Why is my dog shedding so much? Is this normal or a problem?

Shedding fur, even seemingly large amounts, is completely normal for most dogs. If your dog has never shed like this in the past, or if she is losing so much fur she is having bald patches, then I would be concerned. Poor hair growth and cost condition can be due to poor nutrition/diet or an underlying medical condition like hypothyroidism. If you feel like the amount Soska is shedding is abnormal I would recommend a visit to your veterinarian to have her examined and possibly to have blood work performed. In the meantime you can supplement her diet with some fish oil (specifically omega 3 fatty acids) and see if that helps her coat. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

Dogs typically have a heavy shed in the spring and fall, but they do lose hair all year. Brushing daily to remove the dead hair helps, and giving a fatty acid supplement for the skin and coat will reduce the shedding. This is normal unless you are seeing bald spots or Rex is chewing off the hair. During times of stress they often shed more, like going to the veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Yes, this is a very normal thing for Huskies to do! This is called "blowing their coat", and it can take up to 6 weeks for them to shed their undercoat. As I'm sure you are aware, Huskies have a very thick coat of fur, and they typically shed this undercoat as the weather gets warmer to help them better regulate their temperature. It can seem like a huge amount of fur, but it is normal. As long as Bowie is otherwise acting normally (eating, drinking, urinating and defecating normally) and he is not getting any bald spots, he is likely just blowing his coat. You may have to brush him fairly regularly during this time to facilitate this shedding. I hope this is helpful!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Shedding is completely normal, especially as the temperature gets warmer. What would be abnormal is if you are seeing bald spots of skin on your cats, especially if it the skin is pink/red or dry and crusting. This could indicate a skin infection or allergies. I hope this is helpful!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lily Cruz! Is Lily scratching? I would have her seen by your Vet. The most common causes of excessive shedding and areas of balding are: demodex (non-contagious mite), ring worm and a skin infection. Demodex can be easily treated with one of the oral flea/tick preventatives (Nexgard, Simparica or Bravecto). Skin infections are treat with antibiotics or anti-fungals if it is yeast. Ring worm can be a bit more complicated. I do not think it is normal shedding because she shouldn't have areas that are thin or balding. I wish you the best!

It sounds like Garry may be shedding due to seasonal changes which is perfectly normal. I find that the best way to combat seasonal shedding is daily brushing - you may want to look into using an undercoat brush if his coat is very thick. If he is shedding so much that you can see bare spots, if his skin seems irritated, or if his coat is dull I would recommend seeing your veterinarian to make sure he doesn't have a skin condition or parasites.

I understand how excessive shedding can be difficult to manage! Different breeds inherently have differences in their hair coats and can experience different degrees of shedding. Springtime is generally the time of year where dogs shed the heaviest, as they are ridding themselves of the additional hair grown to stay warmer through the winter months. Other factors, such as stress or endocrine/metabolic diseases (such as hypothyroidism or Cushing's disease) can also cause excessive shedding. However, at 1 year old, Popcorn is quite young to have developed these conditions. Last spring, Popcorn likely would have still had his more downy puppy coat and would have been less prone to a heavy degree of shedding. To more effectively manage shedding around the house, try to bathe Popcorn every 1-2 weeks and brush him daily. Some shedding tools, such as shedding blades or Furminators, can be helpful to remove excess undercoat, but use caution with these tools as they can cause bald areas or skin irritation if used too vigorously! I hope this helps! :-)