Why does my dog shed so much?
Shedding is a normal condition in dogs and affects every dog breed at a certain age. Dogs shed their hair to get rid of underlying allergies, irritation, illnesses, and stress. To prevent your dog from losing excessive hair, owners should follow proper dog grooming methods.
Almost every dog periodically shed their furs. Prolific shedders like German Shepherds shed year-round, but even shed-resistant canines, poodles may shed their coats sometimes. A dog shedding more than the average quantity for the breed may have undiagnosed health problems. You can’t stop dog shedding completely, but by keeping your pup fit and well-groomed, you can decrease it.
Don’t pause to adopt a dog into your family simply because you’re anxious about their hair loss. In this article, we have detailed everything you need to know about the excessive shedding in dogs.
Why Do Dogs Shed?
Shedding is a normal condition in dogs, and almost every dog sheds to get rid of its old hairs. Breeds with thicker hair coats are more prone to shedding and hair fall. Various reasons can lead to sudden and excessive shedding in your dog. It could be because of climate changes, health problems, or viral illnesses. However, you can prevent excessive shedding in your dog with proper care and grooming methods.
Why Does My Dog Shed So Much?
While dog shedding might seems similar in nature, it’s different in all breeds. Shedding varies breed per breed and also dependent on dog’s body temperature. There are 7 different types of dog shedding that are:
Shedding Due to Poor Nutrition
Some puppies may have sensitivities to elements in pet foods, while others are simply not getting the nutrients they require to keep healthy furs. Make sure you’re starting with high-quality, professionally processed food made just for puppies.
Shedding Due To Parasites or Fungi
You may be noticing fleas, ticks, and mites in your dog’s coat or may see skin rash or redness that may be inducing them to scrape, lick or bite the area to seek relief. If your doggy has fungi-induced ringworm, you may catch circular or irregularly spread hair loss.
In contrast, loss of hair due to parasites typically shows up around the ears, stomach, chest, and eyes. You can ward away such pests in most occurrences by using antifungal shampoos or other topical medicines or pills.
Shedding Due To Allergies
Dogs can acquire allergic reactions to all types of irritants. Your puppy’s hair loss could be in response to a medicine. Otherwise, typical environmental triggers can include pollen, mold, fleas, or dust mites, while food allergies may include beef, dairy, wheat, chicken, corn, or soy.
Shedding Due To Gestation
Your pregnant female dog could be running a deficit of the calcium and minerals required to keep a healthy fur. However, they may shed overly, out of season, and shed in the days after giving birth to its litters.
Shedding Due To Serious Illness
Unfortunately, many infections could induce your puppy to trigger losing his coat in unhealthy amounts. Possible diseases include cancer, immune conditions, kidney, liver, thyroid, or adrenal disorders.
Shedding Due To Skin Trauma
In other cases, your canine’s hair loss may be the effect of some stressor to the skin like sunburn, contact with irritating or caustic fabrics. Make sure you protect your dog every time when walking them in extreme environments.
Shedding Due To Stress
Transitions in a dog’s lifestyle or environment may be causing stress and induce excessive shedding—even visits to the veteran cause excess hair loss. Excessive socialization and anxiety also contributes towards shedding in dogs.
How To Stop Dog From Shedding Hair?
No one likes dog hair floating inside the house! Luckily, there are more straightforward remedies that you can do to help you to prevent dog shedding.
1. Select A Proper Brush
Depending on your dog’s fur type, you may require to brush your pup every day or only once a month! There are several kinds of brushes available:
- Bristle Brush – This brush is appropriate for all coat types, but a brush with longer bristles may suit dogs with a longer coat. Coarser hair may need more rigid bristle brushes.
- Wire-Pin Brush – This type of wire brush is suited for curly, woolly coats that vary in length from medium to long.
- Slicker Brush – This brush has fine wire bristles; a slicker brush aids clear mats and tangles.
- Combs – Rubber curry combs rub your dog’s coat and aid to remove dead hair from short-haired puppies.
2. Select A Shedding Tool
Use de-shedding tools for excess shedding. Puppies who live indoors most or all of the time may shed year-round. You can probably use a rubber curry comb to de-shed for dogs with short coats. With long or thick coats, puppies will likely require tools like an undercoat, de-matting rake, or shedding blade.
3. Give Them Regular Baths
Regular baths stimulate loose hair to fall out in the tub instead of inside your house. Yet, over-bathing can force dry skin, which induces fur to fall out. Blow-drying after a bath can be beneficial if your dog has a long coat. Use only the lowest heat setting. Towel-dry your pup first, then use the blow dryer to lose fur. Examine your dog’s breed to learn about the recommended bathing schedule, or ask your veterinarian.
4. Control Fleas
Flea issues that will cause your dog to have excessive hair loss. Dogs with flea issues scratch incessantly, which results in hair falling out. Keeping your dog free of fleas will avoid irritated skin, dandruff, and excessive fur shedding.
5. Feed A Healthy Diet
A puppy who eats a complete and balanced diet will take the vitamins and nutrients he needs to keep his hair follicles growing solid and resilient from breakouts. Some canines benefit from delivering omega-3 fatty acids supplements to promote healthy hair growth in addition to supporting joint, heart, and immune health.
Try switching to high-quality food that contains 100% protein minerals, fresh meat, and oils such as fish, sunflower, or coconut oil. Omega supplements may also help.
6. Increase Water Intake
Understanding how much your puppy is drinking can be tricky, but if your canine is shedding more than usual, you may want to watch its water intake. Usually, a dog should drink an ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. Dehydrated skin is a potential cause of hair loss and can raise the amount of loose fur you have to mop up around your house.
Related: How to treat water intoxication in dogs?
7. Visit The Vet
Some medical conditions can cause excess shedding. Due to a thyroid imbalance, hormonal disorders can lead to inflamed skin and brittle hair. If your dog suffers from skin allergies, chronic skin inflammation can be itchiness. Take your dog for a complete checkup if it exhibits exceptional hair loss or loses hair in patches.
When Do Dogs Shed The Most?
There are dogs which shed quite a lot as compared to non-shed breeds. For dogs that shed seasonally, most of the shedding happens in the spring season. Spring makes dog’s fur lighter resulting in excessive shedding. Also, before the start of the winters, there’s a change in dog’s fur which leads to sudden shedding incidents.
If you see your dog with sudden shedding of hairs, follow the above ways to control their hair loss.
Final Thoughts!
Shedding is a biological process for dogs though sometimes it’s frustrating for pet parents. Shedding is a critical characteristic of most pups’ coat and hair health. Doggies rid themselves of old or otherwise impaired hair by shedding it. The portion of fur a dog sheds depends on the type of breed, climate conditions, and coating of hair.
Still, dog shedding can be a problem, but spending time grooming your puppy has advantages beyond just decreasing the quantity of hair in your home. Taking the time to brush and bathe your pup can be amusing and gives you time to attach. It also delivers you a fantastic opportunity to check your dog for new spots, parasites, or dry skin. The outcome of grooming is a joyful, healthy pup and less shedding.
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