Help.....shedding problem........

[BaBy ThE PiT]

i bathe my 8 month about once a week, but i recently just saw a response to another thread that u should only bathe ur dog once a month. just needed some imput because since the day i got my dog i give her a bath once a week. she seems to be shedding a lot near her eyes. for sintance if i use my finger to get the mucus out of her eyes i would see a lot of hair on my finger after the swipe. could this be from over bathing her? she has a nice shiny coat. im just worried about the shedding near her eyes.....any imput would be greatly appreciated

[miakoda]

Could be a nutritional issue. What kind of food do you feed her?

[BaBy ThE PiT]

usually she gets chicken or beef that has been boiled. i'm chinese and my mom be forever making soup. so everytime she makes a new batch of soup she gives the meats to my dog "baby". she gets meat 3 outta the 7 days in the week. the other 4 days she gets "OL' ROY" dog food. i'm pretty sure its a cheap brand..........sometimes i get jealous when she gets to eat all that meat and i'm stuck with rice and veggies. LOL.

[lockjaw]

you need to use a food with omega 3 and 6...and certain times of the year they shed..but bathing once a week is the worst..your removing a lot of skin oil they need..also some shampoos may cause problems..nuetral is best.

[miakoda]

Ole Roy is probably the worst brand of dog food out there. It's absolutely nothing but fillers & offers little to no nutritional value whatsoever. We have seen countless dogs with skin issues, many severe along w/chronic ear infections & eye infections, due to eating this kind of garbage. She REALLY needs to be ona much higher quality dog food--one that will meet all her nutritional needs & has the essential oils to help maintain a healthy skin/coat. And although a quality dog food will cost you much more per bag of dog food than Ole Roy, it will SAVE you (or your mom) sooooo much more in the long run as a) the dog will have to eat less to acquire it's daily nutritional/caloric needs & b) money will be saved in vet bills as the dog won't be battling chronic skin issues/infections as well as eye & ear infections.

[BaBy ThE PiT]

good looks on the fast replies guys. i bath her once a week cause she usually sleeps in my bed. but i will definately cut down on the bathing. imma go check what the ingredients are in that cheap dog food. thanks for the input LOCK.

[BaBy ThE PiT]

no wonder why they have "ole roy" at fricken wal-mart! i just checked and it didnt have omega 3 or 6. whats a good brand that u guys recommend for my pup. she's 8 months old and weighs about 55 lbs. i feel bad for giving her that crap doggy food now. its a negative to her diet. i guess the good thing is she hasnt been eating that crap for more then 3-4 days a week. but after i'm done with the last of the "OLE roy". i'm definately gonna get her the good stuff. so what brand do u guys feed your dogs?

[miakoda]

Some of the best dog foods include (in no particular order):
Canidae
Wellness
Nature's Variety
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance
Timberwolf
Merrick

There are also a small handful of others that I may have left off the list. Your dog's nutrition is the most important thing to him.

I want to add that just about all, or actually all, the dog foods you can buy from your local grocery store are junk. They will cause more harm to your dog by feeding them. Try to find a local feed store or even a smaller pet supply store that carries the above mentioned brands. If there is nothing near you, then check out the websites for these foods as many offer low cost shipping & hey, who wouldn't like their dog food to be delivered right to the front door.

[BaBy ThE PiT]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Stillwater]

Canidae

This by far is the BEST food I have used.

I feed diamond and river run for maintance and Canidae during Hunting and Show season, to the dogs that are particapating.
I add brewers yeast w/garlic to thier food everyday and thier coats are alway shiny and healthy.
Cod liver oil and wheat germ oil is also a good supplement that is inexpensive.
Super 14 is the best in my opinion of repair dry flaky coat.

If you add oil be sure not to give to much as it will give them the shitz.

NEVER give a dog any kind of ham fat or ham grease, cause the salts will lock thier pancreuos up.

[BaBy ThE PiT]

wish my mom didnt buy a 50lb bag of dat cheap shit...........but after i get through that bag, i'm start buying some of the suggested brands that u guys have informed me about. i never give my dog anything fatty. she eats pretty good most the time. boiled chicken/beef 3 times a week. my pup weighs about 55lbs and is about 8 months old. i feed her a total of 5-6 cups of dog food when she isnt getting chicken or beef. is that too much? and also i keep hearing a lot about cod liver oil. does it improve their coat? or just overall nutrition?

[miakoda]

To answer your question, yes 5-6 cups of food is a lot. HOWEVER, the food she is eating is so poor in terms of nutritional quality that it takes that amount just to somewhat meet her daily needs (but as you can tell, they are all not getting met). Also, I'm sure you notice that she poops a lot. These are all things that will change once you switch to a better quality food: she will eat less, meet all her daily nutritional needs, look great, & popp less (less to pick up ;) )

[Rocky H. Balboa]

Here is a possible solution to your shedding and flaking problem (if you have a flaking problem that is).

Buy Omega 3 supplements and give them to your dog. Preferably, those made from fish oil. There are some brands that include other types of oils that are beneficial to any living being. Do they need to be made specially for dogs? No, a supplement is a supplement. The only thing you need to pay attention when purchasing these type of products are serving size and ingredients.

Regarding feed, if you cannot convert to a BARF (Bones and Raw Food) diet, I suggest testing some of the better quality foods in the market. One way to quickly assess the feed is to look for the "AARFCO" (not sure if these are the correct letters) certification that the feed is "complete". Dog foods that do not have this certification must be supplemented in order to balance your pet's diet.

[SouthernDixie]

What type of shampoo are you using also? Make sure to use a shampoo specifically for dogs - and typically one that helps preserve the natural skin oils. I use Kenec's Emu Oil Shampoo and have seen great results in the coat.

[ameribulldog2003]

I use baby Aveeno bath to bath mine. It removes the dirt without taking the oil in the skin. You just put some in the tub with water, pour it over, them rub it in, pour some more on and towel dry. It works great.
I have to agree with everyone that Ol'Roy is the worst food on the market for your dog. I feed 2 of mine wellness and 2 of mine merricks.

[country boy]

it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out that ol roy is one of the worst foods on the market.Just read the ingredience on any food your about to buy, and make sure its not just fillers and by products.