Sheds like crazy

[luzmery928]

My dos has been sheding like crazy. I've been reading on the forums and notice that maybe by dog sheds more than is normal. The first days we had him he did not shed too much but now it's like we have a pomeranian or another one of those dogs that sheds alot. Should I be concerned or do some B's shed more than others?

[WBL]

Shedding a lot can be many things from weather, enviroment, food, stress.

Couple of questions is how long have you had him? Has anything in the house changed to make him stress? And what type of food are you feeding?

[luzmery928]

We've had him for almost 2 months..Well we've tried alpo (yuke I know) and now we were using purina but someone told us that it was pretty much junk so now I'm gonna try wellchoice especially since I used Iams for the dry food (no more now since the recall). And as far as stress, we're trying to train him. So this shedding is not normal?

[YodelDogs]

It is not unusual for Basenjis to shed a bit more than usual in the springtime. We have had unseasonably warm weather in my area (70's) and my dogs have started the spring shed. What I do is put one in the bathtub, lather it up real good with a mild dog shampoo, and then scrub very gently in circular motions with a zoom groom or rubber horse curry. The zoom or curry will really pull any dead hairs out and then rinse extra well. Repeat the process in a couple weeks or so and that should take care of the biggest part of the problem, assuming of course, that it is not health or diet related.

[BDawg]

Miles, our new rescue is the same way. He's shedding like a mad fool. Lexi almost does not shed at all. And here Miles is all over the couch and the blankets. It's really annoying. The good news is that he LOVES to be vacuumed. Odd, I know. But seriously, I will vacuum him all day long if it saves my couch!!

[luzmery928]

hmmm vacuum..O.k I don't have a vacuum since we have wood floors but we do have that hand held hoover..Thanks

[tanza]

Basenji do shed and some more then others, also spayed & neutered seem to get a heavier coat and shed more… however usually it is only once a year... that they will blow coat... Also a low thyroid can cause poor coats and heavy shedding.
Regarding the recall, no dry food was recalled and the wet was only the type that is chunky... but also, I would stay away from all food with corn.. it is just a filler and many dogs, especially Basenjis have allergies to corn. If you think about it, corn is used for farm animals, cow especially to promote body heat... we used to use it a lot on our horses in the dead of winter (when I lived by East)... it is a heat generator.
Before we figured out that my one bitch, Kristii had a very bad allergy to corn, her body to the touch was always way hotter then my other Basenjis... not a fever, just the skin to the touch was much warmer... once we got her off the corn, her body to the touch was the same as the rest...
Try a good quality food like California Natural, Canidea, etc....or any of the ones that do not have corn or beet pulp....

[luzmery928]

yes already have switched..wow I had noticed my dogs temperture to be very warm. Thanks for the info

[ChristyRutherford]

What are the signs of a low thyroid?

My skinny guy has bad skin, sheds alot and cant keep weight on him. I have always attributed the shedding to "blowing coat" but he started early this year. I doubt that this (thyroid) is it, for Squiggy, but I would rather check and not worry.

With his shedding, I love the shed brushes that look like a metal loop. This really seems to help and he loves all the attention.

*he is on a high fat puppy food (pro-pak, I think) and it 4yo

[lvoss]

Bad skin, poor coat and either too much or too little weight can all be signs of hypothyroidism.

[ChristyRutherford]

@lvoss:

Bad skin, poor coat and either too much or too little weight can all be signs of hypothyroidism.

I called my vet and I have a standing apt to bring him in when I have 20 min for them to run a T4.
I will keep you updated.
His urine tests fine.
I would just love for him to not show his hip bones. He loves to go to the dog park, I just hate the looks I get when I take him and he calms down enough for someone to see him (he is normally running laps around the place):)
He acts just fine…Full of energy and outlasts my moms 1yo basenji.

[lvoss]

An in house T4 test is not enough though it is all most vets recommend. I would highly recommend having a full thyroid panel run. Here is a link to a website with an article and one lab you can send the sample to. Another lab that runs full thyroid panels is the University of Michigan. It is really important that you run more than just an in house T4 test.

http://www.apubasenjis.com/bhealth.html

[Quercus]

@lvoss:

An in house T4 test is not enough though it is all most vets recommend. I would highly recommend having a full thyroid panel run. Here is a link to a website with an article and one lab you can send the sample to. Another lab that runs full thyroid panels is the University of Michigan. It is really important that you run more than just an in house T4 test.

http://www.apubasenjis.com/bhealth.html

Actually, it is Michigan State University Sensitive subject in my part of the world

[lvoss]

I stand corrected.

[nomrbddgs]

Hip bones are not always a bad thing, most dogs are overweight! My Shadow is pudgy, but Sugar is high energy and always running. I don't like the skinny - you're starving your dog-look either, but that's the way she is. She weighs 18 lbs, but she eats more than my 60 lb Boxer and 50 lb heeler!!

[hdterry]

You might want to try some Flaxseed oil. You take one capsule and poke a few holes with a pin and squeeze it on to the food and then put the empty capsule in as well. It helps with the "blow out". When I adopted my Jojo from BRAT it was a stress and the BRAT coordinator suggested this and I have been doing it once a day everyday for about 3 weeks and her coat is better.

[ChristyRutherford]

The T4 is 1.5.
And reccomends soloxine.
I will check into doing th full pannel. Here I think they send it off to Purdue University (I think).
But I will check into it. Thanks for the information.

[Merriwyth]

Hi, I'm new and came across this forum while searching for reasons my basenji is shedding like crazy. She's always shed a bit and as she's gotten older (she's 13 now) it seems to get worse and worse. This year it seems exceptionally bad though perhaps it just seems so because I have a new, dark brown chenille couch. :p

I'm glad to read the constructive suggestions in this thread. A few years back on a different forum I had asked the same question and had been told my basenji could not possibly be purebred if she was shedding so much. She may be a pet but I have extensive paperwork proving her lineage and her parents and siblings have been excellent show dogs I was, understandably, rather taken aback with those accusations.

My vet has been concerned with thyroid levels in Tano (my dog) due to discoloration on her tummy. Tests show she's normal though. Since the discoloration tends to show up in the summer and fade in the winter I suspect it may have more to do with her sunbathing.

Another suggestion made to me is that it has something to do with the protein levels in her food. Over the years we've tried different foods and that doesn't seem to make a great deal of difference (she's on Nutro Senior now which I hope is good food since she loves it and processes it well enough).

Anyway, thank you again for posting up good suggestions!

[Quercus]

Merriwyth,

Who is Tano's breeder?

And, I would make sure the vet did a full thyroid panel…amazingly, not all do. Her symptoms, the hair loss, and the small seizures are definitely in line with a low thyroid.

And shame on those other folks for implying a shedding basenji isn't purebred!!! That is silly. They definitely shed, just not as much as "normal" dog and seasonally, the can shed A LOT!

Welcome to the forum...I grew up in Seattle..and two of our basenjis are from a breeder there

[Merriwyth]

Hi Quercus!

Tano's breeder was Maripat Webber of Etukon. I believe both her siblings went on to be show dogs. Tano took after her mom as far as coloring…being the only red and white of the litter. ^_^

I'll push up Tano's appointment for her physical and request the full thyroid thing. If this is all related to thyroid I definitely want to get it looked into asap! Thank you for pointing out that it could all be related!

She really develops a thick woolly undercoat in the fall/winter. You'd think the house wasn't near 70 degrees all winter! If her hair was a little longer I could possibly clean it up and felt with it--she sheds that much!