WabbitGTI Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Porsche has been with me for right at 2 months and has been very easy going and for the most part trouble free. About 3 weeks in, however, she started shedding like crazy. This was not an issue when she first arrived at my home and was not a problem for the 5 weeks she was with her foster home either. Now she loses as much hair as a friend's yellow Lab when I brush her down! I tried fish oil capsules for about 3 weeks with no results and have since switched to coconut oil added to every meal with little to no improvement noted. The hair does seem to be filling back in (no bald spots, etc) but she is a little flakey as well. Another odd thing I've noticed is that it only seems to be her 'lower' back near her hips and her bottom that really lose the most hair and have the dryer skin. Any suggestions? FWIW I have also been giving her Zyrtec as she seems to have mild allergies (reverse sneezing, rubbing her muzzle on the carpet). Should I just give it a while longer and hope for results or are there some other home remedies I should try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramonaghan Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Did you change her food from what she ate at her foster's? Sometimes a new food or the stress of adjusting to a new setting (albeit that seems unlikely 3 weeks in) can contribute to shedding, or it could just be seasonal; they "blow their coats" a couple of times a year, and maybe you just lucked out with the timing, having gotten her in the late spring. For what it's worth, my fawn girl sheds year-round, but 2 or 3 times a year, it's especially bad. Stay on top of the brushing (Zoom Grooms work well) and keep doing what you're doing as far as the oils go. Missing Link is a good supplement for coat/skin and might help. If you haven't tried it already, a bath should loosen all that extra hair and get rid of the worst of it. Use a gentle dog shampoo and perhaps even a conditioner to prevent drying out her skin further. I like EarthBath's Oatmeal & Aloe. Good luck! Quote Rachel with Doolin Doodle Dooooo, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig. Missing gentlemen kitties Mud, Henry, and Richard and our gorgeous, gutsy girlhounds Sweep and Willa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WabbitGTI Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 Thanks for the quick response Ramonaghan! The foster was feeding Fromm which I have stuck with since day one. She goes through a 30lb bag in about 3 weeks so I do change the 'flavor' up but her stools have been very consistent even when I switch. I did have to bathe her once about a month after I got her due to her peeing in her crate and then laying in it. That's when I started to see the shedding. I did use an oatmeal dog shampoo and rinsed really well, so I don't think that could have done it, but maybe another quick bath will do just what you said. I brush her every 2-3 days, but the Missing Link is ssomething I've been interested to try anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spottydog Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 I think it is the shedding season. Django is also shedding like crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Mine has started shedding like crazy in the last couple of weeks. I would not assume you have a problem. Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cendrine1 Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Ditto re shedding - It's like a second spring shed! Silky usually blows her coat in March and August but this time it seems very copious with more flaking. Missing Link seems to help the dryness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dancer Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 (edited) Ditto on the shedding...probably the only reason they (my pups) ever get a shampoo and blow dry Edited July 4, 2014 by Dancer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lillypad Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 My mother-in-law agreed to watch my hound for a of couple days. I felt I should let her know she was shedding heavily. So I said, "she has been shedding all over the place lately" Mom-in-law got this strange look on her face, paused for a minute and said, "I don't mind looking after her, but I can't have her **ting all over the place" This was extra funny cause she never used foul language. I hope you find this as funny as I did. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chickenpotpie Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 Lucky is finally at the end of her shedding phase, which I think was caused by the really crazy winter and spring we had. She has a very short coat which also means that when she sheds heavily, she'll get a few bald spots (mainly on her butt!!) they fill in though after a few weeks though. I think flaky skin is inevitable when a dog sheds however. As long as they're not overly scratching themselves, its likely not an issue with food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramonaghan Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 My mother-in-law agreed to watch my hound for a of couple days. I felt I should let her know she was shedding heavily. So I said, "she has been shedding all over the place lately" Mom-in-law got this strange look on her face, paused for a minute and said, "I don't mind looking after her, but I can't have her **ting all over the place" This was extra funny cause she never used foul language. I hope you find this as funny as I did. LOL I bet she was wondering why you were being so casual about it! Quote Rachel with Doolin Doodle Dooooo, boss cat Tootie, and feline squatters Crumpet and Fezziwig. Missing gentlemen kitties Mud, Henry, and Richard and our gorgeous, gutsy girlhounds Sweep and Willa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banjoman Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 Chancey started shedding really heavily a couple of months after I got her, it came out in handfuls & I was worried that it might be because I was changing her food. I was told she was probably losing her kennel coat & in a short while I could see the beautiful new coat coming through underneath. I gave her Cod Liver Oil but it just seemed to add to her poop problems so I stopped giving it. Now she has a much darker coat which I expect will fade over time & the next time she sheds she'll go darker again. Quote Miss "England" Carol with whippet lurcher Nutmeg & Zavvi the Chihuahua. R.I.P. Chancey (Goosetree Chance). 24.1.2009 - 14.4.2022. Bluegrass Banjoman. 25.1.2004 - 25.5.2015 and Ch. Sleepyhollow Aida. 30.9.2000 - 10.1.2014. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WabbitGTI Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 I wanted to update everyone on some progress I've seen over the last week or so. I was initially using the 'wrong' coconut oil so that could explain why the results were taking longer than expected. I've since switched to the 'correct' virigin oil as well as adding Missing Link to her food. The shedding has all but stopped an I expect to see that happen in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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