How to Mitigate Shedding in Spring and Other Tips for Taking Care of Your Pet’s Fur

The days are getting warmer and our dogs and cat starts to shed. This has a negative impact on your household with all the hair. Have you found a way to reduce the contamination with hair at least a bit and speed up the process of shedding?  

Pets start to change winter fur for summer fur. Hair is everywhere at home, there are balls of hair in the corners of rooms and under furniture and it starts to get out of our control even though we clean our homes every day, the consumption of pet hair removers increases and it is almost impossible to wear black clothes. All of you definitely know that. Let’s look at some tips how to mitigate shedding.

Of course, everything starts with quality and balanced diet. Without necessary nutrients, your pet neither its fur will do well. Food should be easily digestible, i.e. grain-free, with the largest proportion of meat in a perfect case. Skin health and fur quality and shine may be supported by food supplements. Salmon oil is great for this purpose, for example. A good choice is also zinc or biotin.

We also shouldn’t forget about regular and suitable care. Comb your companions regularly. It is particularly important for dogs living in flats that often shed during the whole year. Combing also helps with spreading sebum on the fur which partially reduces its falling out. At the time of shedding, combing might be necessary every day.

Always use quality products designed especially for dogs or cats and choose the right comb carefully on the basis of the type of fur. If you choose a wrong one, you might harm the undercoat or fur structure. A keeper or a pet shop worker might help you with the decision. Generally, it can be said that for coarse hair, hoof knives are suitable, and for soft hair, a brush glove is suitable. Rather use a deshedding comb for long-haired dogs and a pin brush for short-haired dogs. Soft brushes from natural fibres and combs are suitable for cats, some types of fur only need suede cloth.

You may bath the dog at the end of the period of shedding, the dead hair will stay in the bath and it will make combing easier. However, do not bath it too often, it might adversely influence the fur quality and its self-cleaning ability.

Sufficient drinking is also very important. Dried skin leads to increased shedding. An adult dog should drink about 45 ml of water for 1 kilogram of its weight. When under load, doing sports or in hot weather, it should be more, of course.

If you pay more attention to your pet’s fur in this period, you’ll often comb them and help it with food supplements besides quality dog food, it doesn’t only help your household and clothes, you can also shorten the whole process of coat renewal.

Related articles

Dogs and cats of the world III: Dogs in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka – a holiday paradise in south-eastern Asia, the promised land for travellers. It is no problem to communicate here in English, the prices are relatively low, the locals are poor, but friendly… However, to dog lovers, apart from the fairy-tale...

Cuddling with cats can be healing as well

A pet brings joy, that’s what everybody who lives with one in a joint household knows. With its playfulness and unconditional love, it often distracts us from stressful thoughts and duties. It teaches us to live here and now, to concentrate on the...

Dog history IV: Bobbie

In this series, we will get to know famous dog personalities. Dogs, after all, play an important role in our life, so let us take a look what have they already managed to achieve during the time of us living together. Bobbie walked an incredible 4000...

Cat records

Same as with dog record holders, we will find many cat records as well. For example, do you know, what is the record in the number of cats living under one roof? 

Dog records

Are you interested in how big the tallest dog is, how small is the smallest one or perhaps how many balls a dog managed to stuff in its mouth? Among the typical records such as age or size, we will find also a few more peculiar ones, so let us have a...

The mystery of cat’s purring

Everyone, who has a cat at home, is definitely aware of its beneficial influence. When you are down or worried, nothing beats a purring ball of fur settled on your lap or a cat which massages you with its small claws. However, did you know, that...

Cat trees and scratching posts

It is clear to every cat owner, that a fluffy needs its own place where it will feel safe, where it can laze about, play, scratch and climb. Not every cat will like a scratching post or a tree, but if your cat belongs among those who love it, the...