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My dog is shedding a lot of undercoat, is it normal or a concern?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 1 year old | 59 lbs

Soska’s hair of the under coat is shedding to much i never seen her like that before it is grey hair and so light the under coat hair from inside when i move my hand rapidly on her body it flies and fall to many from it. Iam worried please help

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 30th, 2017

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!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner
Published on September 12th, 2017
I'm not sure I have the answer for you, but it looks like the fur that is left has a reasonable about of undercoat in it, so I suspect that it is fairly thick. When that happens with my dog (who has a rough coat), I usually can get it by combing him backwards (from tail to head) or at an angle with the furminator. A moisturing conditioner may help, but often the coarseness of the coat is just normal for them. The only other thing to check is that her skin looks normal in those areas, and have your vet check it out if anything looks abnormal.
I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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