I have a Labordor Retriver and he's shading his coat very badly. What could be the cause and solution?

Answer 1

Bub and Amy gave you excellent answers - Canidae and Nutro are excellent foods. Labs normally shed a LOT, but a good diet can help.

A few other tips:
Have your vet check for intestinal worms - they can cause excessive shedding.

Don't bathe him too often - no more than once every four months unless he's rolled in something. When you do, use cool water. Warm or hot water baths make them shed more.

Also, get shedding blade from the pet store - it's a mini version of the kind they use on horses. That will take out a lot of the loose hair. Other than that, get a Dyson vacuum!

Answer 2

My Lab sheds all year round, especially in the summer. I've also noticed that he sheds twice as much when I take him to a more humid climate. It's just all about being hot. The food you're feeding him can help or worsen the shedding. I feed each of my dogs the high energy blend from Nutro Natural Choice, and I've noticed that they each shed a little less.

I also bought one of the grooming blades at Petsmart (not really a blade, just a metal comb with large and small teeth; I think it was around $10). My Lab HATES to be brushed, but he absolutely loves this grooming blade. I brush him nearly every day, and this has cut down on the amount of hair he sheds around the house. Try brushing your Lab every day or so, and you should notice less shedding. Good luck! :)

Answer 3

the answer above is half right. food (dry or wet) effects a dogs coat A LOT! make sure to feed a high quality dog food, righ in omega oils (3 and 6).

omega oils and other fatty acids help add strength and shine to your dog's coat. at the same time, fillers like wheat, corn, and soy harm the dog's skin and coat, and are also likely to cause food allergies.

I highly recommend feeding CANIDAE Dog Food. They have an excellent dry food that has done wonders for my dog's skin (no more hot spots or bald spots!). They have kibble, cans, and biscuits that match each other (ex: all chicken & rice, or all lamb & rice), so if you only want to feed one meat source, you can do so.

go to http://www.canidae.com to learn more, and to see where you can buy it in your area. It's the best food out there, and it's not as expensive as some of the other crap like Pro Plan or Nutro that claims to be "good" for your dog, but really has bad things like corn and soy inside...

hope this helps. enjoy!

Answer 4

Wel, most dogs shed once a year to get rid of there winter coat. This could be what is happening. If hos shedding goes on for a prolonged amount of time it may be because of a poor nutrisous level in the dogs food. If this happens try to get a better dog food. If this still is a problem talk to your vet.

Answer 5

Bald spots are probably from it chewing or rubbing fleas...Advantage or Frontline will help that. Many Labs develop "hot spots", which is a localized skin irritation, during the summer either from dry skin or some allergic reaction to parasites that only show up in warm weather. A low dose of Benadril daily will help with that.

If it persists vets will also give the dog steroids to help it fight the infection.

Answer 6

If you're feeding your dog dry food exclusively it can loosen the fur for lack of water and it can fall out. Also, the food a dog eats reflects on the coat is produces. Dry dog food makes for dry skin and itching, wet food promotes natural skin oils. Try canned food for a couple of weeks. But it might be something else like mange or a skin condition. Better consult a vet website.

Answer 7

Mine sheds his coat all summer ... it seems as though I get a whole dog of hair every week ... But if they are not balding and trying to de-coat them selves it isn't a big deal ... You can brush them every day ... This makes them much more comfortable and will help with keep the hair from getting all over ...Also a nervis dog will shed as a defense mechanism

Answer 8

Do you mean shedding his coat.
Labs may be the hairiest creatures on the planet.They shed year round and all the time.
Brush him and feed a high quality dog food and that is the best you are going to do,
Most likely the amount of shedding is normal for your dog.

Answer 9

It's normal. I had two dogs that were like that. I personally use a combination of a flea comb and cat shed blade (like this one: http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441780645&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302025565&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023690&bmUID=1154369034266&itemNo=14&Nao=12&In=Cat&N=2025565&Ne=2 )
and brushed my dog out.

I used the flea comb to get rid of most of the shed. It "grabs" the shed. Then I follow up with the cat shed blade to loosen up the loose fur. (It will take a while). I follow up with the flea comb.

Or, you could try a product called ShedEnder: http://www.shop.com/op/~SHEDENDER-prod-26096266?xit_recom=1

I've heard it works. However, I have not personally tried it.

If the shedding gets worse, it could be a sign of poor nutrition or disease. In that case, I would take your dog to the vet.

Answer 10

First of all, it's summer. Dogs are supposed to shed in the summer.
Also, it may be the type of food he's eating. Did you switch it lately?
Go to the vet- it's better not to take chances.