Dog Community

Excessive shedding

Posted : 3/31/2006 12:26:59 PM

Does anyone here have a GSP ?? Do you know if they shed alot during the spring ?? I haven't had Andy long enough to know . All I know is that in the last couple of months his coat has gotten a bit dull and he is shedding like mad. I know he had a sensitivity to chicken but I have removed that from his diet. It was making him itch and lick his paws and made his skin turn bright pink.
I can't figure out what's causing the shedding though. He's on a diet of TO, raw and homecooked. Eats lots of salmon, gets lots of Omega 3s & 6s, eggs, supplements ( Missing Link ), no corn or soy, very little wheat , if any. I brush and brush and brush him w/a grooming rake and the hair never stops coming out ! Everything in my house he gets on is just covered in hair. Every day I must sweep a full dustpan of it off the floor. None of the other dogs are shedding like this... only him.

Got any ideas ?? I'm tempted to buy some kind of No Shed but it's expensive and I'm skeptical about those kinds of products. If it has to do w/his diet I'd rather correct the diet.

jprinz99

Posted : 3/31/2006 12:54:11 PM

not sure what you mean by GSP but I have great results from an undercoat rake, even on dogs w/out doublecoats. I would just caution that if you go this route to get one with the flexible/retractiing pins for pups comfort.

tiffy

Posted : 3/31/2006 1:53:42 PM

GSP- German Shorthaired Pointer

glenmar

Posted : 3/31/2006 2:06:05 PM

I don't know about GSP's but I'd imagine, like just about any dog, this is the time of year that they're gonna start dropping fur like trees drop leaves in the fall.

myorganicpets

Posted : 3/31/2006 3:48:30 PM

get one with the flexible/retractiing pins for pups comfort.

???? I"m not sure what you're talking about. I do use a rake , and I rake and rake and rake and rake and the hair never seems to stop coming out !!! Thing is.. he sure the heck doesn't LOOK like he's losing all that hair .. lol. His coat is very very thick. I have a lab and his undercoat isn't shedding and even when I rake him nothing much comes out right now.

myorganicpets

Posted : 3/31/2006 3:52:24 PM

Well I didn't know if/when he's supposed to shed and how much. My lab used to shed like crazy but now he hardly does at all. My JRT sheds a bit, but mainly on furniture and clothes.. not just from walking around.

I was thinking maybe Andy was shedding so much because he's lacking something nutritionally although I can't imagine what it could possibly be and if there was anything I could do to change it.

I guess if it's just natural and they shed that much I'm just going to have to put up with it. Although I'll swear I've read many places online that a high quality diet helped reduce shedding.

glenmar

Posted : 3/31/2006 5:40:36 PM

I'm not going to debate a high quality diet...mine get Innova, homecooked and raw, but you'd swear that they HAVE to be naked the amount of fur I keep vacuming up. Guess they don't call them german shedders for nuthin!

papillon806

Posted : 3/31/2006 7:49:58 PM

Check out this: [linkhttp://www.furminator.com/]http://www.furminator.com/[/link] This is a shampoo/spray treatment that the vet I work for uses and it is absolutely AMAZING!!! Stops shedding for up to 8 weeks!! Ask me if you want some more details or if you still have questions after looking over the site....I went to a f\Furminator seminar w/ my vet and found out all the info. before we started using it at the practice.

myorganicpets

Posted : 4/1/2006 5:24:35 PM

Hey...thanks alot for that link. I just applied to carry their products in my store. At least I'll be able to buy it wholesale !

bamaeskie

Posted : 4/1/2006 5:38:47 PM

Shedding??? He-he. Some of you will realize that your shedding problems will seem small compared to those of us whom have the double-coated breeds. Dakota is an Innova boy, so he gets a high-quality food. But of course he's going to shed since that's part of it!!! (That's probably the biggest con of this breed, but IMO he's definitely worth it![

])

Here's a picture from a week or two ago. Keep in mind that the big "blow" isn't here yet!![

]

papillon806

Posted : 4/1/2006 5:45:19 PM

ORIGINAL: myorganicpets

Hey...thanks alot for that link. I just applied to carry their products in my store. At least I'll be able to buy it wholesale !

No problem....this stuff is absolutely AMAZING! (just make sure you pay attention to the directions on how to properly use it) At the vet, we shampoo them first, then spray the diluted solution directly onto the dog with the shampoo, and massage it in for about 5 mins (we are also very liberal with the solution), then rinse. Then, after the dog is dry, you use the "de-shedding tool" and get all the undercoat out! [

]

bamaeskie

Posted : 4/1/2006 6:33:14 PM

Gosh, when you check out that link, watch the brush comparisons video. It's unreal!! I may be purchasing one of these tools soon myself!!!

jennie_c_d

Posted : 4/1/2006 7:52:20 PM

I keep thinking I'm going to get a Furminator. Emma is kept shaved down, and Teenie barely sheds at all, but Mom's dog is double coated, and I might get good use of it, at work. I think people would pay extra for a 15 minute de shedding session. I know I would, if I had a floof ball

jprinz99

Posted : 4/1/2006 8:57:20 PM

dakota's parent-
All I can say is I hope you have white carpets! What a good looking pup, but that sure is a lot of hair[:-] And I thought my boy was bad!!

For what it's worth-the furminator didn't work well for us but did a super job on my friend's chow.

Funny how they always manage to give you a major "fur deposit" when you are wearing a nice outfit in the complety opposite color, eh?

huskymom

Posted : 4/1/2006 9:24:42 PM

As far as my dog goes there is not same colour. On one of his hairs there can be up to 3 different colors!!! That furminator looks amazing! I think I need to get one. I could fill up 2 shopping bags with hair a day! Seriously I'm pretty sure I could make me a sweater easy by tuesday. And Crusher didn't even spend much time outside this year. Not more than 4 hours a day most days. His brother has 5 times the coat on him because he spends most of his time outside during the day. I may show his mommy this link.