Dalmatian shedding solutions

Nearly my entire family has had Dals and we owned Blackhawk (the Dalmatian in my avatar) for almost thirteen years. I'll let you know right off the bat - Dalmatians should only shed twice a year. Six months in the spring, and six months in the fall []

But if your older boy is shedding *that* bad, I'd take him to the vet right away for a thyroid check. Blackhawk always shed a bit, but he didn't get really bad until his thyroid was really, really low. He was getting bald in spots and his coat was very dry and rough. Once we got his thyroid levels up to where they belonged, his coat was better than it had been in years!

A few couple other things that helped were very good quality food (he ate Eukanuba most of his life and Canidae the last year or two) and a good brushing a couple times a week with a Zoom groom. The zoom groom brush worked best for him because the soft rubber cones would go all the way to the skin and pull out the loose hair but was soft enough not to hurt him. He LOVED it, too! I suggest doing the brushing outside so it doesn't look like you had a blizzard in your house. We never had good luck with shedding supplements. Good food is the way to go.

Enjoy you senior Dal! At that age, they finally calm down LOL!

Older dogs often get skin and coat problems.  The oil producing glands don't work as well as when they were younger.  You might want to take him to the vet to be checked for cushing's syndrome - that causes hair loss.  My old guy goes to the vet twice a year for a check-up and geriatric blood panel, just because things can change so quickly.  My vet once commented that a dog going for a check-up once a year is like us going to the doctor once every 7 years!

Thanks for the advice. I should add a few things: 1) Domino's coat is THE SOFTEST ever. Even the vet commented she had never seen a coat so soft in a Dalmatian. 2) The hair itself looks and feels very healthy; he does occasionally get little bald patches in some spots and I've noticed when I shed him, that there is a lot of dry skin on his butt.
Also, he has been to the vet several times in the past several months (We've only had him since the beginning of May) for bladder issues. They did an extensive list of tests on him, including thyroid problems, which they apparently found no problem with. He does have a recurring bladder infection that is cleared up by antibiotics. But the shedding didn't start until a good month after we had him. I am just curious if they could be related. The only supplement he is on is a Cosequin equivilent for his bad back legs.
Lastly, he has an OBSESSION, and I stress, OBSESSION, with water. We are always worried about giving him too much/too little because of said bladder problem and because he is with water like a lot of other dogs are with their food- wouldn't stop if it was gushing out his nose. Again the vet said Dalmatians are particularly obsessed with water, which I never heard before, but... like I said they did a lot of tests and didn't find any problems other than the bladder infection.
Oh, and... he is far from calm!! The previous owners claimed he "doesn't know how to play"... he is the most mischievous, playful, and obsessed dog I've ever owned (well, maybe tied with my parents' 14 year old Lab.) All in all a great dog, I can't believe someone let him go after 14 years!!

Dear retroglamor,

Lol, I've got the same problem as you do.. I have a 2 year old male rottweiler and he has the same problem as your dog has...

forum.dog.com members, what should we do? please give us some advises!! I took my dog to a vet but they didn't find any serious problems...

Thank you, retroglamor - we have the same problem, respect!

i think he should have a different diet, probably lacking some vitamins and essential oils if he has the dry skin.

and as for his previous owners saying he isnt playful.... i will just say dogs behave differently according to who they are with.
if the owner doesnt play, then the dog doesnt play. sure some dogs ARENT very playful by default... but it depends who they are with..
my dog, Ben, was said to be a horror to groom, and wont stay in a fenced yard..also said he would pee all over the house and would never be a house dog. ALSO said he was virtually untrainable.... now i will admit he is a tough nut to crack with training, but he's a bulldog.... all i have to do is find the right motivation and he will do anything i tel him... but smoked turkey is expensive! he does NOT pee on everything, and can be in the house but he is scared the whole time.... given the chance he will run out the door... and grooming is a breeze, plus we have been able to keep him in a fenced yard. right now he has an invisible fence collar - once he learned the boundary he hasnt crossed the line. i dont even have to put the collar on him half the time..
so what it boiled down to with him was the previous owner was not a bulldog person and couldnt handle the stubborn streak.... she did better with shepherds lol

We have a dalmation who is four years old.From what I have been learning,dals are prone to bladder infections and kidney stones-which,by the way, are very painful from my one personal experience.They say dals should drink lots of water to keep flushing out their system.If you punch in dalmation,you will get many sites with information on the breed.and diseases they are prone to.I'll say one thing though,dals are the smartest,most loving,people oriented,love going anywhere breed I have ever had.They are very human like and I don't know about yours,but ours loves to "talk"as they say. She always has to get in her two cents worth.Gotta love em.

Dalmatians are the best pooch ever we got  Lucky  at 5 weeks old and he was the best of the best , oh my soooo smart and boy do they shed [sm=meditate.gif] 
he was great with babies ,kids ,everyone, cats he loved .
I don't know why they get such a bad rap,i guess it's how they are raised . Lucky went to the Rainbow Bridge on July 29 07, at 14 1/2 yrs
after a long battle with his hips , if it was not for the hips he would still be here.but we have his ashes on a table with his friend(Tara )ashes as well.  nice memorial

 RIP Lucky

Well, we recently got him groomed and he looks and feels a lot better. I think we will keep shedding and washing him regularly to help keep him that way.
 
Domino does a lot of moaning and groaning, very little barking. When he gets excited about something (usually water, eating, or going outside) he does what I call "pirhouettes". He pretty much runs around in little excited circles.
 
They are defnitely personable dogs and he's a lot of fun. We always say we can't believe he's 14 years old and we also can't believe someone actually got rid of him! Oh, and... he is abut 50 lbs and curls himself into the tightest little ball, and currently uses a little "basket" bed made for a 20 lb dog. (The big one we got for him lays unused next to it.)

I don't know about Dalmations, but my lab was a HUGE shedder. About a year ago we changed her food, not only did she get a gorgeous coat we do not notice her shedding at all like we used to. She still sheds but not in buckets. If you take your dog in to have the vet check it you may want to discuss the diet.

We switched to Nutro Ultra, that is what improved their coats and decreased the shedding. It also decreased and improved their stool, less waste. Just a thought you may want to investigate.

Is his skin and coat dry?  I put my doggies (greyhounds) on a premium food (Nutro Max) and they are doing great.  Their skin isn't flaky and shedding has decreased.  One of them has hair filled in on her bald legs and belly.  They are shiny and healthy looking fur balls now.  Just a suggestion.

Even well fed dals shed some. I find dalmatian hair on me ALL THE TIME and I don't liev with one- they're from Springingpups' dog Grady (who, in fairness, IS in my truck and in the apartment every time she comes down to visit.) I found some today and I haven't seen her or Grady since Sunday. And he only sheds white hairs, apparently, I never find any hair from his spots (liver).

I can tell they're his, btw, because they're like 1/4 the length of Mal's shed hairs and 1/2 the length of Indy's.

One of my favorite breed selections books, The Right Dog for You, rated Dalmatians as one of the worst shedding breeds. I think that Dals and German Shepherds got the highest ranking for shedding.

when we moved to the desert a few months ago, walter had dry gross flaky skin. our new vet suggested a fish oil supplement and it cleared up right away. i just pop a pill in his mouth once a day...easy!

Buy a good quality sea kelp supplement, which helps to naturally stimulate and regulate thyroid functions and provides all sorts of nutrients beneficial to skin and coat.  I use it with all my dogs regardless of breed and it seem to slow the shed down.  On my short haired Coon hound, I am fond of the rubber curry comb for her.  Seems to keep the coat glossy and the falling hair to a minimum