Is my Shiba Inu's heavy winter shedding from hind legs normal?

Hi there. As long as Peter doesn't have bald spots, excessive itching, or other signs of an underlying skin problem, this sounds like normal shedding for a double-coated breed :) These breeds shed an enormous amount of hair in the spring and early summer to prepare for the warmer weather. Having him bathed and blown dry with a forced air dryer should help remove a lot of the loose or dead undercoat to cut down on the shedding for the next few weeks, so you could schedule this with a groomer if you want to.

Hello, it looks like Lucky may be shedding his winter coat since it is starting to warm up. If he does have an active skin condition however, look for any sings of itchiness, anxiety, further hair loss, red skin, and scabs. Dogs with skin allergies may also bite and chew at their feet constantly, and environmental allergies are common during this time of the year. If you note any of these, then have lucky seen by his veterinarian as he may need medications. Please also make sure that he has monthly flea and tick control as fleas can also cause severe itchiness and hair loss, especially around his lower back, legs and belly. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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!

I'm wondering if Mugen is simply 'blowing his coat'. Basically the entire hair coat will shed out. Some dogs do this on a regular basis. Some only do it every once in a while. I would recommend to monitor him for any lesions on the skin, itching, bald patches and basically anything that looks like disease. Dogs will typically blow their coats for a couple weeks then it stops. If something seems questionable, head to the vet. Hope this helps!

All dogs start their seasonal shed at different times. If the hair and skin underneath looks normal then I am less worried. However, if there are bald spots, crusting, red skin, or itchiness then Woody should be seen by your veterinarian. With his breed I imagine he has some major thick fur to shed at this time of year. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Well this could be Mocha's winter coat shedding, and when my Chow sheds heading into summer, I can get big chunks out as well. Without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain if it's normal or not, so I'd have her checked out by a vet to be safe. Best of luck.

If his skin appears normal otherwise and he is over-all normal, then I would not be worried. I'm not sure if something about the weather this year is different? If his fur does not regrow normally, then get him in for endocrine testing. I hope this helps!