jun 5, 2026
Hi Jess, thank you for being a fan of the products and taking the time to share your experience. We are so glad to hear your horse has found relief from skin issues. Please let us know if we can help with anything along the way!
KA
Kat
Posted
Worked wonders for my sensitive Doberman
My Doberman recently had a hospital stay after surgery and rubbed the top of his nose raw on the kennel door. I was worried it would take a log time to heal since he really likes to use his nose and root around in his blankets. His nose is also very sensitive so I couldn't just put anything on it. I needed something that wouldn't irritate it further and also help support his skin while it healed. I decided to try the Something Better Balm. I could tell within minutes that my pup was feeling better and within a couple days the spot was healed! I continue to use it on his paw pads when they get really dry. Love this balm and will be trying their other products!
Response from CoatDefense· Jun 5, 2026
Hi Katie, awww, we are so sorry to hear your sweet pup had to have surgery. Hopefully, they are on the mend. We are so glad to know the balm helped being his nose relief. Thank you for sharing your experience!
MA
Marianne
Posted
Made my dogs redness worse
Made my dogs redness worse. The brown paste stained his white hair bad too. Doesn’t seem to work at all. Don’t waste your money!!
LB
Lorren B.
Posted
Non-Delivery, No Refund, and Dismissive Customer Service
2/5 Update: After engaging publicly on Facebook, the business blocked me instead of resolving the issue.
I am posting this review to document my experience accurately, factually, and with specifics, because this business’s customer service and reputation management are extremely poor when something goes wrong.
Order details:
Order placed: January 23
Total amount: $31.35
Today’s date: February 3
Time spent going back and forth with customer service: nearly 8 hours
Product received: None
Refund received: None
This is not a large order. We are not talking about hundreds or thousands of dollars, yet this situation was unnecessarily dragged out and escalated entirely by the business.
Shipping & tracking facts:
The package stalled on January 29 and has shown the same USPS message since then:
“In transit to next facility, arriving on time”
At the same time, USPS also states:
“Was expected yesterday” (February 2)
The tracking map places the package around Dulles, VA, where it appears to have been since January 27. I live in Florida. We are not geographically close. Based on all available tracking information, the package is clearly lost or severely misrouted.
What the business refused to do
Before ever asking for a refund, I asked for a replacement to be sent overnight so the issue could be resolved immediately. That request was refused.
I was told:
“We are a small business and would have to reship hundreds of orders… we cannot afford to overnight new shipments.”
I was also told:
“This will be handled the way we are handling it.”
And:
“You can choose to no longer do business with us.”
Rather than offering a proactive solution, I was repeatedly told they were “waiting on USPS,” with no ETA and no defined point at which the package would be considered lost.
The refund issue:
When I asked for a refund due to non-delivery, I was told a refund would only be issued once the package was returned to them.
This makes no sense.
How do you return a package that is lost?
I was instructed to:
Leave notes for the USPS carrier
Try to refuse delivery (despite not being present at delivery)
Attach notes to the box if it ever shows up
The burden was placed entirely on me, even though I never received the product.
Tone and conduct:
Throughout the exchange, I was repeatedly reminded that:
They are a small business and “can’t afford” to resolve issues
Hundreds or “thousands” of other packages were delayed
“Most customers are being understanding and cutting us slack”
As if customer service is determined by how quiet other customers are.
Later, the tone shifted again, this time into emotional manipulation, reframing the issue as emotional rather than factual:
“That’s too bad… we have an effective product that could really bring relief to your pup… it’s so terrible to watch our precious pups suffer…”
This was inappropriate and irrelevant.
The issue was simple:
I paid for a product. I did not receive it.
A replacement was refused.
A refund was refused unless a lost package somehow returned.
How the conversation ended:
After clearly and calmly stating that I was requesting a refund only and disengaging from further discussion, customer service ended the conversation with the following message:
“Excuse me for trying to understand… have a happy life and I hope you can get through this.”
That response speaks for itself.
Summary (facts only)
• Order placed January 23
• No product received by February 3
• Tracking stalled since January 29
• Package appears lost in another state
• Replacement requested and refused
• Refund requested and conditioned on returning a lost package
• Told they “can’t afford” to help
• Told to “choose to no longer do business”
• Compared to “other customers who are understanding”
• Subjected to dismissive, condescending, and emotionally manipulative responses
• Conversation ended with sarcasm instead of resolution
For $31.35, this business chose to argue, deflect responsibility, guilt the customer, and wait on a third party instead of doing the right thing; issuing a refund or replacement and handling their USPS claim internally.
The product itself may work, I’ll never know. What I do know is that when shipping goes wrong, this business prioritizes policy defense and tone-policing over customer trust.
If you’re considering ordering from this company, understand this clearly:
If your package is delayed or lost, you may be left waiting indefinitely, told they’re a small business that “can’t afford” to help, and denied a refund unless you return a package that never arrived.
I will not be doing business with them again and I strongly encourage you to look for an alternative product /company or make it yourself at home; the ingredients seem simple and another review above said she made it for less and works great!
DB
Dianna B.
Posted
I purchased through Amazon thank goodness!
I purchased through Amazon. Thankfully and can get a refund. I have a 12 year old coon hound who gets full body yeast infection. You know, Ears,Chin, Pits, Feet and Belly. Just like directions said. At first he was fine. The makeup brush for ears and toes was awesome idea. He didn’t mind that for the first time. That was the last good thing. He was bathed the day before so I put powder in a dish and brushed on the harder areas. That night was fine. The next day however, every where I put powder was bright red and his poor ears were swollen and beet red. Between his toes, belly and ears were really bad. I thought we’ll give it a few days. Maybe it needs time to work. Nope. Well over a week and a half I stopped using it. Ears are so bad he can’t even shake his head without crying. Felt like I was worst dog mom ever. I would not recommend this for any animal. Back to the vet I go and I’m sure my bill will be even higher to recover from this product that made it worse than it already was. Thankfully through Amazon so I can get a full refund.
Don’t waste your money.
CF
CF
Posted
Worthless and made my dog worse
I bought a "bundle" for dogs. My dog has yeast issues and because people were raving about how it helped their dog with them, I thought I would give it a try. Well I did and it only made his yeast issues worse. I applied the powder as directed and his skin kept oozing for 2 weeks and I just kept applying more like the instructions said to do. His skin was so red and inflamed and he was so miserable I had to stop. I used the shampoo, and that seemed okay. Total waste of money.
FG
Fran G.
Posted
Garbage After seeing a video of someone raving…
After seeing a video of someone raving about this product, it gave my desperation son hope, that my dog's itching problems would be relieved...so I purchased a "bundle" of the product and in addition, the paste for my daughter. It was $80 total. I used the shampoo, powder and used the paste on a sore.It did absolutely nothing it advertised doing. When I contacted the company, they refused giving me a refund, even when I offered to send everything back. I have kept it in the closet because I couldn't accept that I wasted good money on garbage and the company couldn't care less about the customer. Just recently I through it all in the trash bin where it belongs. I suggest you don't bother wasting your money on their products and a company who won't make good on it when the customer realizes the product is garbage. That's my experience.