Dec
03
Why is my dog shedding like crazy?
ByShe is ten years old and has recently been scratching and shedding a ton. We bought a doggy brush and some medicine drops just in case it was lice, fleas, or ticks. We brushed her for a few minutes five or so times and the brush came out full every time. We didn’t see any fleas or ticks or lice. Her skin didn’t look or feel red and irritated. Does she need a good bath (hasn’t ever had a bath before)? Should we take her to the vet? What should we do?
8 Comments
December 3rd, 2011 at 10:05 AM
Chandler,
What kind of dog is she?
How long has she been shedding?
December 3rd, 2011 at 10:53 AM
bad quality dog food.
December 3rd, 2011 at 11:46 AM
You’ve never taken your dog a bath??? In all ten years of her life?
December 3rd, 2011 at 11:47 AM
She is losing her winter coat. you need to brush her out every day. Bathing would help as well. Keep brushing and finally that dead winter coat will all be out.
December 3rd, 2011 at 12:27 PM
It sounds like she’s just getting rid of her winter coat. Especially if she’s an outside dog, this should be normal. Her age might cause more of her hair to be falling out. Also, if she’s never had a bath before, her hair’s going to be more likely to fall out if you follow logic. It also means that there are going to be more dead skin cells on the surface of her skin, and that is what causes itching. I don’t think it would hurt to give her a good washing. At a minimum, you should have your dog groomed once every six months.
If you’re still worried about her, I’d call your vet first and ask for an opinion of what to do. I don’t think it’s serious enough to physically bring her in to the office.
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:11 PM
Not a single bath in 10 years? Wow, I’m not sure what to say about THAT! (I think she’d probably feel a lot better if she did have a bath…at least every 10 years!)
At 10, she’s already entered into the senior years and hair loss associated with that is not unheard of. You may also want to get a simple blood test for her, which will show any number of disorders (not serious usually) that might bring hair loss with them as a symptom. Just because you haven’t identified anything on her skin, that she’s itchy and losing hair is a symptom of something and I always believe it’s better to err on the side of caution when you’re dealing with animals and children or anyone/thing that can’t clearly communicate to you what they’re feeling.
If she’s cleared and there seems to be no real issue, think about adding Omega’s to her meal time, which is good for coat and skin health, and will reduce shedding. (100% Atlantic Salmon Oil is easily found at most pet supply stores.)
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:30 PM
Wow, yes, she needs a bath. Dogs need a bath every once in a while, even if they clean themselves. My peke mix cleans herself every night, but still usually needs a bath about every few weeks.(Then again, she likes to roll around in dead birds
)
Anyways, it’s shedding season for doggies, so that could be it.
If that’s not it, then it could be a food allergy/bad food. We were told not to feed our dog chicken or anything with chicken in it because it makes her lose her hair, so we feed her a kibble with lamb and rice in it. If it’s not an allergy then it’s a cheap food brand and you should get something a little better. Purina, Nutrisource, and Blue are all good dog food brands.
OTHERWISE, it could also just be because she’s getting older.
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:45 PM
Shedding in dogs is normal, but when it becomes excessive, that is when its a problem and a sign of a larger problem. When the body is under stress, the number one indication is shedding and loss of hair. The skin will also show some symptoms, like redness. The first thing to start with is diet, a modern processed diet is difficult to digest, especially for an aging dog. Years of stress has been put on the dog’s pancreas to produce all the enzymes needed to digest her meals, this causes the body stress. Vegetarian enzymes help relieve the pancreas and digestive system to reduce bodily stress. Combine it with probiotics to support healthy immune function and digestion. Shedding is in the top three signs that there is a digestive and immune system problem here:
http://probioticsfordogs.com/signs-dog-needs-probiotics