Best Dog Food for Shedding

What Causes Shedding in Dogs?

Shedding, believe it or not, is a completely natural part of a dog’s life. Humans shed hair as well, but we do not notice it as much. Probably because it does not end up all over the house and furniture like the hair of our pets. But shame, they are not doing it on purpose. In fact, it is a very necessary part of their life.

To understand why shedding is healthy for dogs, we need to revisit the structure of the hairs of a dog’s coat. There are 3 different kinds of hair:

• Bristles, whiskers, vibrissae – different names for the same kind of hair. The rigid, thick, and found around the muzzle, over the eyes, and in other places on the face.
• Guard hair – the top hairs of the coat, also called primary hair and outercoat. Also fairly thick and stiff. 
• Fine hair – the undercoat, also called secondary hairs. Soft, fluffy, sometimes quite silky.

The hair that is shed in a regular and sometimes spectacular way is the undercoat. It happens usually at the turn of the seasons.

So in spring, when winter turns into summer, and in fall (“autumn” to many people…..) when summer turns into winter. The worst is the spring shed because during winter the coat grew thick to protect against the cold.

That produces LOTS of hair.

As you probably know if you are reading this! It is called “blowing” the coat and you will find a lot of complaints about it.

Why does it happen?

Dogs primarily shed in response to the changes in temperature and the amount of sunlight that accompany the change in seasons. This is a built-in mechanism to improve insulation against the cold in winter and to adapt to summer by losing most of it.

Footnote: if you move from the northern hemisphere to the southern or the other way round, your dog may start to shed because it finds itself in a different season.

Some dogs shed only once a year (we will get to the ones who shed once a year because it’s all year!). You would probably like to know which breeds, so here they are:

• Lassie. Oh ok, it’s proper name is the Rough Collie. Note that it is only the spayed female that sheds only once a year. Unspayed females and males shed twice a year.
• Samoyed. Although known to be a heavy shedder, the males shed only once a year, according to some sources. Remember we’re talking frequency here, not volume.
• Alaskan Malamute males shed only once a year, according to some sources, who also say that shedding does not necessarily occur in summer. Other sources just say that the males and the older dogs shed less often as well as less overall. It looks like there could be a lot of individual variation.

And if you think your dog is shedding right through the year, you may be right! Dogs these days spend a lot of their time indoors where there are constant light and temperature conditions. Such dogs may shed continuously, regardless of the season outside. Good old faithfuls like the Golden Retriever will shed continuously throughout the year in any case.

Finally, we call dogs that have both the primary and secondary hairs “double-coated’. Most dogs are double-coated and therefore, shed. However, there are a number of breeds that do not have the undercoat, and they are called “single-coated”.

Does that mean they do not shed?

No, they do. The hair growth cycle is longer so they lose the old hair over the whole of the year, not only seasonally. It is a lot less noticeable because you do not have the silky fluff that sticks to everything…including the fridge, dear.

Single-coated dogs that are low shedders are:

• Bichon Frise
• Curly coated retriever
• Irish water spaniel
• Papillion
• Pekinese
• Pomeranian
• Poodle
• Portuguese water dog
• Schnauzers
• Shih Tzu
• Tibetan Spaniel
• Terriers
• Poodles
• Coton de Tuléar
• Maltese Dogs
• Shih Tzus
• Afghan Hounds
• Komondors
• Basenjis
• Affenpinschers
• Griffons

Shedding can be Caused by Other Factors

Besides the natural seasonal cycle of hair growth and expiry that results in shedding there may also be other reasons why your dog loses hair.

1. Allergies

Allergies – an allergy that causes itching will make the dog scratch itself, and it may become so bad that the hair starts falling out.

Obviously, this is not normal shedding and you must take the dog to the vet to determine what it is allergic to. If it is something in the food, you have a long road ahead to find out what, and adjust its diet accordingly.

It may also be allergic to medications, household cleaner, soap, shampoo, and other household items. Flea and tick bites should be treated by methods other than changing the dog’s food.

2. Sensitivities

Sensitivity – not the same as an allergy.

Dogs with sensitive stomachs may suffer from diarrhea and flatulence.

The coat may not necessarily shed but will look dull and unhealthy.

You have to go through the same exercise in trying to determine what it is sensitive to, and then to eliminate it from the diet.

3. Stress

Stress – just like people, dogs can start losing hair because of stress or anxiety.

The physiological explanation is that the adrenaline released under stress conditions makes the hair of dogs and cats fall out. The mechanism is not quite clear, but a lot of dog owners can attest that a visit to the vet will result in a load of fur dropped all over the place.

This is a shortlived problem and not something to try to treat.

Chronic, in other words continuous, long-term stress is another story. Unfortunately, it can not be treated by dietary means. You need to find out the cause of the stress and make some empathetic changes as advised by your vet.

4. Disease

Disease – kidney, liver, pancreatitis, gastritis, thyroid or adrenal disease, cancer, and immune diseases may all result in excessive shedding/hair loss.

In these cases, the best food is the one that will support the primary treatment of the disease.

If successful, the shedding should also diminish. It is crucial that your vet makes the diagnosis and recommends the appropriate food.

What Factors Affect Hair Growth?

Let’s look at normal shedding and the regrowth of hair. The growth of hair is affected by nutrition, hormones, change of season (like stated above), disease, drugs, and the environment. The size, shape, and length of hair are controlled by genetics.

When it comes to losing the hair and regrowing it, there are a number of nutrients that will affect the process.

You want your dog to shed as little as possible and to regrow a healthy, shiny, soft coat. Unless your dog has some disease or has a genetic problem, you can achieve this by proper feeding.

First, let’s look at what can happen to your dog’s hair when the food is not nutritionally complete and balanced.

Symptoms of Nutritional Deficiencies That Affect Canine Coats

1. Zinc

Zinc – brittle fur that breaks easily is caused by zinc deficiencies. A serious deficiency will result in hair loss and also skin ulcers. If the skin is thickened and it cracks, particularly over joints and on foot pads, it indicates a zinc deficiency.

Feeding cereal- or soy-based foods to your dog has the potential to cause a zinc deficiency.

Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies are prone to this condition. There is also the problem that too much dietary calcium, iron, and copper can reduce your dog’s absorption of zinc, thereby leading to a deficiency.

2. Copper

Copper –  copper deficiency makes the coat look dull, dry and pale, with patchy hair loss.

This may look like shedding but it’s not. It is, however, much more likely that you can have a problem with excess copper in the diet, but this manifests as a liver problem rather than in the coat.

Dobermans are particularly predisposed to contract hepatitis (liver disease) due to excess copper.

3. Omega-Fatty Acids

Omega fatty acids – a dry, dull coat and scaly, lesions that do not itch indicate a fatty acid deficiency. Many conventional dog foods are lacking in omega-3 fatty acids.

This is where the traditional wisdom comes from to give pets fish oil or fish oil tablets. Fish oil, and the flesh of oily fish like wild salmon, mackerel, tuna, and anchovies, is rich in Omega-3.

The bioavailability (how much can be absorbed by the intestine and does not just pass through) of omega-3 fatty acids also depends on the amount of zinc in the diet. Both Omega-3 and Omega-6 are essential fatty acids (neither your body nor your dog’s body can make it).

4. Protein

Protein – brittle, depigmented (colorless) hair, which is easily shed and slow to regrow, is a sure indication of protein deficiency.

If your dog is getting so little protein that it shows in the coat, you will also see other symptoms of the deficiency such as weakness, weight loss, and blood in the urine. The skin will become thin and inelastic, and show excessive scaling. Few dogs progress this far unless they are maltreated, starved or plain abused.

The main essential nutrients listed above support healthy coats and strong hair. Hair grows and dies, is lost, and replaced by new hair. But excessive hair loss can be prevented by ensuring that your dog food contains these nutrients in balanced proportions and sufficient quantities.

The Main Nutrients for Shedding in Dogs

Hair is composed of about 95% protein. These proteins are rich in the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine.

Although dogs are not primarily carnivorous they do need sufficient protein in their diet not only for hair growth but various other needs. However, they specifically need sulfur-containing amino acids to supply the building blocks for good hair. This means not any old protein will do.

Lamb was identified as too low in these amino acids. “Lamb meal” is often the second ingredient on the list of commercial dog food ingredients, but do not be deceived.

It is measured as a dry ingredient and therefore could be the main source of protein once you compare it with fresh protein ingredients. A lamb-based food should have supplements of methionine, cysteine and also taurine.

Eggs are high in methionine and cysteine, the ingredients of hair-building proteins.

From these two amino acids, your dog can also build taurine, a necessary amino acid for heart and other muscle strength. Do not feed raw eggs to your dog – and do not combine it with other human foods that are toxic to dogs, like onion.

For adult dogs, the protein level should be 25 – 30% on a dry matter (DM) basis, and fat should be 10 – 15% DM. For puppies, the protein should be 30 – 35% DM, and fat should be 15 – 30% DM. Overall digestibility should exceed 80%.

Essential Fatty Acids – they are called “Essential” because they are! Your dog can not manufacture these building-blocks from his food. He has to get it whole from the food.

Plant-based omega-3 fatty acids do not make any difference to a dog’s coat, but canola oil,  corn- and sunflower oil as a source seems to be acceptable when combined with animal sources (mainly fish).

Pork fat is a good source of omega-6 fatty acids.

The best way to ensure sufficient essential fatty acids (EFA) is to get a food that combines both omega-6 and omega-3 in a ratio of about 4:1.

Some sources make a definite claim that an EFA-enriched diet results in less shedding.

Complex carbohydrates – can dogs digest them or not?

Some argue that complex carbs just pass through the dog, while others say it takes longer but provides a long-term source of energy.

Most commercial dog foods contain quite a large ratio of carbohydrates, from all kinds of sources.

Whatever the other benefits or not, would it make a difference to the shedding issue if you feed your dog less or more carbohydrates?

After spending long and lonely hours looking up this aspect of canine nutrition I have to say it does not look like it will have any effect.

Of course, if you do not give your dog a food that supplies it with sufficient energy you will generate all kinds of health problems, which may then also include excessive shedding. But at that point, it is really an additional symptom of failing health and not the primary one.

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