Shedding

Dog shedding occurs in nearly all dogs and is a natural process of eliminating (shedding) dead hair for a couple of reasons – one, to allow a new coat to come in, and two, for seasonal changes in temperature. There is no such thing as a non-shedding dog, unless you have a completely hairless dog, such as the American Hairless Terrier, however shedding varies greatly from breed to breed. Why this difference between breeds? The answer lies in the growth rate of the hair (3 cycles: anagen, catagen and telogen), which is based on genetics, nutrition and environment.

Dog shedding is a factor for two major reasons for dog owners: allergies and the time it takes to clean up hair that has shed.

Dog shedding is influenced by these three dog coat characteristics:

• Different types of dog coats: hairless, presence of undercoat.
• Different degrees of curl & wave in dog coats: wavy, wirehaired, and straight.
• Different dog coat lengths: short, medium, and long.

“Very light shedders” breeds are usually the breeds that need to be clipped, stripped and/or scissored. One of the reasons for dogs shedding very large quantities of hair is that they may belong to a breed that is “double coated” like for example Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Deutscher Spitz or Pyrenean Mountain Dog. This means they have an undercoat and the top layer of hair sheds more frequently and more profusely than it does with dogs with a normal layer of hair. A common misconception amongst people is that longhaired dogs shed more hair than shorthaired ones. Then there is also the phenomenon of seasonal shedding for some breeds. Certain varieties of dogs shed their winter coats in the spring and if you are the owner of one such breed, you will have to be prepared for large-scale shedding at these times of the year.

In addition to dog coat characteristics, many other factors influence dog shedding:

• Sunlight and temperature: day length triggers growth of a new coat and shedding of the old coat. Outdoor dogs usually shed their thick undercoat in the spring to prepare for warmer weather. Many indoor living dogs experience increased continuous dog shedding and decreased annual dog shedding.
• Health: deworm your dog regularly and treat skin infections properly to maintain healthy skin and coat and decrease shedding.
• Allergies: allergic dogs (fe flea and tick infestation) shed more.
• Nutrition: think about to supplement all nutrients positively influencing skin and coat health: essential vitamins, minerals, amino-acids and fatty acids (omega 6/3).
• Cleanliness; brush your dog regularly and use adapted shampoo (not for humans !).
• Hormones affectign skin and coat health: thyroid hormones, cortisol, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and growth hormone.
• Pregnancy and lactation: deplete calcium, minerals and energy stores so that many dogs shed heavily after the pups are born and are being nursed.

When you have a dog with excessive shedding, think about: skin diseases (Staphylococcus infection, ringworm, allergies (flea, tick and lice)), pyoderma), Cushing’s disease and autoimmune diseases as pemphigus complex, pemphigus vegetans, pemphigus foliaceous, pemphigus erythematosis and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada-like syndrome.

What can you do to reduce shedding?

Grooming is the key. Brushing your dog once a day will greatly reduce the unwanted hair all over your clothes, carpet and furniture, especially during shedding season. Feed a high quality diet and use supplements containing all essential nutrients for optimal skin and coat health (vitamins, minerals, amino acids and omega 6/3 fatty acids).

Summary

Skin and coat health can be helped with supplementation of a complete formulation containing all essential vitamins, minerals, amino-acids and fatty acids. To obtain the best absorption and efficacy of those nutrients, a liquid and complete formulation such as Viyo Elite is the best guarantee. The Akita as a breed would be classed as a double coated heavy shedding breed.