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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

How I Plan to Stop Dog Shedding - ACKKK!


As you may already know from previous posts, I had 2 fur babies before my son Judah was born in March. I have written about them a few times here as well as asked question about how to help with the new baby arrival on the Baby Buzz blog. Well, you'll be glad to know they have made the transition well! They are still living with us! They are used to the baby now and getting used to the new "rules" now that Judah is here.

For example, when it was just us and the dogs we let them sit on the couch and roam free all over the house. Now they spend part of the day outside and the evenings inside contained in the living part of the house - not the bedrooms. They are also not allowed on the furniture any more. This is partially because of the baby and partially because I got sick of vacuuming the couch! My two dogs are Jack Russells and they shed like crazy! I also try to keep the floors clean since Judah and I spend a lot of time there! It gets really nasty looking in no time since I have dark hard wood floors! I vacuum once a week and Swiffer in between.

The shedding has literally made me nuts! When we got our two pups I thought we were making a wise decision - short hair dogs - they can't shed much... right? WRONG! I swear I must sweep up a small dog each week! I have tried using shampoo that says it will stop shedding and I feed my dogs the same good dog food each day. I don't feed them different foods because I know this can make them sick and I buy a descent brand - not the most expensive but not cheap-o either! But, alas, the shedding is still out of control!

What I just found out is that shedding year round is really NOT normal - no matter the breed of your dog. Enter solution: Dinovite. I used their diagnositc website to find out what I could do to stop the shedding and this is what I found out:

Commercial dog food is cooked at extremely high temperatures and this destroys many of the delicate nutrients your dog needs to be healthy. Basically, our pets walk around in a slight state of malnourishment, missing things like delicate vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, beneficial bacteria, essential fatty acids. Excessive shedding, itchy skin and stink are usually signs of a nutritional deficiency.

What can I do about it?
This is what Dinovite recommends for my dog: You dog needs amino acids, fatty acids and zinc to have healthy skin and hair. Coarse brittle hair, excessive hair loss and itchy skin can be signs of a deficiency. Carnoyum (TM) supplies nutrients from highly absorbable sources. Making it easy for your dog to get the amino acids, fatty acids and zinc he needs to be healthy and happy. It’s not a pill, it’s a powder - the consistency of ground pepper or coffee. To help limit the chance of digestive upset they recommend gradually increasing the serving over the course of 12 days. The cost of this supplement is $35.98 for a 90 day supply.

Does your dog scratch, shed, or stink excessively?
Go try the Dinovite Customized Solution for yourself. It will help you pinpoint the problem and find a solution is just a couple minutes - literally!

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13 Comments:

Ariel said...

All dogs shed to a certain degree. You might want to consider switching their food or asking your vet about possible solutions.

Mercedes said...

I would also suggest gtting a FURminator. That has helped with our dog shedding a LOT. But out dogs don't shed because we give them cheap food. They eat human grade premium dog food. They just have an undercoat that they shed for the summer.

Mommycia said...

We are currently going through that with out dog. She suddenly itches all the time and has hair missing all over her belly and legs from scratching. We tried switching foods, so waiting that one out.

We got the FURminator and LOVE it (on our cats anyway). Our dogs hair is too course for it. But our cats love it and I pick up alot less hair everyday now.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe you tossed your dogs outside during the day :( I had 3 children and have always had dogs. We all lived very well together. We have pekingese...i just vacuum the couch instead of throwing my dogs out.

Anonymous said...

Just ordered the FURminator on ebay for $17.95. Thanks for mentioning that in comments!!

It's the wife said...

My dog used to shed terribly also. I started brushing him regularly and that seemed to really help. But, now I just got the FURminator and it works great! Just brushing him helped so much but when I got the FURminator, the shedding almost seemed to stop. I just wish he liked being brushed... Good luck!

Shay S. said...

sorry for typos - using my phone. Oh my goodness! Your couch looks just like mine - same color, too. I got a mit at Wm that has rubber on it. Took it to my beagle sheltie, since she is still shedding her undercoat for summer. wwe had abnother dog! it was under $5 and works well. I also take my rubber broom to my furniture.We try to put blankets under the dogs when on the furniture, too.

Anonymous said...

One thing you might want to find out about is how nutritious your dog's food really is. Just because a dog food is expensive doesn't always mean that it is really good for your dog. If you go to websites like www.petfoodratings.net or www.dogfoodanalysis.com you can see how your dog food compares to other brands. Nature's Variety is a really good brand that has really improved my dog's coat and reduced her shedding. I also started getting a FURmination treatment from our vet when I take her to get groomed which has really helped.

Patricia Taylor said...

Hair-loss, and itchy skin is often a sign of food allergies. One of the culprits in many dog foods is corn. Dogs just seem to be sensitive to it. Check the ingredients on your dog food.

Niki Jolene said...

We have a Jack too and he sheds like a maniac! It was pretty surprising to us because we also have a Shitzu-Bichon mix which basically looks like a dustmop and he doesn't shed at all!

I will be looking into that Furminator soon. Everyone raves about it.

:)

Anonymous said...

Hrm, The furminator is okay and will help proactively remove fur during the shedding season but year-round shedding is NOT normal. I have a small "non-shedding" maltipoo that ITCHED unbelievably until we did just what the dinovite solution guide said: we gave him carnoyum for the nutrients and zinc and lickochops for the fatty-acids. Now he doesn't itch and he really doesn't shed.

JackieG. said...

If you think that vacuuming or "furminating" all the time is a solution, then go for it. I don't find that acceptable. I work and am raising kids and have hobbies....and own two dogs, a chocolate lab and a jack russell. Neither shed all the time. That's crazy. Dogs don't shed "to a degree" all the time. There's something wrong..

I use dinovite (carnoyum) for the past 3 years because my poor kids were always sitting in dog hair on the couch, in the car, on the floor. And my dogs were confined to two rooms. Now I use the omega fish oil that comes with the dinovite too and it has made their fur so shiny.

I hardly remember the shedding. Now they do this simultaneous shed thing two times a year. It's a hard few weeks but I think I'd go crazy if it was all year.

My life is busy and I want to spend my free time wiht my kids and hubby, not furminating, rubber mitting, defurring my couch or floor. It's easier and actually better for my two pups if they get the proper nutrition so they don't shed all the time. We found a good dog food and added the supplement and TA-DA, no more hair. I think it took a few months but it was worth the wait. The JRT itched too, but we have not been to the vet in over 2 years for skin problems! YAY dinovite! I saw they have shampoo now too so I'm going to try it... I can only bathe the lab in the summer outside cuz he is huge

Anonymous said...

When it started to get warmer, Ruckus, my Jack Russel, began to shed terribly. Finally, after furminating and still a horrible shedding problem, I had him shaved. Not bald, of coarse, but "buzzed". He doesn't seem to mind it, he look cute still, and I don't have to vacuum as often. Everyone wins.