If you own a dog, you know how essential its hair is. For one, your furry friend’s hair is what makes it look fabulous. On top of that, it feels so much better cuddling with a dog that has hair, right? So, nobody likes to discover that their dog is losing hair. How to Stop Your Dog’s Hair Loss?
Well, a dog’s hair is far more critical than just complimenting how it looks and all that, it acts as a blanket of protection for your pet. For starters, it protects its skin from high temperatures. It also insulates it’s internal organs from cold and heat and helps regulate its body temperature.
When it comes to hair loss, it is pretty much typical in dogs; in fact, some breeds tend to lose more hair than others. However, if it is too much, then it might be a cause for concern due to a couple of reasons.
Well, if your dog has been losing much more hair than usual, below are some ways that you can stop that. But first things first, let’s look why exactly is your faithful companion losing that much hair, shall we?
Common potential causes of Dog’s Hair Loss
- Parasites like mites can cause your dog to lose hair in patches.
- Allergies. Apart from its skin getting red and itchy, hair loss is another symptom that your pet has an allergy to.
- Yeast, bacteria or fungal infections
- Trauma chronic licking, also known as acral lick dermatitis
Now you have identified some causes behind hair loss, here are some tips on how you can stop your dog from losing too much hair. Let’s dive in, shall we?
1.Keep your dog’s skin moisturized
Dry and itchy skin is one of the most common causes of hair loss in dogs. If your pet has itchy skin, then it automatically means it would be scratching itself often, leading to hair loss. So, how do I make sure my dog’s coat is always moisturized? You may ask. For starters, a humidifier can come in handy.
A humidifier keeps the air moist. If you put it in your pet’s living space, it will keep it from becoming dry, and remember a dry skin is an itchy skin. This is especially important during winter when there are low temperatures and humidity.
Another way that most people might not be aware of is by using a dog shampoo that is specially formulated to keep your furry friend’s skin moisturized. Getting such a shampoo may be quite difficult, so it is best to consult your veterinarian for recommendations on which one is best on your dog’s skin.
Most importantly, steer clear off using humans’ shampoo on your dog. Of course, you might not see any effects on it, and it’s cost-effective. However, it might be the leading cause of your pet having dry and itchy skin. This is because a human shampoo is formulated explicitly for human pH, which is not the same as a dog’s pH, so it can quickly dry out your pet’s skin.
2. Regular grooming
Apart from keeping your dog’s fur coat looking all nice and neat, grooming is an excellent remedy for reducing hair loss. First and foremost, regularly cleaning your dog gets rid of any parasites, dead cells, and any dirt that may be harmful to your furry best friend’s skin. It also keeps your dog’s skin moisturized, of course, when you use the right shampoo.
Brushing is also a great way to curb hair loss in your dog. Just like you, your pet has natural oils in its skin, but most of it does not make it to the fur coat. By brushing its hair, it allows all that oil all over, preventing it from being dry and itchy. Also, brushing helps remove all the dead cells on its skin, which may be a potential cause of hair loss and gives an opportunity to carefully examine it for any parasites, cuts, or unusual spots that may indicate hair loss.
Trimming or rather an artificial shedding is also helpful when it comes to preventing hair loss in your dog. By trimming your dog’s hair, it helps get rid of the dead cells inside its fur coat, which may be a potential cause of it losing hair. When grooming your pet, make sure you use the right tools to help you do a perfect job.
3.Feed your dog a healthy and balanced diet
A healthy diet is not only good for your dog’s body but also it’s hair. Always feed your dog a balanced diet, inclusive of everything; from protein, fresh fruit and vegetables, and water. This is because each has a significant contribution to ensuring that your dog does experience excessive hair shedding. Well, let’s look at each of them in detail.
Well, for starters, protein is a very vital component in your dog’s hair. Its hair has about 65 to 95% of protein. Well, protein contains sulfur- amino acids that are essential in maintaining a healthy and full hair coat in your pet. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also very beneficial to your dog’s hair because it helps the protein do its job. Most importantly, water keeps your dog’s skin dehydrated, therefore preventing your dog from having an itchy, dry skin leading to hair loss.
4.Include supplements in your dog’s feedings
Apart from feeding your dog a balanced diet, including some supplements can be beneficial when it comes to stopping hair loss. Some of them have proteins, vitamins, and essential components that you might not be able to feed them to your pet.
One of these supplements is Omega -3 and Omega-6 fatty acids that helps in keeping it’s skin healthy, therefore reducing hair loss. There is also Omega 3 6 9 fish oil for dogs that, together with the natural oils that it has, it ensures that it’s skin is not dry and itchy.
For example, Cbd oil for dogs is also a great supplement that has several benefits. It helps in reducing itchiness that may be caused by allergies or parasites, reduces inflammation caused by infections, to mention a few. Before buying any supplements for your pet, first, consult your veterinarian for which works for your faithful companion.
To wrap it all up
Hair loss in your dog can be something frustrating for you and your pet well, mostly you. Thankfully, with these tips up your sleeves, your dog will no doubt have a shiny and full hair coat.
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