We have a dog (a Basenji) who is not supposed to shed a lot. Living in Utah with lots and lots of regular hot and cold weather for 4 years, she has shed very little. Then we moved to Texas, with more temperate weather, and in the first autumn she grew an amazing winter coat, which, come spring, she is now shedding all over the place.
We think we’ve ruled out mange: hair patterns are symmetrical across the back, no bald spots, no scabbing, no red spots, no dandruff, no severe scratching, no visible mites. We also think we’ve ruled out dietary issues as well: we feed her a regular diet of Pedigree brand dog food, she eats as much as she wants, and she never voluntarily skips a meal or gorges herself, her belly isn’t ever big but she’s never emaciated either.
The vet hasn’t been much help, they just say “sometimes a dog just sheds a lot, keep watching it”. Right, thanks. :rolleyes: Sometimes your appendix just bursts, keep watching it. What exactly should I watch out for? How do I really know how serious this is?
So. How can they tell if a dog breed is supposed to shed or not, and what would cause an allegedly non-shedding dog to suddenly go poof with gobs and gobs of hair?
Seasonal changes can do it & we just had one…You would think that they wouldn’t want such a thick coat in the summer? Also too much commercial food can do it & as the vet said, sometimes it’s just normal.
Most definitely seasonal changes. I have a siberian husky that lived with my daughter in Florida for five years. The dog had minimal shedding down there. This past November, the dog came to live with me. The dog damn near doubled in size with the extra growth that occured in the N.Y. winter. Here it is Spring/Summer in N.Y., and I vacumn EVERY day. BAGS full of hair.
Seasonal is part of it, I have Siberian Huskies who shed a lot in the summer and right before the winter. But you might be happier switching to a different type of dog food, something with fish oil in it, check the Omega 3 & 6 fatty acid levels. You don’t have to go to something super expensive like Eukanuba, I feed my dogs Acana, and it has made a huge difference in their coats (and less poop, gotta love less poop).
If he / she is eating as usual, showing routine activity levels and mood, and the coat looks healthy, just lots of shedding, I would not worry. Like the vet says, keep watching for changes in diet, activity, mood, stool, coat, etc. You may contact a couple of breeders. They may be able to explain this event and give you more peace-of-mind.
My dog (mixed breed) has this undercoat that seems to produce a lot of shed. I use a brush or more accurately, a tool. I believe it is called an undercoat brush. It is shaped like a closed u or an oval. It has little teeth and I use this at least once a week. It is best to brush more frequently. I have noticed less shedding when I brush her every other day. I rarely get this done.
Call the emergency animal clinic. They have extra time on their hands for questions like this. Sorry. Just kidding. Please check the recent thread in the pit for a good laugh.
This is currently driving me crazy. My lab has been blowing out his coat and I have to sweep twice a day to keep the tumbleweeds out of the living room.
You can buy a few different products that can cut it down, but it doesn’t help seasonal/normal shedding.
I have this tool, also. Don’t know what the name of it is, but it works great. As a side benefit, the piles of hair that I leave in a different areas every day, keeps the deer away from my apple trees. ( thats a humane suggestion that I read about and it works)
First off, thanks to everyone – I’m starting to feel better about this now.
I’m not quite convinced it’s the seasonal changes, since the seasons we had before in Utah were much more severe than what we get now in Texas.
We’ve been brushing her with this shedding brush (which doubles as a nifty ninja killing device) and it works wonderfully. The excess fur just schlepps right off.
Now this Omega fatty acid stuff is new to me. I did some Googling and read up on it, and I think I get the gist of it. Our current brand of dog food (Pedigree) advertises Omega fatty acids on the packaging, but doesn’t give any nutritional info for it. Are there any magic buzzwords I should look out for on the packaging?
I have an Irish Setter, and every summer - her fur was absolutely everywhere. Until this year. This year (her 6th), I began following most of the above advise, especially the Omega diets, which are becoming the norm now - so easier to find, and brushing every day! , even a few minutes, has worked absolute wonders! (Added plus - you and your dog become even closer pals!).
And one more surprise to me - I started giving her Brewers Yeast
a few weeks ago…result? - no more 'tumbleweeds" (liked that, Poysyn!)
in everynook and keyboard. It is normal for a creature to shed when in hotter climate, and Texas has more humidity than other hot states you were in, so this may be why the shedding became so much more noticable.
Sorry. Just kidding. Please check the recent thread in the pit for a good laugh.
