Old Dog Shedding

[Joezam18]

I have a 13 year old full sized dachshund and starting in about Februaryhe has been shedding about 10 times more than usual. It just doesn't stop and he seems to shed more every day. His black hair is also turning brown. The wife thinks we should take him to the vet, as Dr. Google says that it can be a sign of infection, mites, ticks, etc, but his energy, appetite, and behavior have all stayed the same. Has anyone else experienced an old dog shedding like crazy just because they're old? I'd like to skip the part where I pay a vet $200 to tell me what I already know, so I'm checking in here to see if anyone else can confirm that it is quite likely just because he is getting super old.

[Grizzly Adams1]

My German shepherd, Rottweiler, who knows what else, is about 15, it's a constant job to brush him and clean up hair. It's an age thing, live with it. No sense wasting money supporting some vet's extravagant life style.

Grizz

[KGB]

That looks like a vitamin deficiency. Give him some herring oil with food. About 5-7mils every feeding. You can buy it at any horse feed store, pet store etc. just make sure that this is a 100% pure herring oil and nothing else. If you are in Edmonton, G&E pharmacy on Whyte Ave sells it.
My pup gets it every day with his food since he was born(well, almost). His coat is as good as my vet had ever seen(his words).

[tirebob]

My Newf went through this to the point of some pretty heavy bald patches. Tested a bunch of stuff, did a bunch of stuff and no success. Found out after she passed she was in heart failure and that it can contribute to it.

I would get it checked if you are worried personally but use someone you trust is getting you the right info.

[Sledhead71]

Have to check to see if there are any worms in his stool ? Easy to check and cure if this is the cause of the hair loss...

[Buckhead]

Originally Posted by KGB

That looks like a vitamin deficiency. Give him some herring oil with food. About 5-7mils every feeding. You can buy it at any horse feed store, pet store etc. just make sure that this is a 100% pure herring oil and nothing else. If you are in Edmonton, G&E pharmacy on Whyte Ave sells it.
My pup gets it every day with his food since he was born(well, almost). His coat is as good as my vet had ever seen(his words).

That sounds similar to what I did with my old dogs. When they started shedding a lot I a gave them fish oil or Omega 3 oil. It seemed to help quite a lot.

[jstubbs]

I would take the vet to be safe.

Our poodle cocker spaniel cross never shed but we did notice the hair on his back before his tail started thinning when he was about 11 in 2020 but didn’t think much of it as he was healthy otherwise. Wasn’t till this past fall things went haywire with his health, he ended up having cushings disease (which caused the hair loss) which then lead to concurrent diabetes and he didn’t make much further once that had happened.

Coulda shoulda woulda but I’ll always wish we pushed harder for a diagnosis when we first noticed him losing hair.

[3blade]

I’ve seen it twice, and both times the dog didn’t make it another year. First sign of decline is coat health.

Assuming you deworm on schedule.

Be careful with fish oil - too much fat can wreck an old dogs pancreas. Not to mention your carpets. Best to start real low and only increase 1 ml weekly.

[Justfishin73]

Originally Posted by KGB

That looks like a vitamin deficiency. Give him some herring oil with food. About 5-7mils every feeding. You can buy it at any horse feed store, pet store etc. just make sure that this is a 100% pure herring oil and nothing else. If you are in Edmonton, G&E pharmacy on Whyte Ave sells it.
My pup gets it every day with his food since he was born(well, almost). His coat is as good as my vet had ever seen(his words).

Assuming kibble, what do you mix it in?

[KGB]

Originally Posted by Justfishin73

Assuming kibble, what do you mix it in?

Just pour over his kibbles, that’s it. It smells very fishy but I haven’t heard of the dog that didn’t like it!
Start with a small dose, like 1 mil with every feeding. See how it goes( liquid poop is indication that you need to skip a dose) and if there is no change in stool you can increase the dose to 2 mils a day. For the dog of your size yhe maximum dosage should be around 5 mils a day.

[58thecat]

Well we used to give our girl a good outside brushing everyday for a week or so in the spring and fall when the hair started coming off plus she loved having the vacuum run over her as you messaged her.