# Excessive shedding.............when to start worrying.



## Teach (Sep 5, 2012)

Hello all,

I have a mixed breed puppy that is 6mo old. He is a bit of a Heinz 57, the only breeds I know he has in him are; blue heeler, border collie and husky. I am guessing there is lab and Shepard in there somewhere due to webbed feet and somehow being pure white. 

Anywho, he started shedding early in the summer and I assumed it was just normal shedding however he hasn't stopped since early June. It tapered off around a month ago but has really picked up recently. I am wondering if I should start worrying about a larger problem. He doesn't have any bald spots or thinning that I can find but I have never seen a dog shed like this. Any ideas on remedies or possible problems?

Thanks


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

What's his diet like? All those breeds tend to shed quite a lot, so it could just be normal shedding, but a higher fat diet will often help skin and coat issues. Most of the lower quality kibbles are very low in fat, so that could potentially be the problem, depending on what you're feeding.


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## mashlee08 (Feb 24, 2012)

He's probably blowing coat or blew coat as well and if you don't tackle it the hair can stay falling out for ages. With the mix you got there I imagine there would be a fair bit of hair. Go get an undercoat rake and get the bulk out and then it's much easier to maintain after that.


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## Teach (Sep 5, 2012)

Thanks guys. His diet consists of purina puppy chow with left over meat from dinner, usually chicken or hamburger but that is fairly minimal. As for tackling the hair I bought a shed monster deshedding tool which helped quite a bit in the early stages but not as much now.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Teach said:


> Thanks guys. His diet consists of purina puppy chow with left over meat from dinner, usually chicken or hamburger but that is fairly minimal. As for tackling the hair I bought a shed monster deshedding tool which helped quite a bit in the early stages but not as much now.


The food could definitely be contributing then. Purina puppy chow is not a good food and it's very low in fat. Though the extras you're feeding are good. I would look through the reviews on dogfoodadvisor.com to guide you towards something a little more nutritious. For example, here is the review for what you're feeding now (1 star out of 5). And here is the review for another moderately priced food that can be found at Tractor Supply (4 out of 5 stars). There are lots of articles on that site to help you learn a bit more about dog nutrition if you're interested.


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## Teach (Sep 5, 2012)

I will definitely look into new food. I started looking at dog food advisor last night after you all had mentioned food being a problem. I was a little shocked that purina was so bad I honestly thought I was feeding him quality food. That explains why he never seems interested in his food.

Do you all have any suggestions on how to improve his diet until he finishs the bag?


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Teach said:


> I will definitely look into new food. I started looking at dog food advisor last night after you all had mentioned food being a problem. I was a little shocked that purina was so bad I honestly thought I was feeding him quality food. That explains why he never seems interested in his food.
> 
> Do you all have any suggestions on how to improve his diet until he finishs the bag?


Yeah, the lower quality foods tend to be less palatable, because they are mostly corn. Dogs are carnivores so they crave meat. I had a hard time keeping weight on Sydney when I was feeding Beneful and Purina One, but as I switched to higher and higher quality foods (that have a lot more meat in them), she became more and more interested in eating. Don't feel bad though. Marketing companies make the worst stuff seem great, while the higher end brands usually don't advertise much if at all. So unless you start to dig for info (like you have), you'd never know!

I would offer raw egg once or twice a week and maybe some fish oil pills. My dog eats the pills like a treat.  Both of these are high in healthy fats and should be good for his coat. Don't overdo it on the fish oil, though, unless you're willing to supplement Vitamin E as well. It is used to metabolize the omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil...overdosing for a long period of time can cause a vitamin E deficiency.


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## Teach (Sep 5, 2012)

Thank you very much. I will start to add some extra nutrients to his food. As for the fish oil pills this may sound like a dumb question but will regular human fish oil pills work or do I need something special?


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

As long as the fish oil caps are unflavored so you know there isn't any xylitol, onions, macadamia nuts, grapes or other poisonous to dogs ingredients in there then human ones are perfect. 100 mg of the two main fatty acids combined per 10 pounds of dog is the basic dose. Read the label, usually the dose is more than one cap. Usually it will have 120 mg of one and 80 of the other and that might be in 2 caps so a 10 pound dog would get one per day.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

Yeah, Sydney and I actually take the same (human, lol) fish oil supplement. I give her one, then take one myself. ;p


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## Losech (Apr 5, 2011)

My first dog ate puppy/dog chow. The two current mixes ate Pedigree for six years. I learned about dog food while I was temporarily away from home and when I moved back I switched them off that. It was almost an instant change in health. They didn't shed excessively, but they still shed a lot, stank real bad (like wet dog, constantly) and had the GREASIEST coats imaginable. All that cleared up real quick on the new food. (Taste of the Wild, if you are curious.)

Yup, human fish oil capsules will work fine, preferable to pet fish oils, actually, in both price and quality. I order mine bulk online and the Shiba and I both take the same stuff. (Call me strange, but I don't swallow them whole. I bite 'em and actually like the taste. The Shiba is the one who isn't fond of them, oddly enough.) Raw eggs also help the coat a lot, and the dogs get those just about every day.


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## Teach (Sep 5, 2012)

Losech said:


> They didn't shed excessively, but they still shed a lot, stank real bad (like wet dog, constantly) and had the GREASIEST coats imaginable. All that cleared up real quick on the new food.


That pretty well describes cotton to a T. I am going to have to look into new food. I know that orshelns in town carries diamond brand hopefully I can get him switched to that. I also have quite a bit of extra deer meat in the freezer I need to get rid of (my wife doesnt like it) so I may start adding that to his food here and there. 

Again thanks for all the advice I am sure he will be much happier with a better diet.


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## PlaidJaguar (Oct 19, 2012)

My vets highly recommend Eicosaderm. It has both fish oil and vitamin E, and it comes in either liquid or pill form. My dog prefers the liquid; I just pump it directly on his dog food.


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## Mack Maya Iowa (Oct 2, 2012)

You said that you still have some of the bag of food left over? I would go and buy the better food now, what ever you choose to put him on, and start slowly mixing it with the puppy chow so that you slowly transition him over to the better food. This should reduce or eliminate his issues while switching (loose stools, diaherria, vomiting that can sometimes temporarily occur). Also pay attention to the serving amount suggestions on the bag, because the better food is high quality and your dog will not need as much of it as puppy chow, which has a lot of fillers.

I am also getting ready to make the switch from Science Diet over to Taste of the Wild, so hopefully it goes well! Good Luck!


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