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Shedding question

CSutherland

Well-known member
Toward the end of summer Bentley's coat seemed much thinner; in fact, I could faintly see the spotted pigment of his skin through the coat. Winter's now upon us here in Missouri and his coat has really thickened. BUT it seems to me he is shedding more than ever! My house is covered in 2" long white hairs and the filter of my dryer gets so full I could weave a carpet out of the stuff. My question is this: Can the trauma of pain cause more shedding? He had surgery this past Monday for Luxated Patella and had been in quite a bit of pain leading up to that. Prior to the surgery he was also biting at himself, pulling his hair out in little clumps. Now that he has had surgery and is wearing the protective "cone" that keeps him from bothering the incision this biting has stopped. This whole biting, scratching and shedding thing is driving me crazy.
 
Not sure about pain, but I do know that stress does cause dogs to shed more. So he might be stressed out because of the pain, hence the extra shedding.

Oddly, my dog Cadence shed more during spring/fall than in summer or winter. In winter, I swear, he was like a poodle--he barely ever shed. I still can't comment on Lyra though, because 1) it's tropical all year round where I live now, and 2) she's only 7 months old so her coat hasn't really even come in yet, as a result, she barely sheds at all.
 
Can't answer any questions I just wanted to add that my Izzie sheds the most in Autumn / Spring too!
 
Blondiemonster, the shedding has always been a problem--just worse the past few weeks. His surgery was only this past Monday so anesthesia would not be the problem. Someone mentioned a Zoom Groom brush that I'm planning to buy next week. I'm not looking forward to taking him outside to use it, however! It's going to be very cold!
 
On a random side note...now that Lynn mentioned it, I remember losing a ton of hair after I had anesthesia last year. Yes I am human ;) but it did increase the amount from right after up until about 6 months after. Hummm....
 
On a random side note...now that Lynn mentioned it, I remember losing a ton of hair after I had anesthesia last year. Yes I am human ;) but it did increase the amount from right after up until about 6 months after. Hummm....
 
Not sure about pain, but I do know that stress does cause dogs to shed more. So he might be stressed out because of the pain, hence the extra shedding.


This would be my guess, too. Surgery, pain, any change can cause stress. While our son and his wife were living with us for six weeks, with their 55-lb LabraMutt, Sophie started shedding madly. In February. Sophie doesn't like their dog, who was invading her territory *and* larger than she is. Once the kids found their own place and moved out, the shedding stopped.

I know someone who had severe hair loss while going through a divorce. She told me it was from the stress.
 
yes any stress can affect the body and may be the cause of the shedding. However if he is itching and scratching then that sounds like there is something else going on. I presume you have treated for parasites etc?

If so, and it's still happening, then if it were my dog I would be asking the vet to investigate. Also be careful about what you are feeding - foods high in colourings can cause issues.


On a lighter note, my Cavaliers shed just twice a year - the first six months and the second six months :)

A furminator really helps, and/or a Mars coat king, and of course daily grooming, as this removes the loose hair. At least the hair is easy to remove and doesn't stick into things like Labrador hair!
 
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