GSD Losing his overcoat

tting1010 · 06-19-2007, 11:50 AM

My German Shepherd started to lose his overcoat about 3 weeks ago. It is not mere shedding. You can grab his fur and it will come right off in your hand. At 1st I thought he was shedding his undercoat but it is both coats that are coming off. A lot more than what you would usually see come off of a GSD.

Any ideas on what it might be? Food allergy? Sick?

luv4gsds · 06-19-2007, 01:14 PM

It is probably seasonal shedding what is known as "blowing coat". I have gotten a lot of fur off my shepherds to make four more shepherds this past couple of months. And if you have a shepherd that is stepping into adulthood they will shed their puppy fur (top coat and undercoat). What type of food are you feeding your shepherd? You can look into some supplements to help cut down on the shedding. If your shepherd doesn't have any signs of skin problems and if his coat doesn't look dull with no shine then you need to take him to your vet for a health check-up. These are the groom tools I use shedding comb, shedding blade, slicker brush, and a brush.

Lightwingcreations · 06-19-2007, 06:31 PM

If the fur continues to fall out so much that he's going bald, I would take him to a vet and have them run a thyroid panel and general checkup. Hopefully he is just blowing his puppy coat like luv said.

Inga · 06-19-2007, 06:55 PM

I agree with Lightwingcreation if he is losing hair is spots get him checked. The vet in my area said she is hearing more people complain about shedding this year than ever before in her career. All dogs around here seem to be shedding worse tham normal. (mine included) She did suggest a few drops of fish oil on the food daily to help with this. I have Rottweilers and have has Rottweilers for 25 years. My dogs have never shed as much as they are this year. Maybe you are just running into this same thing. Hope so. Better than a health issue. Good Luck!

Misskiwi67 · 06-19-2007, 06:56 PM

Give him a good brushing, and see what happens. Don't be concerned if you get entire garbage bags full of fur, as this is very normal for double-coated breeds like the GSD.

If you get balding spots, then there is a problem, but otherwise its just normal shedding for a shephard, and they can shed a LOT!! They should be brushed daily to keep up with the amount of hair they lose, otherwise it really will come out by the handful.

How old is your dog? Is he itching at all?