Question re Labrador shedding

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Originally Posted by Laooda

Hahahaha! What a doll... :oops:

Have you seen the "fuminator"??? I used it on my cats... you wouldn't believe what it got off of them! :O
http://www.furminator.com/

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Ditto that I have one and :O I just love it. The best tool out there, well worth the money!

Not sure about the weather up in Ohio, but down here in Texas my husky has already undergone shedding his winter undercoat. How's Bella's undercoat right now? I've seen a lot of labs at work that are dropping their undercoat like mad. The furminator is really great for it. My only disclaimer for it is to be very careful around thin areas of fur, as it really has a sharp blade on it that can scratch the skin. The furminator company also makes a shedding shampoo, conditioner, and also treats... but you've got me on whether they work or not. Seems like anything with Omega 3 fatty acids, fish oils, and brewers yeast are said to help reduce excessive shedding. You can get them in pill form, treat form, or special skin formula dog foods. I'm willing to bet that it's just a bad shedding time of year, and hopefully it will calm down some in the weeks to come. Good luck!

If the furminator is too harsh for her coat, looking for the shedding blades that resember a horse's curry comb. Flexible metal loop, with dull teeth. I've used it on Dobies, Weims, and similar slick-coated breeds with great success.

I'll also add a second vote for the Dyson. We have one (bought it refurbished on Amazon.com for much less than store price) and love it. It's a wonderfully well-designed tool.

Just use a good shampoo, no funky oils and additives, since you're washing it off anyway. Tearless ones make it safer and more relaxing. I've seen so many folks go out and buy expenisve specialty shampoos, and they usually do a lousy job at getting them clean.
Don't wash more than once a week. Every other week is normally just right, at least for my dogs.

The furminator is a GREAT tool. I would recommend the furminator and a rubber curry, not a metal one. Rubber curries you can use more often and to a better effect than a metal curry as even though the teeth are dull the curry is still metal and not flexible. Here are some examples: http://www.horse.com/products/sku-BJI17.html

Or a rubber grooming mit:
http://www.statelinetack.com/itemdy0...LT055258%20HGR
Regarding diet, often time what people think is a quality diet really isn't :) Not trying to say you don't feed a quality diet but most commercial/processed foods do not have adequate amounts or correct types of omega 3s and 6s, among other issues.

Also, a dog must have vitamin E to process omega fatty acids. A processed food may have salmon oil in it but the cooking process still renders it less quality/effective than just giving it in liquid or capsule form. Always supplement with Vit. E as the dog will use up its own store of vit E to process omegas and so that amount of omegas that are utilized are directly linked to how much vit. E the dog has/produces in its system. One 400 I.U capsule of real vit E (D Alpha tocopherol, NOT dl-alpha tocopherol acetate) with 1 gram of salmon oil per 10-20 pounds of dog (your decision, I use 1 gram/1000mg per 10 pounds but my dogs are raw fed)

You can get salmon or fish oil capsules at wal-mart or costco/sams club to supplement, and either cut open the capsules and squeeze onto the food or feed the capsules to the dog in their food or with a light coating of canned food etc most dogs eat em up like candy. Salmon/fish oil takes a few weeks to show big results but is very very very worth it.

Also, climate plays a huge role in the amount a dog sheds. If you have a dog that is anything but short coated (labs are medium coat/double coated) in a warm climate then your dog will shed. A LOT. Dogs go through cycles based on winter and summer, but if you do not have cold weather the coat the dog naturally grows in for winter just gets shed out sporradically. Taking the dog outside and using the furminator/rubber curry (I use the curry first, them the furminator) and brush once a day plus some salmon/fish oil and vit e and you should see a difference shortly.

I also have a yellow lab that sheds a dog and a half a day. We take her to the groomer and get her the " shedding" bath which really cuts down on the hair on the floor and couch....

I have two big german shepherds that shed alot. The best thing that I have foiund to do is to actually vacuum the dog. Any hair that is loose and going to fall will get sucked also the my dogs love it

I went a-googling (when don't I :rofl:) and found this link. What do you all think of the info in it?

I about fell off my computer chair laughing at the cartoon!

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/grooming.html

They do say that the heavy coat keeps the dog cool, and IMHO that's pure BS. The link to why you shouldn't shave your dog, also BS.
When I see folks running around in 100F weather with their winter coats on to "insulate them from the heat" then I'll start believing that the dogs that are no longer panting and drooling and acting misrable after being shaved are just lying and are not cooler.

we had a 1 yr old lab too, yellow male, named Bo... he shedded alot too. I brushed him every 2-3 days, he ate good food, & water dish 24/7. Lots of love too... Bo thought he was a lap dog, actually thought he was a HUMAN! I will have to find pictures of him, we had to give him away.. he had major issues with chewing, & eating things. It was making him sick. we miss him....