# husky/lab mix and shedding - out of control!



## glm777 (Jul 25, 2011)

We have a new rescue. She is the sweetest girl and 100% healthy. However, she sheds like nothing I have ever seen before! We brush her and the fur never stops. We have brushed her for over an hour (luckily she loves it) and she still has fur flying when she walks in the house. I've heard that there are some oral vitamins that can be used to decrease shedding - has anyone tried them? Or does anyone have any idea how to control the shedding to a reasonable level? I know dogs shed and I'm not a fanatic about it but I don't have time to vacuum the floor, couch, bed, and wherever else she has been several times a day! I look forward to hearng any suggestions.


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## Dog Person (Sep 14, 2012)

Depending on where you live she may be getting rid of her summer or winter coat and getting a new season coat. I have read that nutrition can play a role in shedding, not really sure as We have a short haired dog and she constantly sheds as well and she seems to do well on the food she is on. Maybe the shedding is from stress of moving into a new environment.

Have you bathed her? Maybe giving her bath will remove a lot of dead or loose hair.

I think some people here report using oils or fats in the food to help with shedding. 

Sorry, can't be of more help ... hopefully someone else will chime in.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Brush her a lot every day outside if possible. I adopted little 13 pound Bucky a month ago and he filled the pin brush with shed hair daily for a couple weeks. 

Give her a bath and brush her every few minutes until she is completely dry, that gets out gobs of dead hair. I would take a poop bag with me on a walk and fill it up with hair from the brush. If I wash dogs outside then I don't even use a towel! When I did that to Sassy she would shed much less fur all over the house for a good week. You must brush until completely dry, it is when the coat is barely damp that the most hair falls out.

If you live near a doggy wash place you can bathe her there and blow out all kinds of hair. I bought a blower and it does work well but found it about the same as brushing the dog dry during the course of a walk so I mostly just do that. It is fun to blow out the water and see the hair leaving the coat though. 

What kind of brush are you using? Slickers are great for getting dead hair out of a short coat but if her coat is dense look into shedding rakes. They look like miniature metal garden rakes with tines set at right angles to the handle. You have to let the weight of the tool sink into the coat and it takes out vast amounts of dead undercoat fast without danger of damaging coat like Furminators can. Sassy didn't look like she was very fuzzy but a shedding rake was the best tool for her extremely dense short double coat.

Also be sure she is getting enough water into her. Measure the water she drinks for a couple days, dogs need about an ounce of water per pound of dog and more is better. If she doesn't seem to take in enough water then try adding some to her kibble. Don't add much at first, it might put her off. 

Fish oil is supposed to help with shedding, plain old fat is probably just as good, mixing in a cooked or raw egg into her kibble a couple times a week is supposed to help but I found bathing to be the biggest help in keeping the house cleaner.


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## FaithFurMom09 (Oct 24, 2009)

Is she long hair? We have a lab husky and he barely sheds compared to the lab and beagle.


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

I noticed a significant difference in shedding when we brought our dog home from the shelter and switched her to a better food.


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## TGKvr (Apr 29, 2015)

My dog sheds an INSANE amount. I do notice a difference when I'm regularly using the shedding blade and I use a shampoo that's supposed to help too. I actually prefer to use horse tools on my dogs and when I bathe her, I work the soap in with a curry comb. She loves it! Afterwards I run over her with the shedder then with a dandy brush. I try to do it daily (the brushing) but honestly I miss a lot of days. I tried fish oil with her but it just makes her sick, which is weird because she can eat fish otherwise. I hear coconut oil is good too but I haven't tried that yet. Pretty much regular grooming and bathing is the only thing I've seen that works but even that is a double edged sword - too many baths and the skin dries out which won't help at all. I give her a bath about every other week.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

this time of year they are blowing summer coat to make room for the winter coat ( I believe) so you might notice more hair than normal. What are you feeding? poor diet (pretty much discount any food you can find at walmart) www.dogfoodadvisor.com is a good place to start but he is a human dentist and while it is a good springboard, his site shouldnt be taken as gospel LOL. The food I am feeding now, pro pac ultimates grain free, he rates as a 3.5, but only because it is a plant based protein food, which is perfect for my dog, who is very sensitive to meat based protein (they give him the runs).

For grooming, I have an undercoat rake, a slicker brush and a bristle brush, I brush every day almost and I always get hair off him when I do, I still vacuum up hair, and I clean every other day LOL


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## Hiraeth (Aug 4, 2015)

Good advice posted so far, I don't feel like there's too much to add, outside of this - Atlas, a Mal/something huge mix (signature), is fed quality food, brushed a few times a week for about 30 minutes each time, vacuumed once a week and bathed with shampoo that is supposed to help decrease shedding once a month. I can brush a small-dog-sized ball of fur out of him *every time* I groom him.

So, following the advice posted here is a good start, but I'd like to prepare you for the fact that you've adopted a Husky/Lab, two breeds absolutely notorious for shedding, and it may not get much better. In that case, vacuum as often as possible (I vacuum my house fully once a day and spot vacuum more than that), invest in some lint rollers and try not to wear too much black.


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## WonderBreadDots (Jun 26, 2012)

I have a dog that sheds a lot. I vacuum everyday and brush 3-4 times a week. I noticed the first summer after her adult coat came was that swimming helped the loose hairs shed out quickly. I towel her off before she can get in my car and give her a good brushing when I get home and the shedding decreases dramatically for the next few days. She also lays in front of a fan (she runs really hot) when she relaxes and it dries her completely, I worry about hot spots on her with all that fur.


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## mudypony (Jul 31, 2014)

I agree with everything said above but want to add that the salmon oil really does help with shedding, at least for my dog! I give him this salmon oil: https://www.smartpakequine.com/ps/deep-sea-salmon-oil-2922, which has vitamin E added to it, so I don't have to supplement it (as salmon oil can cause a deficiency in vitamin E). I notice an immediate difference in my dog's shedding whenever I run out. Within a day of running out his shedding seems to double! Salmon oil is definitely not a cure-all for shedding (especially for a lab/husky mix!), but it definitely has helped in my case.


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## superblade (Dec 19, 2015)

There are many factors effect shed, food, deshedding tool, and bathing etc... For food and shampoo, i see there are suggestions above. It may work well. 
For tool, i recommend MIU PET deshedding tool,dramatically reduces shedding by up to 95%. It works wonderful for my dog, and it's really convenient.


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