Help… How Can I Treat Excessive Shedding In My Dog

Does your dog suffer from excessive shedding? Are you tired from constantly vacuuming, trying to keep up on floating hair everywhere? Unfortunately, dog shedding is related to your dog’s health, and you can’t stop it with a magic potion. However, you can treat excessive shedding in dogs by keeping them well groomed and healthy.

Excessive shedding can occur due to a variety of factors which include; anxiety and stress, nutrition, seasons, health, hormones, allergies and other deficiencies.

Let's take a closer look at the causes of dog shedding:

Stress and anxiety are one of the most common reasons that dogs shed. Any change in your home environment can lead a dog to stress-out!

Dogs have physiological responses to changes in their environment, which can cause them to shed excessively.

Hormones like thyroid, testosterone, cortisol, progesterone, estrogen can cause unusual shedding in dogs. The thyroid is one of the most common conditions that make a dogs hair fall out.

Nutrition plays an important role in your dog's overall health. Poor nutrition can be one of the causes of shedding. You have to make sure that your dog is getting a proper diet.

Therefore, it’s very important to check that your dog food has premium ingredients such as; protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

Dogs go through seasonal shedding and this happens twice a year. Spring and fall are the months when seasonal shedding occurs.

In spring dogs shed their winter coat and replace it with a lighter one for summer.

In the fall they shed their summer coat and replace it with a heavy protective coat to get them ready for winter.

Your dog could be losing their hair due to an allergic reaction. Those allergies could be caused by any of the following:

• Food Ingredients
• Medications
• Grooming Products
• Environment
• House Cleaning Products
• Pest Bites

Excessive shedding can be because of health issues in dogs such as ringworm, skin problems, mange or cancer. Skin problems like mange, mites, dermatitis, ringworm, and bacterial or fungal infections can cause hair loss.

There are many ways in which you can treat shedding and itching in dogs.

Here are a few excessive shedding dog remedies:

Brushing your dog regularly with the right brush can help with shedding. Also, brushing regularly can give your pup a cleaner softer coat, untangle matted fur, massage your dog's scalp, keep unwanted hair away from furniture, clothes and other areas where hair is unwanted.

A healthy diet is one of the best ways to treat excessive shedding. Feed your pup the highest quality dog food, which should include proteins, fats and rich nutrients (which are really good for controlling shedding and dry skin problems).

Adding additional supplements like coconut oil, olive oil, fish oil, and flax-seed oil are good to reduce dog shedding problems.

It is so important to keep your dog hydrated. Give your dog plenty of clean fresh water, which will help keep your dogs skin from becoming dry and lead to excessive shedding.

Also consider feeding wet food to your dog, as it contains 78% moisture as compared to 10% for dry food, and it’s a good way to keep your dog well hydrated.

Giving your dog a regular bath will help the loose fur fall out naturally in the tub, instead of everywhere in the house (which is a good thing). Resulting in a clean and healthier coat.

Note: Avoid over bathing, as it can make your dog’s skin dry and lead to shedding.

Every dog breed is different when it comes to a safe bathing schedule. It’s always recommended talking to your veterinarian about the best course of action for you and your pooch.

You can reduce dog shedding by using chemical free products such as; coconut and olive oil. Coconut oil is a natural medication used to help dog shedding and itching.

It also helps to treat skin conditions like eczema, allergies, flea and itchy skin. Coconut oil also helps prevent and treat yeast infections, and can be applied as a medication on cuts and wounds.

Borax powder is excellent and inexpensive for getting rid of fleas in the house, which could be causing your pup to scratch and shed. You just sprinkle the borax on the flea infestation and let it sit for 1 - 2 days. After that, vacuum it up thoroughly!

Note: Borax can be dangerous! Therefore, keep it away from children and pregnant ladies as a small amount of borax if ingested can be so harmful.

Dogs are prone to yeast infections. A yeast infection is an overgrowth of the Malassezia species of yeast which causes a dog to shed lots of hair. Acidophilus pills wrapped in bacon or plain yogurt given as snack will help prevent a yeast infection.

Dogs with sensitive skin are prone to eczema, dandruff and rashes. These conditions can cause itchiness, which can make your dog scratch, chew and lick. 

Not to mention, they are very uncomfortable for your dog and will eventually lead to shedding.

Baby powder can help relieve the discomfort and itching, just sprinkle some baby powder on your dog’s coat.

Herbal teas like chamomile, green, or calendula tea can kill bacteria and yeast. They work as an anti-inflammatory and reduce itchiness and dry skin... Just spray (not drink)  the herbal tea solution on your dog and wait for the results.

***We hope you found this information informative and useful. Let us know in the comments below if you have any tips to add on how to treat excessive shedding in dogs!

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