Concern about you pet hair fall?

Dog hair shedding is a big concern for each and every pet parent.  Be it a Pug or German Shepherd breed, hair falling wreaks havoc!  It’s a general conception that long haired dogs are more prone to hair loss while short haired dogs do not loss hair.  To a certain extent hair loss is only but natural. Hair shedding is a common feature in dogs and they naturally shed hair in order to grow a new coat but excessive and throughout-the-year-round shedding might have underlying causes to it.  Hair shedding can affect any breed of dog.  Let us examine the below causes and the prevention of excessive hair loss:

1. Deworming: Worms naturally thrive in the intestines of all dogs.  Hence, an appropriate deworming schedule is a must for every dog. Read more about deworming.

2. Seasonal: Hair loss happens during the change in season, such as winter to summer or summer to winter.  Such hair shedding can be minimized by regular combing and getting the loose hair out thereby activating the hair follicle and allowing new hair to grow.
3. Nutritional: Dog and human nutritional requirements are quite different.  Feeding a human diet to dog leads to nutritional deficiency and thereby stress in the body manifesting itself in the form of hair shedding.  Feeding dogs a good quality dog food, supplementing with Omega products will control hair loss.  A few supplements are Beaphar Salmon Oil, Petcare Nutricoat Advance, Himalaya Fur glow plus and Venky’s Gossly coat.  You may use Pedigree Professional Range food, Royal Canin Dog food, Hill’s Science Plan Diet depending on your budget.
4. Infection: Fungal, Mange or bacterial infections also cause patchy to generalized hair loss that is accompanied with redness of the skin and inflammation.  Tick or flea infestation also causes alopecia.
5. Hormonal: Adrenal glands produce excessive levels of steroids in the dog’s body causing symmetrical hair loss.  Also low thyroid levels, increased levels of estrogen, low levels of female hormone secretion, and testosterone-related hair loss also causes shedding.

Treatment may also include topical shampoos, ointments and antibiotics.  Pet parent must monitor the dog’s skin to ensure it does not become infected.  If the above all points are adhered to but still shedding persists, medical intervention is advised.  A deshedding tool comes handy to remove the dead loose hair and having detangled coat.