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

Crate for an indoor dog kennel. When to get one?

Crates or transport boxes provide your pet with safety and comfort not only during car journeys. You can see them more and more often in households with dogs. What can be the reasons for buying a crate for a dog living in a flat? What doesn't belong...

International Homeless Animal Day in August

Recent estimates indicate that every third dog in the world is homeless. Some estimates go even further and state that it's half of all dogs. It is a relatively high number but the situation varies in different continents. This is one of the reasons...

Wet fur care, as advised by Klára Miketová

Summer is a time of joy. The warm weather encourages trips and having fun in the water. However, summer may not be as great for our dogs as it may seem. We fur may sometimes do more harm than good. How to take care of wet fur and how to prevent any...

Cat scratching

Cats scratch, everybody knows that. But have you ever wondered why that is? If you have a feline companion at home, you might have thought it would be a good idea to break her habit of scratching. Especially if your cat has ruined your furniture with...

The ideal dog summer

Some love it, some hardly tolerate it. We are, of course, talking about summer and the hot weather that comes with it. Hot weather can become rather unpleasant for our canine companions. While cats usually tolerate heat without any major problems,...

Tips and recommendations: Preventing tick bites

Pet owners know that summer doesn't only bring warmth, sunshine and late sunsets. It's also the time of ticks, who know how to torment our four-legged friends. Unfortunately, it's very difficult, or even almost impossible, to prevent our pet from...

Pet grooming: When (not)to clip your dog's hair

The summer season calls for hair cuts. And not only yours but also your pets'. But a shorter coat doesn't always mean lower body temperature. On the contrary, sometimes it could be the other way round. How and when to clip our four-legged friends'...