'Tis the season! And to save myself a call to the vets (and Moms tend to know more than the doctors do sometimes!) does anyone know the name of the supplement you give to your dogs that is supposed to lessen shedding? And can I get it at a regular pet supply store? And has anyone tried it and with what kind of success? Thanks Mammas! Have a great day!
You're thinking of Fish oil supplements. A very good food will include this, but if you feed something like Iams or Purina, you'll need to add it to the diet. You can buy it at the average petstore. Fish oil needs to be combined with regular brushing to be effective.
the best way to reduce shedding is to feed a VERY premium dog food. my 4 dogs eats wellness core and the shedding has been reduced to nearly nothing. good luck!
haven't read all your responses, but i'm a vet tech and have a little insight...
nothing you spend your money on will really work to stop shedding... the dogs shed to get rid of a haircoat they need to purge out to make way for "summer fur"...
i did glance and saw someone mention fish oil - this does sometimes help keep the coat from clumping, makes the skin healthier (also helps with heart and organ health!) so its a great supplement...
The other thing that can help is a good diet - in my experience, Science Diet, Iams and some forms of Purina are really the best... but everyone you talk to has their own opinions!
the only thing that will actually work decrease shedding around your house though is frequent brushing (bathing followed by a heavyduty brushing helps too)... the Furminator is the best brush i've come across for getting out the fur that sheds out. Expensive, but worth it!!
Good luck! And enjoy your canine friend :)
I'm not sure if any of the supplements work, but brushing can make all the difference. I use a furminater on my lab and 3 cats. Brushing the dog once a week really cuts down on the amount she sheds and the brush pulls out all the loose hair. I use one of the small ones on her and on the cats as much as they will let me. Good luck, I know when I slack off and don't brush for awhile the hairballs grow quickly.
What kind of dog do you have and is it's breed known for heavy shedding? Has it always shed this much? I ask these questions for one reason. Let me tell you our story....
We have a 6 yr old German Shepherd. They are notorious year round shedders. Ours has always shed. Never bald spots, never hot spots, beautiful coat but always always wads of fur under all the furniture. Happy healthy dog. We bought the $50 furminator and use it regularly (she LOVES it). I could stuff a pillow with the fur that comes off in one session of using the furminator once a week. Baths leave GOBS of fur in the bottom of the shower.
Well, 2 months ago, she got very sick and during her illness progressed to having cluster seizures. After taking her to the vet, watching her almost die, then begin to recover, then begin seizing again, then trying a NEW vet... we found out her thyroid is low. (Don't know if that caused the seizures, or vice verca... chicken or the egg... we'll never know). Anyway... she is great now. She takes thyroid meds (along with anti-seizure meds) and since she has been home (6 weeks or so now) the amount of hair she is shedding is remarkably different than before. When I pet her (even roughly rubbing) my hand does not come away with a handful of fur... just one or two hairs. NO more fur balls under every stick of furniture in the house even with sweeping/vacuuming daily. Now, twice a week seems sufficient to keep things looking respectable. I am stunned at the difference! I had always heard and read that GSD's are very bad shedders, so I thought nothing of the fact that ours did. Well, she doesn't anymore!
Maybe a trip to your vet might be in order, if the shedding is REALLY THAT BAD, to just check her thyroid function? Low thyroid function (hypothyroid) CAN actually contribute to seizure activity.... just something you might not have realized or thought about. But shedding is actually a very common condition with low thyroid, as are skin issues. But our NEW vet told me that there is a high percentage of dogs that present WITHOUT skin issues indicating low thyroid. And often it goes un-noticed. You will have to ask them about testing for it, it is not usually part of a routine blood work up at some vets (at our original vet they didn't test for it even with her extremely sick!). But it was one of the first things our new vet wanted to know about, and they were able to do the lab work right in their office and have results the same day. Until the day our dog fell dramatically ill, the only "sign" of ANYthing that MIGHT be amiss... was all the shedding, which I discounted as normal for her breed.
Good luck with whatever you do.
And the Furminator is a great tool. We still do it for our GSD and she loves it, but I don't get quite the amount off her that I used to.
I have a furnimator from Petsmart. It's a very sturdy comb. It was expensive but it works. It gets the underhair out which is what you need right now. I have 3 cats and 3 dogs. I love it and it really helps with the floaties.
