My Husky is shedding terribly
 

Hi,

My Husky I adopted from a shelter about half a year ago appears to have a HUGE problem with shedding :( Now I knew that Huskies shed, but what's going on with my dog seems to me to be way out of ordinary. I brush her every day or every two days (I use this wire brush - other thigs I tried seem to work worse than that), and still there is an awful lot of hair in the house. To picture how much there is: bundles of hair collect in every corner of the house and each day I pick up few handfuls. I live in an apartment building and the staircase which I only pass with her on the way to my flat is also full of hair :(. Now, neighbours started to complain and the cleaning lady said to me that she collects a few handfuls of hair each time she cleans the stairs...Of course I'm not even talking about the clothing and the furniture, hair is clearly all over them.
Now this continued for half a year already so it's not something passing. I wanted to ask other Schpitz type dog owners if their dog is shedding in the same amounts and do they possibly have some advice on feeding/combing/anything else that can help minimize shedding? I just want to know if my situation seems ordinary to you.
About my dog - she's a Siberian Husky, six years old (as it turned out. When I adopted her the shelter claimed she was three), spayed. I feed her Pro Plane with Lamb and she seems to be doing great on it, save the shedding.
So, any input will be appreciated, thanks in advance :)

I would think alot of shedding, especially this time of year, would be some what normal. :confused:
I dont know much about huskies however so Im sorry im really not the best person to have responded, however, my Border Collie is blowing his coat REALLY badly too right now ( but does it every fall)

Sorry to hear you are having problems with the shedding issue. Hopefully someone more knowlegable than I will come by soon and give ya some tips.

Good luck

You might want to try the [URL="http://www.furminator.com/"]Furminator[/URL]. It works wonders. However, I would definitely switch foods to something of better quality with a lot of Omega 3 and 6. There's plenty of threads on dog food here. If you do a search, you'll come up with good suggestions.

Thank you for adopting an adult Husky from a shelter. That makes you a very special person ! :thumbs up

I feel you on the shedding issue. I would deffinately reccomend a change in food, to a holistic food. (Wellness, Evo, Timberwolf, DVP and Candidae come to mind) This should decrease shedding significantly. Also, perhaps an allergy test is in order to see if there is an allergy causing this.

welcome to the forum, and thank you for rescuing your girl! :angel:

you say: [QUOTE]I feed her Pro Plane with Lamb and she seems to be doing great on it, save the shedding.
[/QUOTE]

If you search the food archives, you will see that anything made by Purina (including Pro Plan) is very cheap, low-quality dog food and is certainly the root cause of all this shedding (barring any medical disorders - you have had blood tests done to verify that all is well, right?). If you can buy a dog food in a grocery store or walmart, then is it not a good food. Iams, Purina, Science Diet, etc = don't do it :)

Please switch you girl over to a higher-quality food and add a capsule of Omega-3 fatty acids (ocean fish oil, 1000mg/day), and after a few weeks you should see a difference :) good luck!

yup, I agree. There isn't much you can do about shedding, but a high quality food will make a HUGE difference.

My BIL had a golden who shed unbelievably, and he alwasy complained about it. I finally asked him what he was feeind (Beneful), and I gave him some food info, and he switched to a better qualty kibble, and he says the shedding has been reduced to almost nothing. (he used to sweep his floors every day during shedding season, now he sweeps once every two or three weeks!!)

here's a link to our food forum : [url]http://www.pets.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=53[/url]
there's lotsa great info there!

I have berners and they blow coat terribly. My female is doing so now as the temperature is changing. I feed a high end food so it's really just their seasonal time. This rake is my best friend as I get the equivalent of a cocker spaniel worth of hair when I use it.

I have one
 

Yep, I have an Alaskan Malamute, and it's perfectly normal to shed every day, and even more so when they "blow coat" twice a year, same as Huskys. I agree with what others posted re the dog food issue. We feed Eagle Pack Holistic, Anchovie which does help as has all the necessary fish oils etc. Daily DEEP brushing, removing the dead wooly undercoat also helps. Don't just brush the top coat or guard coat, but you need to get right down to the skin. This is esp. true of the bloomies and tail! When Kenzie blows coat, I have about a 2 inch deep pile of hair and wool on the floor all over my grooming room, when not blowing coat, dust or fur bunnies are a normal fact of life with these breeds. When brushing, be carefull not to break the new guard hairs. Oh, and we also give her a can of sardines once a week to help keep her coat shiny and healthy. You can find pics of her if you do a search for Kenzie, there's alot of compliments on her coat, and she's gotten her Canadian Championship, will be competing for her American Championship soon. I'll post a pic of the floor when she's blowing coat when I have a little more time, so you can see just how much they shed, LOL Fur bunnies on the floor is a normal lifestyle with these breeds, but if you're really concerned, and the food change doesn't help, get a thyroid test done.

My Eskimo also has the double coat and sheds - but not as much as some. I do feed him a fish based Holistic food which does help and brush him regularly. I know from the Eskimo specific board ([url]www.eskie.net[/url]) - you might get some tips on this site by doing a search as people talk about their garbage bags of hair from a mini Eskie (my guy weighs 22 lbs.). My dog gets groomed every couple of months because he doesn't really "blow" on his own and the groomer uses her equipment to blow his coat for him. That might be something you could try even a couple of times a year. If my guy wasn't super white with a SERIOUS LOVE for mud he would probably be groomed less. One day he came back from a walk with my husband and I thought I had a Keeshond.

I had a problem with my husky x shedding, and i switched him to innova and his shedding has decreased significantly..... however huskys do blow their coat twice a year and its a huge mess, and the food wont really help this all too much, because they are a nordic dog and do require this "blowing of their coats. however a quality brush for about an hour daily will help with this along and decrease your mess. any research you do on huskies will tell you this and probably have a link on ways to get through this. good luck

I agree with everything so far.:D

Better food will definitely lessen the shedding, and if allergies are a cause, I suggest going with a different protein source and avoiding overlap in the grains too (especially corn- avoid corn). Some dogs can be really sensitive to some grains. :shrug: If you need help choosing a food, we'd be glad to help (although in the posts above, there are good brand suggestions already :)).

THIS is shedding :)
 

As you know I also have a Nordic breed, an Alaskan Malamute. Like I said above, they "blow" their coat twice a year. Here's a couple of pics to give you an idea what it's like when we try to reduce the shedding during that period by using a rake and blower! This is a friends dog, we get together to do our dogs so we can save each other from drowning, LOL!
Now THIS is what shedding is, imagine if not done all at once with our help, all this falls out over a couple of weeks. The house looks like we had a snow storm! This is also with daily brushing! Don't you feel better :crazy:
[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/shannon1233/Kenz/Asuilaak20shedding2.jpg[/IMG]
And this is the floor underneath the table afterwards:[IMG][IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/shannon1233/Kenz/P1012190.jpg[/IMG][/IMG]

OMG. Have you ever thought of having his fur spun and knit into a coat, a rug by the fire, slippers for the whole family, toupees...

The Finished Product :)
 

Of course I have to post what the finished "product" looks like :) Here's Kenz winning Best of Breed at the show even after blowing all her coat!
[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/shannon1233/BestofBreedFixedResized.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=badger]OMG. Have you ever thought of having his fur spun and knit into a coat, a rug by the fire, slippers for the whole family, toupees...[/QUOTE]

Actually, alot of Mal owners do spin their wooly undercoat! I'm not that talented :sorry: But, I often spread some of her coat in the backyard for the birds, they love it for their nests, and I'm sure it helps keep the babies warm :)

I have two dogs, one is a Siberian Husky cross. I'm sure a good food and essential oils helps but unfortunately what you are describing sounds normal to me. I spend a lot of time with my vacuum!

The spring and summer are terrible for her undercoat. Right now she seems to be shedding her guard hairs. Winter is the only time we get a little relief but even then, there will still be hair :troll:

Thanks
 

Thanks for all your responses! I really appreciate your help.
Shannon, your dog is gorgeous! And yeah it does help to know others are worse off ;-). I wasn't able to extract as much fur as you while brushing. Generally I extract about half a shopping bag or about five handfuls every two days. However what bothers me is that my dog never had a major blowing off period which would be OK with me - she just sheds all the time with the same intensity. Does it sound normal to you, I mean brushing off this much every day witout any change for a few months?

I took a picture of the tools I use, can you tell me if they look effective to you, or would you rather recommend something else? I mostly use the green wire brush in the middle, it works the best.
btw she also doesn't like being brushed by it, so if you know some other instrument which might work better and be more pleasant for the dog, I'd apperciate your advice

i would stick with a shedding rake to get deep into the undercoat (i use the PSI Heavy Duty Shedding rake #809, the one on the right:

[IMG]https://www.businessvision.net/edge/Stores/petsupplyhouse/ProductImages/MS3811.JPG[/IMG]

and a wire pin-brush (for rough double-coats) to finish the job.

[IMG]https://www.businessvision.net/edge/Stores/petsupplyhouse/ProductImages/BR7902.JPG[/IMG]

IMO, the slicker brush you are using (green one in the middle) will only pull off the top layer and you want to go DEEP to the skin... the loop on the left gives the same effect, good on the legs and head but not on the body, rump, thighs, etc where you need to get deep down to the skin to massage, and pull out the undercoat.

I have two northern breeds (akitas) who blow their coat twice per year and trust me, without these two tools it would last 4 months instead of 4 weeks :D

ps: i cannot stress enough the importance of feeding a good food... please consider something better than purina, there are sooo many healthier alternatives out there! and don't forget the fish oil, too :thumbs up

And regarding other recommendations
 

Fist of all, Inverness, thanks for the furminator advice, I checked their site out and decided I'll buy it if I don't find anything else that works in the vicinity:) .
Now, about her food and allergies : yeah, she is allergic- to chicken :( I didn't do any tests but I fed her food with chicken and changed it first to salmon and then to lamb. To say the truth Pro Plan worked wonders for her, her allergy is over and she kinda likes it, all this after four failed attempts with other foods. I'll look into your advice about food anyway, thanks. Do you all give your dogs fish oils? or omega 3? Is it the same if I just give her some fish every week? which type of fish is recommended?

Thanks, Technodoll
 

I haave the same impression about my brush - that it doesn't go deep enough. I will try the rake you proposed. If not that, I put my hopes on the furminator, LOL.
I wrote about her food in the previous post. Can you explain a bit more regarding the oil (i.e. which kind to give and is it OK to just give her some fish?)

Hi again, and thank you for the compliment on Kenzie. As for the tools, I find [B]a good blower [/B]works wonders and saves alot of the brushing, and removing the dead hair. I also use what's called [B]"Line Brushing" with a Greyhound comb [/B]I can explain what that means if you're not familiar with it.. [B]A tool called a Rake [/B] is my best friend, and I saw a pic of one somewhere on this thread. The amount your brushing out sounds normal, keep in mind the pics are during the time she's blowing coat. Day to day with normal combing and brushing, I find very little hair around the house, only occasional dust bunnies, lol . Let me know if you don't understand about line combing, it helps alot! Here's a close up head shot, note how shiney she is while remembering the Alaskan Malamute is the only breed which must be shown naturally, without any sprays, etc:

[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/shannon1233/BestDoorPicSharpened.jpg[/IMG]
Last one I promise, gives you an idea of a properly groomed coat
[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/shannon1233/HPIM0077.jpg[/IMG]

And here's a picture of her
 

though it's not the first time I'm posting a picture of her on the board ;-)
But it's fun so what the heck...
Her name is Mai btw... It's probably some word in eskimo or something but actually we just named her after an anime character... XD

This is becoming the "pretty doggy thread".:)

LOL.
well, thanks for the compliment...
Shannon, once again, your dog is really beautiful! Can you explain about line brushing? I never heard about it :confused:

SHE IS BEAUTIFUL!! :cloud9:

yes with a long-toothed shedding rake (i like the curvy handle for good grip) and a bit of patience, i think it will make a big difference :) For the food, there are many Lamb-based holistic brands on the market (they cost a bit more per bag but you feed less and there is less poop to pick up), if you open a new thread in the food forum and ask, i am sure you will get many awesome recommendations :thumbs up

you can add canned sardines, mackeral or salmon (all packed in water, not oil) to her kibble, any oily ocean fish is excellent. Say 3 or 4 meals per week... or buy some Omega-3 capsules at walmart or other cheap places, and give one per day - dose is 1000mg per capsule. some dogs don't tolerate it well though so you may want to monitor her poops, drinking, etc if you start this. however *most* dogs do very well on it!

northern breeds thrive on fish... have you tried feeding her a fish-based kibble?

she is gorrrrgeous!

Hi again, and thank you for the compliment on Kenzie. As for the tools, I find [B]a good blower [/B]works wonders and saves alot of the brushing, and removing the dead hair. I also use what's called [B]"Line Brushing" with a Greyhound comb [/B]I can explain what that means if you're not familiar with it.. [B]A tool called a Rake [/B] is my best friend, and I saw a pic of one somewhere on this thread. The amount your brushing out sounds normal, keep in mind the pics are during the time she's blowing coat. Day to day with normal combing and brushing, I find very little hair around the house, only occasional dust bunnies, lol . Let me know if you don't understand about line combing, it helps alot! Here's a close up head shot, note how shiney she is while remembering the Alaskan Malamute is the only breed which must be shown naturally, without any sprays, etc:

[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/shannon1233/BestDoorPicSharpened.jpg[/IMG]

Last one I promise, gives you an idea of a properly groomed coat (she was 6 months approx. in last one

[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/shannon1233/mini-mom015.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/shannon1233/Areyouunderthere.jpg[/IMG]

Line Brushing
 

Line brushing/combing is easy, makes a big difference and gets down to the skin, I hope I can explain it properly. First though, when I consulted with my Breeder about it, she said the Furminator tends to break the guard hairs, and suggested I not use it, as judges would notice.

Line brushing is when you push the hair away from you with your left hand and rake the hair below it with the right and work your way from tail to head and from the back of one side again starting with tail to head, then the other side. Imagine making a part with your left hand, and raking with your right. When you push the hair with your left hand, you see the skin and rake with the right, going along in a smooth motion from the skin to the top guard hair. This way you get the dead hair deep down in the wooly part right next to the skin, so new hair can get the air it needs to breath. Am I making sense? It helps to see it done! I'll try and explain it better if it's not clear :)

Thank Heavens for the advice above
 

[FONT="Garamond"][SIZE="4"]I began getting worried when my Siberian Husky puppy started shedding horribly and his coat became severely matted, but I am thankful to read the advice above and hopefully with a change in diet and daily brushing he will look as cute as a button again in no time!

This is my beautiful boy, Maverick.
[/SIZE][/FONT]

Oh my goodness he is so adorable!!! What a gorgeous face.

I just wanted to say that having your dog on a good quality food is the best investment you can make! It may be a bit more expensive, but it saves you from many health issues in the long run. Good luck and welcome to the board! Hope you introduce yourself (& post more pictures!!!!!) in the "Welcome" section! :D

I'd glad to see that the advice in older threads can help newer members!

and oh my dog, maverick is gorgeous! :highfive: