Although domestication has changed many automatic behaviors in pets, it hasn’t quite gotten rid of the hair problem. Spring and fall, many pet owners find themselves wading through a river of fur as old coats call out and new ones grow in.
My parents joke that their long-haired chow mix Becca leaves tumbleweeds of shedded hair in the hallways. Shedding can be a much bigger hassle with a pet with long hair! But it’s no picnic with short haired dogs like Moose and Lally, either.
Moose tends to shed all year… at least a little. It gets more noticeable in the fall (when his summer coat comes out and his winter coat comes in) and in the spring (when the reverse happens), but there’s always some Moose hair coming off in my hand when I pet him.
Lally is the one who goes through a more dramatic shed. I can see it starting — near the base of her tail, she gets little loose tufts of undercoat. I can’t help plucking them out when I see them; Lally hates it. Slowly, the tufts move up her body, onto her hips and sides. It takes at least a month (sometimes longer) for the transition between coats.
So what can you do to make shedding season a little easier?
- Brush your pet more frequently — even daily, if they will tolerate it.
- If the air is dry — especially from running the heaters — be sure to run a humidifier. That loose hair can create a lot of static electricity!
- A bath with lots of scrubbing can help get a lot of that undercoat off. The downside of a bath is that you’re going to be cleaning big hairballs out of the tub afterwards.
- Shedding time can also be a time of itchy skin. Try a vitamin E supplement in your pet’s food to help keep their skin hydrated. Try an oatmeal shampoo for dogs with dry skin problems.