Permanent shedding

[tcoburn]

Hello. I have a beautiful and rambunctious australian cattle dog (blue heeler). He turns 1yr old Oct 10th this year. Weve had him for 10 months. The problem is he sheds. Ive read acd has a blow out about twice a yr. The problem is he has had a blowout that has lasted about 9mos so far. Is this normal? I thought it would have stopped or reduced by now, but it hasn't.

I bring this issue up w my vet every visit and she brushes (no pun intended) the issue off every time. His eyes are often pink and sometimes red. Which ive also brought up w vet to which was also brushed off.

My gut is saying allergies, but this is my first acd so im open to discussion w those who have had theirs a while or multiple ones over the years.

I previously had a love marriage puppy (accident) that i got from friends who got married and so did their dogs . He lived a happy 15yrs (passed away 4 yrs ago) He had hair loss patches in his coat; i switched his food to a grain free dog food, i believe, and the problem went away.

Im thinking maybe slowly transition my acd dog food to another one. Hes currently eating Wholehearted limited ingredient lamb df.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[potterpoole]

@tcoburn Sorry to inform you of this but the good news is mine sheds only once per year. Bad news is it lasts for 364 days and 23 hours. Add a day for leap year.

 

[differentviews]

@potterpoole HAHAHAAH you’re so right

 

[lost_little_one]

@tcoburn Yes, they shed permanently. Hair everywhere! But my two acds are the best smelling dogs I have ever had. They don't smell like dog not their bodies or breath. But vacuuming is a daily chore.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@tcoburn Ours started to shed less after about 2 1/2 years old but still drops some fur all the time. It is now much less than when we got him at eight months. The first two years it seemed like he was shedding constantly. Not sure if it is the same for all ACD, or whether it is an adolescent ACD thing.

FYI, ours lives on mostly Blackhawk grain free kangaroo kibble and pumpkin.

 

[tcoburn]

@imagebeastmarkbeast Thank you for your response. Have you used any other dog food with you acd to compare?

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@tcoburn No, although we used to use dried kangaroo sausage as treats but they made his butt stink so he mostly gets apple, banana or the occasional pigs ear. Regular swims at the beach also seems to help. Looks like he is about to start shedding again tho as we come in to spring and the weather warms up.

 

[generalheresy]

@tcoburn If it is allergies, you can give them Zyrtec in small doses, or even benedryl, if they can't sleep. The shedding might be caused by stress or anxiety.

If it is anxiety related, your dog might be panting or sneezing a lot, as these are both responses to anxiety. Try giving them some allergy medication as you and your vet see fit.

We've got a blue who scratches a lot, and seems to shed all the time as well. Giving him room to play and sleep and whatnot, as well as allergy medication when the weather is bad enough, can help with the shedding.

Another thing to try is to brush your ACD a couple times a week, especially if it's a soothing thing for the dog.

 

[nayt70]

@tcoburn We use the eufy robot to keep the floor clear of hair