What's With All The Shedding?

[Guest KateWantsaGrey]

Pace has been home with us for 2 months now and his shedding is out of control! He is a white dog and even fresh off the track he had a thick bunny soft coat. Since he has been home he has consistently shed A LOT. We really should be brushing him every day to every other day to keep it in check, but we do it more like once a week. When I brush him GOBS of hair come floating off of him. I almost worry that i'm hurting him or something because it's so much, but he doesn't seem to mind getting groomed. I've been using a rubber hound glove on him if that makes any difference. I wonder what the neighbors think when they see all that hair blowing down the side walk and collecting in corners... It looks like a bunny exploded or something! lol Pace had his first vet visit about a month ago, just as a check up since he is new to our house, and she said he was in great shape. So what gives with the shedding? How much do you greys shed?

[ahicks51]

Sometime in the first few months, the greys tend to blow their track coat. Perfectly normal.

[Greytlady94]

Our white ones shed a lot, nothing wrong with them, they just shed a lot.

[GreyTzu]

Yup, blowing their track coat.

[ahicks51]

I should have added- if you don't already, add a fish oil capsule with food once a day. It'll help the new coat come in all nice and shiny and soft.

[Guest gr8hound47]

Our boy that we have had home for about 6 months, is white also and sheds a lot too. Must be a white dog thing, my 2 others don't shed much.

[Guest KennelMom]

Normal. Some will say that white dogs shed the most of any color (not sure I agree with that). I cringe when I hear or read one of the reasons for adopting a greyhound is that they "don't shed" or "don't shed a lot"...maybe they don't shed as much as a German Shepherd or other breed, but they do shed! (and some greyhounds do shed a lot!!!). Brushing every day really is the best way to keep it under control.

Edited July 26, 2008 by KennelMom

[SAVED2]

Our Frannie is white and does not shed.

[galgrey]

Mine are shedding, which is normal for this time of year. Princess (red fawn) is a "low shed" kinda girl, but she does shed. Carly's (white/brindle) coat is super thick and soft and she's shedding like crazy. She sorta sheds year round, but right now it's literally falling off of her. Good thing dog hair doesn't phase me. It's become both a condiment and fashion accessory in my life!

Edited July 26, 2008 by galgrey

[Guest FrostyBottoms]

Katie...F&V are both shedding like crazy too! It is also the weather...this has been one of the coolest summers i ever remember and now it is starting to hit almost 90ish so they are shedding more. You have to bring Pace over soon!

 

~J

[Guest MAXNAV]

Navigator is black and his undercoat is a wonderful grey fuzzy fur that flies everywhere. You know, the kind that sticks to your eyelashes, goes up your nose, and it never seems to stay off my floor. I try to take him outside to brush him (rubber curry brush - works wonderful), at least 10-15 minutes every morning. He's just now getting better. Not too much undercoat left. By the time it's all gone, it'll be time to 'fur up' for winter again. I swear he sheds more undercoat that my rough collie did.

 

 

Mine are shedding, which is normal for this time of year. Princess (red fawn) is a "low shed" kinda girl, but she does shed. Carly's (white/brindle) coat is super thick and soft and she's shedding like crazy. She sorta sheds year round, but right now it's literally falling off of her. Good thing dog hair doesn't phase me. It's become both a condiment and fashion accessory in my life!

 

My guy sheds all year round too. The undercoat is the worst part, but an accessory in our house too. I've actually brushed him just before heading out to the store, school, etc. and decided to make one more trip to the bathroom before I left. Thank goodness I did, as there would be a clump of undercoat stuck on the top of my head! LOL

[GreyTzu]

Dog hair, the other roughage. :lol

[Sighthounds4me]

He's shedding his track coat. When Greys race, they are fed a diet that builds muscle. But it is not good for the coat, so it leads to a fuzzy, dry coat. As the dog gets on better all-around nutrition after retirement, the coat is shed, and replaced by a sleeker, smoother, shinier coat.

 

To speed this process, there are things you can do: daily brushing with a hound glove, shedding blade, or Zoom Groom. Do this outside, if possible, because then all that hair will stay out there!

 

You can look into a supplement. I really like Hair of the Dog. You can find the link in my signature. The stuff is amazing!! It improves the coat from the inside out, starting with the skin. It takes time to notice a difference, but it improves the overall health of the dog, which reflects in the quality of the coat.

 

Second, it could be seasonal. It is said that Greys don't shed, but that is false. While Greyhounds do not have a double coat like a husky, their coats often thicken in winter, especially in cold climates. Therefore in spring/summer, the coat will be shed.

 

Third, what food are you feeding? The better the food, the better the coat. And, if you just changed foods, that could be causing the shedding. For example, we adopted a cat in April. He had been fed Felidae (the cat equivilant of Canidae), which is a very good food. So we bought some, thinking he'd be fine. But he was having trouble digesting it, and vomited a lot. He lost a lot of weight. So we bought Fromm Salmon A La Veg - he's gained weight back, and is doing GREYT. But he's shedding like a fiend, presumably because his food was changed, and his body is now replacing his Felidae coat.

[Guest LuvMyBonbon]

Hi Kate-

 

I adopted Pace's littermate - Chica's Bonnie. She sheds a ton too! We've had her for almost two months now, and when I first brought her home, she had a really thick, furry coat. It's smoother and more greyhound-like now, but she is still shedding almost as much as she did on that first day. If I sweep the house in the morning, there are little furballs floating around on the floor by the afternoon. It's nice that they were blessed with such fabulous thick fur, I'd just like it to stay on her body rather than everything she touches!

[Guest KsFrets]

We've had little Maggie for 7 months now...for the first 3 months she shed really bad...like a brush full a day. Her fur got really thin in places and we started getting worried too. Then it slowed down, and finally she stopped shedding so much. About a month ago we noticed a nice fine coat coming in real nice. Now at 7 months, her coat is looking full again, and is much finer and softer.

[Guest Kitty_cat]

I think it's the time of year that may also be causing the shedding. Stewie has been shedding quite a bit since mid June. I think it'll go on for another month or so. The rest of the year he barely drops a hair. Maybe that's what's happening with your dog as well?