# Why is my Shih Tzu shedding?



## allij122 (Jun 2, 2008)

My 12 week old Shih Tzu, Lola, is shedding very soft, fine hair. She is thinning a bit and her hair is looking feathery. Any ideas??


----------



## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

She's probably starting to blow her puppy coat and beginning to grow in her adult hair.


----------



## allij122 (Jun 2, 2008)

I thought this didn't happen until they were about 9 months old. I have looked at pictures of other Shih Tzu's at this age and they seem to have a full, thick coat.


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Laurelin, shih tzu's don't get their adult coat when they are still a puppy at only 3 to 4 months old. 

Do you see any bald spots or spots where its thinning and your can easily move it to see skin? If so then you need to take her to the vet, thats not normal.

My shih tzu didn't even start shedding till about 5 to 6 months old when his hair got long. Do you have any pictures? I'd love to see them.


----------



## allij122 (Jun 2, 2008)

I have not seen any bald spots or mites of fleas, but she is scratching a little. I have had to bathe her a few times in the past few weeks because she fell in the pond, dug in the garden, etc. I only used a little shampoo and rinsed her completely. She goes to the vet on Wed for a check-up, so I will talk to him then. I will upload some pics soon!


----------



## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

You will get puppy blow out coat no matter what breed. But if scratching you need to have the vet look for mites. Let us know what the vet says. Also- what are you feeding for food?


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

She could be scratching her hair out. When I was feeding Snoopy purina puppy chow, really bad food, he had chewed his leg so much there was a bald spot with a scab on it. What are you feeding? I wouldn't give her so many baths as that could be causing the itching as you remove the natural oils when giving a bath alot it will dry their skin out.

Borzoimom, I only said shih tzu's because that was the breed that was being asked about. But I figured the dog had to be closer to an adult age before it blew its coat, or like 6 to 7 months old.


----------



## allij122 (Jun 2, 2008)

I am feeding her Science Diet Puppy Bites. The breeder fed her Purina for puppies in a can and a little of the dry. We have had her for about 6 weeks now. Can anyone suggest a quality shampoo. I am using Hartz right now.


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I would feed her something better such as Canidae (my shih tzu does great on this), Innova, Taste of the wild, Chicken soup for the dog lovers soul or many others. More foods can be found in the dog food forum. Science diet on got 1 star on dogfoodanalysis.com.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=139&cat=all

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=138&cat=all

Most of the foods I mentioned are cheaper than science diet.


----------



## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

allij122 said:


> I am feeding her Science Diet Puppy Bites. The breeder fed her Purina for puppies in a can and a little of the dry. We have had her for about 6 weeks now. Can anyone suggest a quality shampoo. I am using Hartz right now.


 Hartz dries out the coat. Kenic is a great product. As far as science diet- I would find something else. The preservatives are pretty rough. Maybe chicken soup lovers for dogs or solid gold.. 
http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/

here is kenic- thats what I use. http://www.glo-marr-kenic.com/


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I found that Crazy Dog shampoo is really good, I use it for Snoopy and he smells just like a rain forest, the scent I chose, and his coat became really soft and shiny.


----------



## allij122 (Jun 2, 2008)

Do most pet stores sell the foods and shampoos that are mentioned in previous posts? I fed my cocker spaniel Science Diet for 14 years and she did well on it. However, back when we got her (1993) there probably wasn't the variety that there is now.
Here are some pics of her with a thicker coat. I don't have any with the thinner coat...I wil get some soon so everyone can see the difference.










Well, that didn't work. I will try to get the pics up again...


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I don't believe pet stores sell any of the food suggested. If you go to http://www.canidae.com and click on store locater you can find a store near you that sells it and chances are it wil be a feed store that sells the other brands suggested as well. I would recommend canidae because my shih tzu does great on it. These feed stores also usually have sample bags that you can get of each and see which one she likes best. The shampoo's are sold in pet stores, Crazy Dog is, thats where I got mine.

Here is how to post pictures,
http://www.dogforums.com/8-dog-pictures-forum/13113-having-trouble-posting-photos.html


----------



## PeppersPop (Apr 13, 2008)

I'm guessing there aren't many, but my town has the dog equivalent of a health food store. I'm not sure if Petco or the equivalent would, maybe call them first?

I use Hartz Oatmeal shampoo on Pepper. He's got itchy skin and it seems to help. He has gotten 2 baths in the past two months. When he gets into puddles/mud/dirt/whatever, we stick him the tub and use a rag to wipe him down because I don't want to dry his skin out.

Regards,
Sid



allij122 said:


> Do most pet stores sell the foods and shampoos that are mentioned in previous posts? I fed my cocker spaniel Science Diet for 14 years and she did well on it. However, back when we got her (1993) there probably wasn't the variety that there is now.
> Here are some pics of her with a thicker coat. I don't have any with the thinner coat...I wil get some soon so everyone can see the difference.
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## Priss and Pedro's Mama (Nov 4, 2007)

I'll echo the find a "better" food from the others. I'm really liking the Chicken Soup line. It is made by Diamond so you should be able to find it at feed stores or anywhere that sells Diamond dog foods. If they don't stock Chicken Soup, but do stock other Diamond foods, they can likely order it in for you. My min pin mix pup is on the puppy formula and his coat is glossy black and soft. I started my old gal on the light formula (she's diabetic and needed the lower fat/higher fiber) and her coat has made some lovely changes. She also poops about 1/3 the amount she did on <gasp> Beneful. Just look at the first five ingredients...you'll see the differences. More meat and less corn = better coat, more energy and less poop. Having little dogs is nice in that affording the good food is so much easier!

All of the food stuff aside, it is worth having the vet take a look at her coat and skin. It could be normal "getting big dog fur" or summer shed, even though she is kind of young for it. It could be fleas or mites or any number of skin issues. Or it could be that the food doesn't have enough of the good oils and protiens that a really nice coat needs.

ETA: On shampoos a good place to look is any number of dog related websites. Petedge, dog.com, drsfosterandsmith and the like. I actually use a whitening shampoo on both of mine because it is what Mom has for her dogs LOL! It smells yummy and does a good job at getting any stains out of white fur. Doesn't hurt the black coat on the pup a bit.


----------



## allij122 (Jun 2, 2008)

Where would I find this whitening shampoo and what is the cost of it?


----------



## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

All dog shampoo's are sold in pet stores, some are sold online and the price vary's on what brand you get and the size of the bottle. Any dog shampoo will work, just don't get one for dander or anything like that as you don't need it, plus it stinks.


----------

