dog shedding
 

Hi everyone: our dog is a spaniel and I think basset hound mix (a very good guy). he sheds a lot! is there anything we can do for this besides a lot of brushing? any suggestions appreciated.
Roland.

You might try one of the "furminators". you can get them at most pet stores.
I find they get the underfur.....but they all shed!

Hi Roland,

Food plays a very big part in this. What are you feeding your dog? There are many very food savvy people on this site that may be able to help you and your dog.

Yep definently look into other food. What are you feeding??

You might also want to add vitamin E or fish oil capsules to their food.
I would steer clear of Cod Liver Oil. Too much can damage the liver :eek:

[QUOTE=BenMax;749064]Hi Roland,

Food plays a very big part in this. What are you feeding your dog? There are many very food savvy people on this site that may be able to help you and your dog.[/QUOTE]
We're feeding him mainly Hills Restricted Diet which seems very good for him, plus some tuna. no oils. his stool is good.
Roland

I would suggest that you research dog food, unfortunately Hills products contain alot of grains and fillers. I would also suggest that you look for a good quality omega 3 supplement, ie fish oil. The process of manufacturing kibble creates an imbalance of omega 3 fatty acids to omega 6 fatty acids which can lead to skin & coat problems, including excessive shedding.

Along with the furminator deshedding brush you can also try the deshedding shampoo and conditioners usually available at certain vets.

I was feeding my dog hit and miss some salmon oil, a couple pumps on her food a few times a week. Well, I reread the bottle and she's supposed to be getting 9 pumps per day!! Well, not even a week ago I upped it to 9 pumps, and bought one of those Furminators ($70!!!), and I don't know which one is working, but holy #*%& my dog is leaving so little hair lying around that i think someone replaced my dog with a non-shedder!! I can't believe how much difference (something) has made. I can't imagine the salmon working that fast, so I'm thinking it was the Furminator, and I only brushed her once with that like 4 days ago.

Anyway, HTH. =]

My suggestion is to shave the dog. I know alot of people don't like it says it will ruin the coat (comes back thicker, thinner, color changes slightly, coarser) but I've never had a bad experience with it.

Drifter gets shaved 1-2 every year. He's a Lab mix so his hair isn't long at all but he sheds like the devil. So while working at a groomers someone brought in their Basset Hound and Lab to be shaved. I didn't know you could shaved such short coated breeds but you can and it stops shedding for about 4 months. So Drifter gets a haircut now when the warm weather starts to come around and the hair has always grown back without problems. Though since he's overweight he looks less then flattering without his hair to help cover some of those rolls lol.

Boone will be getting shaved as well he's a GSD mix, slightly longer/thicker coat then Drifter so he sheds a heck of alot more and will be getting his first hair cut shortly.

I think it's important to get down to [I]why[/I] a dog is shedding abnormally/excessively, asides from the usual coat blowing seasons.

An animal's coat protects it from the elements: rain, cold, and yes, even heat. I've seen too many dogs with sunburns after being shaved in the summer :sad:.

We pay particular attention to our dogs' diets, feeding quality food and occasionally salmon oil supplements (they do eat raw fatty fish so supplements aren't really a necessity for us). In addition to regular brushing, we manage to keep shedding to a minimum.

Just wanted to add, although I swear by the furminator for our thick undercoated dogs, it doesn't work very well on the longer haired dogs we've fostered.

Drifter has never gotten a sunburn... neither have any of the other dogs that were shaved by that groomer, she said it was because she always left just enough to avoid that problem. :shrug: Not sure if there is any truth to that or not though, but as one can see, he isn't completely bare.

Drifter before being shaved:
[url]http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v207/90/94/687011688/n687011688_1006871_3952.jpg[/url]

Drifter shaved:
[url]http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v231/90/94/687011688/n687011688_817367_6875.jpg[/url]

But like I said, shaving ones dog is not the answer for everyone but it works for me. :) If all else the Furminator is a great tool as well.