then I am and 2 of them still shed horribly.

Kuaui is a short-haired chihuahua, probably in his nature to shed, always has.

Rivers is mostly a NSDTR (Nova Scotia Duck Toller Retriever)/Coyote mix of sorts; sheds worse then my little guy. Has hair similar to a golden retriever, but fairly thin over 90% of his body....only super thick at his thighs/tail and around his neck/shoulders.

Dogs all get cal natural puppy lamb/rice a few times a week, along with Honest Kitchen as the main course along with vit e, fish oil capsules, coconut oil (of which they're doing fantastic on).

They get plenty of raw eggs, veggies, etc.

WHY are they shedding so much?? Is it just their breed or what? This is driving me crazy...I know my aunt's 2 golden's shed terribly too, so it's not that my guys have health issues, I just thought that an excellent diet would keep the shedding under control.

Anyone else's dogs shed terribly irregardless of diet? I know short-haired dogs shed terribly anyways, but I can't even have my big guy on my bed for 10 minutes without tons of hair.

Should note, neither dog has any skin issues, itching, etc no parasites, etc. neither is going bald....though you'd swear to have been able to create 10 other new dogs by now.

Some breeds just shed more than others.

I know Labs shed...it is just part of who they are.

It doesn't sound like it has anything to do with diet. Remember, that during certain times of the year, dogs will shed even more.

Giving your dog a good brushing at least once a week will help.

I have learned to accept the shedding and just love my dog! ;)

I thought cal natural cured all ailments.;) I guess shedding is one of those things all dog owners have to deal with.

I thought cal natural cured all ailments.;).

I believe it does for those dogs that are highly intolerant to a lot of ingredients, yes ;); otherwise, I never said it was the cure all; NO dry dog food is IMHO. :D

I doubt that Cal natural's actually to any benefit of my gang though, seriously, as they only eat dry food for 2-3 meals out of the week - it's more of a convenience for me, and a filler for them.

Most of this shedding could be do, in part, to the fact I don't brush them enough, I'm certain of that. I love them greatly, but the hair everywhere just drives me crazy, never used to.

My Pom leaves clumps on occasion, his is easy to pick up. Even our new house is already covered in hair, everywhere, doesn't matter how much I vacuume.

I definitely do need to brush more, I only do it maybe once every 2-3 wks or so; perhaps this will help??

I think that the better the food, the more they shed! LOL
Seriously, since putting my three on TOTW, they have shed more than anytime else in their lives. I could make a new lab puppy out of all the hair Jake sheds in a week.

Megan sheds pretty much all the time. Then of course we have the full blown moult which means twice daily vacuuming and daily brushing and there's still hair everywhere.
I would definately recommend more frequent brushing if you don't want it all over the floor. I do mine twice weekly and vacuum daily.
I'm no expert but have never heard of diet and shedding being related?

I thought cal natural cured all ailments.;) I guess shedding is one of those things all dog owners have to deal with.

Again, note the sarcasm...Cal Natural is an excellent food. Labs shed no matter what food you feed them. Sometimes the addition of a good oil supplement will help, but will not completely stop shedding. I used Kronch Salmon Oil for a while it seemed to help a little, but labs shed, that's the nature of the dog.

Charlie sheds a lot Woofie. It's so bad I have to vacumn every day or it drives me nuts. Little brown dog hair (a layer of it) all over the kitchen floor. Doesn't help that our floor/carpet it light colored. Oh well, gotta love em anyway.

Nancy

He eats CN lamb and rice too though I am once again trying to change it.

If shedding is an issue you may want to stick to one dry food and feed only that...by feeding good food and mixing up things it encourages hair growth ..Labs hair doesn't grow long from the base, put pushes out the old hair...so the shedding will actually be less feeding a diet lower in protein over a long time...but the dog will not be as healthy inside....

The people who stick to one diet and don't rotate foods , don't feed scraps, still will have shedding...just less of it...I have yet to do a food switch without the coat doing a blow like shed....

I thought cal natural cured all ailments.;)

Good one. :p:

Good one. :p:

It also puts hair on your chest.....:brow:

Again, note the sarcasm...Cal Natural is an excellent food.

And note who responded.:yess:

Zoey sheds enough to make a new puppy no matter how much i brush her. You said your pom has sheds clumps, i found that if i brush my pom at least once a week her shedding is minimal.

My brother has a short haired chihuahua and she sheds alot, again brushing a few times a week makes it a ton better

It also puts hair on your chest.....:brow:

My dad always used that line.:p:

Could you try something like the Furminator every few weeks to help get rid of the hair?

[QUOTE=MSDOGS1976;1964332566]I thought cal natural cured all ailments.;)



:funny::funny:


I brush both of mine once a week with the zoom groom but they still shed. Part of being a lab I guess. ;)

Regular brushing helps keep hair off the floor. I think the more natural sunlight a dog gets the better. I also noticed when I fed ProPlan Performance I had a lot less shedding and I think it might be from the corn in their formula.

I also noticed when I fed ProPlan Performance I had a lot less shedding and I think it might be from the corn in their formula.

That looks like a worm and hook I would throw out there.;)

Shed happens!

Regular brushing helps keep hair off the floor. I think the more natural sunlight a dog gets the better. I also noticed when I fed ProPlan Performance I had a lot less shedding and I think it might be from the corn in their formula.

You know, I would second your observation. The boys are on Performance right now and look LOVELY. I've been very happy with Pro Plan over the last four months or so.

Same observation about the shedding but RC is eating Pro Plan Sensitive skin and Stomach. There is still hair to clean up, there always will be if you have dog but it is nothing compared to last year. RC's coat has not looked this good in a long time

kathy

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a143/lovemylabby/lab-shedding.jpg

That looks like a worm and hook I would throw out there.;)

Is corn in pet food all that bad? YES IT IS! read below:

http://holisticpetfood.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/cornophobia-demon-corn-is-corn-in-pet-food-really-all-that-bad/

All kidding aside, corn really is not good for your pets, dogs and cats. And the only reason pet food companies use it is because it's cheap. If corn futures suddenly shot up like the price of crude oil, it would put 50% of your dog food manufacturers out of business. No corn, no dog food.

Just remember when buying dog or cat food, look for food that is corn, wheat, soy and by-products free....

max sheds constantly!
i just ordered max a few bottles of salmon oil from petnutritionproducts.com
thats where he order all his heartworm, treats etc. i figured id give the salmon oil a try since they were having a sale last weekend. i heard its great not only for their coat and shedding but for their health too because of all the omega 3's

Is corn in pet food all that bad? YES IT IS! read below:

http://holisticpetfood.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/cornophobia-demon-corn-is-corn-in-pet-food-really-all-that-bad/

All kidding aside, corn really is not good for your pets, dogs and cats. And the only reason pet food companies use it is because it's cheap. If corn futures suddenly shot up like the price of crude oil, it would put 50% of your dog food manufacturers out of business. No corn, no dog food.

Just remember when buying dog or cat food, look for food that is corn, wheat, soy and by-products free....
Are you joking? :rofl1:

Hi, welcome to IsYourPetFoodSafe.com and the Holistic Pet Food Blog! My name is Teresa Holladay. I love animals and rescue sick and injured cats through a friend’s veterinary clinic. During the Great Pet Food Recall of 2007, people would call me from the grocery store aisles to ask what pet food was “safe”.
I put this blog together to help educate my friends.

The above quote is written by the person who wrote the article that you linked to. The article mostly talkes about corn for cats! When are you going to provide us some scientific evidence to back up your cornphobia? Corn is SO bad that the author goes on to say this:


Corn and wheat based foods are LIFESAVERS for animals who need prescription diets. So if your pet is on a prescription food, don’t try to go holistic without checking with your vet. Generally speaking, advanced kidney disease, renal failure, diabetes, pancreatitis… need to stay on the prescription diet.
http://holisticpetfood.wordpress.com/about/

Just some more proof that corn and wheat can KILL your dog!!

http://petnblog.preciouspets.org/?p=73



"Unfortunately, dog food, a well-trusted product, can actually poison a dog due to the improper use of some ingredients. Some brands of dog food include ingredients that are meant to provide filler or to act as a preservative. These ingredients can be harmful, inflicting permanent damage or even death.
Dog food poisoning has been underreported because many of the symptoms mimic or actually cause diseases that were not thought to be connected to the ingestion of food. By the time there's a connection made to certain dog foods resulting in a pet food recall, many dogs have already been permanently injured or have died.
There have been two major recent recalled dog food incidents. One involved Diamond Pet Foods in 2009, due to the ingredient aflatoxin, which resulted in permanent liver damage. The other happened in 2007 with Menu Foods, due to the ingredient melamine, which resulted in renal failure.

Aflatoxin



Aflatoxin is a fungus found on corn and other crops, which can cause severe liver damage in pets. Exhibition of any of the following symptoms should merit an immediate trip to the vet:

Loss of appetite
Fever
Jaundice or yellowing of the whites of the eyes, belly or gums
Sluggishness
Persistent, severe vomiting
Bloody diarrhea
Melamine

Melamine is an industrial chemical utilized in manufacture of plastics, but was also used in wheat gluten in order to thicken the gravy in "cuts and gravy" style wet pet foods. Melamine also contaminated pet food products containing rice proteins and corn gluten. Ingestion of melamine can lead to kidney stones, reproductive damage and cancer. Chinese pet food manufacturers were using melamine and cyanuric acid to give the appearance of a higher protein level in their products.


Seek immediate veterinarian attention if any of these symptoms appear after ingestion of any pet food. These are signs of possible kidney failure.

Vomiting
Lethargy
Loss of appetite
Depression
Diarrhea
Changes in water consumption
Changes in urination frequency and/or amount
Source: http://www.vetinfo.com/poison-dog-food.html


If there is no corn in the dog food to begin with, the less chance your dog can die from aflatoxin poisioning.

Natura pet foods are made without any corn, wheat or soy...

Is corn in pet food all that bad? YES IT IS! read below:

http://holisticpetfood.wordpress.com/2007/12/10/cornophobia-demon-corn-is-corn-in-pet-food-really-all-that-bad/

All kidding aside, corn really is not good for your pets, dogs and cats. And the only reason pet food companies use it is because it's cheap. If corn futures suddenly shot up like the price of crude oil, it would put 50% of your dog food manufacturers out of business. No corn, no dog food.

Just remember when buying dog or cat food, look for food that is corn, wheat, soy and by-products free....

Proves nothing. Just a source that believes in your philosophy. Here's another link that has a different take on dog diets. Written by a vet. You won't agree but just shows how we can all come up with links that support a particular philosophy.

http://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/breedvet/dogdiets.html

Proves nothing. Just a source that believes in your philosophy. Here's another link that has a different take on dog diets. Written by a vet. You won't agree but just shows how we can all come up with links that support a particular philosophy.

http://www.showdogsupersite.com/kenlclub/breedvet/dogdiets.html


Very nice article, but after reading certain parts of it, it does sound like this vet is a shill for Eukanuba, duping pet owners into believing Eukanuba is good dog food. Which we all know it isn't.

But besides that, the vet does have some very good points. :rolleyes:

Oh one more thing, what I wrote above is not a philosophy, it proven fact. Aflatoxin can kill your dog...and where does aflatoxin come from, CORN..

So now you have a phobia about aflatoxin? Brace yourself, aflatoxin can be a problem with rice and barley, 2 of the ingredients in the food you feed. :eek: Honestly, you can find something (potentially) wrong with any ingredient if you want to. (Why do you want to?, let people feed their dogs in peace already.)

Very nice article, but after reading certain parts of it, it does sound like this vet is a shill for Eukanuba, duping pet owners into believing Eukanuba is good dog food. Which we all know it isn't.

But besides that, the vet does have some very good points. :rolleyes:

In YOUR opinion. You lose your credibility and ability to have people see it your way when you make stupid statements like that.

So now you have a phobia about aflatoxin? Brace yourself, aflatoxin can be a problem with rice and barley, 2 of the ingredients in the food you feed. :eek: Honestly, you can find something (potentially) wrong with any ingredient if you want to. (Why do you want to?, let people feed their dogs in peace already.)

True, but it is not as prevalent as it is in corn...

People can feed their dogs whatever they want, but the educated consumer can feed their dog the best..

In YOUR opinion. You lose your credibility and ability to have people see it your way when you make stupid statements like that.

That is YOUR opinion, I don't see that way at all...

Why mention a particular brand of dog food in an article like that if your not a shill for the company that makes it?

I'm a very educated consumer and there is no best.

Very nice article, but after reading certain parts of it, it does sound like this vet is a shill for Eukanuba, duping pet owners into believing Eukanuba is good dog food. Which we all know it isn't.

But besides that, the vet does have some very good points. :rolleyes:



I wish I could find revenue statics on who sells more dog food, Natura or Eukanuba. I would be willing to bet Euk by a mile. That is the final vote on who believes in what.

That is YOUR opinion, I don't see that way at all...

Why mention a particular brand of dog food in an article like that if your not a shill for the company that makes it?

Of course you wouldn't see it that way at all. :rolleyes:

The stupid part of your statement was the part that I made bold.

I wish I could find revenue statics on who sells more dog food, Natura or Eukanuba. I would be willing to bet Euk by a mile. That is the final vote on who believes in what.

LOL, that would be like comparing Rolls Royce's to Chevy's...

Of course Euk would out sell Natura, for one it's a whole lot cheaper, and two, Euk has a lot more outlets to sell their product...(Petco, Petsmart, Tractor Suppy etc. all sell Eukanuba, you will never see a Natura product in stores like that)..

That is no way to tell which is a better food...

We have a lot of hair at our house- 2 dogs and 2 cats.

The dogs have always eaten pretty well but I did notice a change in the cat's shedding -reduced shedding after upping their protien intake.

Yukon is almost 8 months old and the hair in the corners of the house has gone up expodentially!

When I bruch him w/the regular pin brush nothing comes out -but he does love it. I have a shedding rake (similar to furminator) w/the rotating pins...works great on Ruby w/the longer coat -but on Yukon -nada.

What seems to work best at getting out loose fur is the shedding blade
http://www.gundogsonline.com/Img/EStore/Products/10164.jpg

We have a lot of hair at our house- 2 dogs and 2 cats.

The dogs have always eaten pretty well but I did notice a change in the cat's shedding -reduced shedding after upping their protien intake.

Yukon is almost 8 months old and the hair in the corners of the house has gone up expodentially!

When I bruch him w/the regular pin brush nothing comes out -but he does love it. I have a shedding rake (similar to furminator) w/the rotating pins...works great on Ruby w/the longer coat -but on Yukon -nada.

What seems to work best at getting out loose fur is the shedding rake

http://www.gundogsonline.com/Img/EStore/Products/10164.jpg


Have you tried the Furminator? We have one and you can use that thing forever and ever and you will always pull fur out of the dog. I think it actually cuts the dogs hair. It does work though, but a shedding rake probably works just as good.

LOL, that would be like comparing Rolls Royce's to Chevy's...

Of course Euk would out sell Natura, for one it's a whole lot cheaper, and two, Euk has a lot more outlets to sell their product...(Petco, Petsmart, Tractor Suppy etc. all sell Eukanuba, you will never see a Natura product in stores like that)..

That is no way to tell which is a better food...

Didn't say it was, just a vote on who does business with which company. And why wouldn't Natura be in Petco and Petsmart? They sell other holistic brands. Maybe because there is not the demand for it?

Didn't say it was, just a vote on who does business with which company. And why wouldn't Natura be in Petco and Petsmart? They sell other holistic brands. Maybe because there is not the demand for it?

If I remember correctly, Natura only sells their products in indiviually owned pet food stores and not big chain pet food discount houses like Petco and Petsmart. Here in Jersey there are many, many pet food stores that sell Natura pet foods, and there is a demand for it by the educated consumer.


"Natura Pet Products does not encourage Internet sales. Therefore we do not keep a separate listing of who sells our products on the Internet. We prefer our customers go to their local independent retail pet food stores where you can review date codes for freshness, get the added knowledge of the store staff about our products, plus make a savings by avoiding the shipping cost. Any product purchased via the Internet is not guaranteed by Natura Pet Products and must be returned to the same Internet sales provider.
While it is possible that you can find an Internet dealer in your area by doing an Internet search, we encourage you to support your local hometown business people."

Isnt that how Nutro started out in feed stores and specialty stores?

I have to say RC did great on eukanuba the first two years of his life I switched to another food because I wanted to until the recall.

the brush / rake that mckjen highlighted is the one I use for RC I think it works great plus it can be opened up to use flat side to get excess water out after swimming.

kathy

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a143/lovemylabby/lab-shedding.jpg

:D:D:D
kathy

My 3 labs shed and shed and shed....especially early spring and early fall.
Can vacuum 4 times a week. I have experimented with alot of foods and they always shed:tapfoot:

Dan

Yes, Natura does cater to local independent retail pet food stores, that's where the educated consumer can look to pay $60+ for a food that's almost 50% fillers.

Ohhh Bearsowner, you make my law minded (well educated) head hurt. I CAN feed the best and I do right now. I would venture to say I feed one of the most expensive foods. I pay $100 for 11 pounds of ZiwiPeak. Our summer has been very active and since EVO did NOT work I chose Ziwi. Having said that, I will be putting Bailey back on Eukanuba :eek: for the winter months as activity will slow down.

Again, did you get your pup from a breeder? I just can't understand why you are so "jaded" on when it comes to dog food. Natura is not the only food that works!!!!!!!

Please explain to me why people who spend more money on field trialing their dog then many us could spend in 10 years on our dogs feed these foods?? Same thing with show breeders. Do you think they are really pinching pennies. Do you really think they are "poisining" (in your words) dogs?

Get a grip, will you!

If I remember correctly, Natura only sells their products in indiviually owned pet food stores and not big chain pet food discount houses like Petco and Petsmart. Here in Jersey there are many, many pet food stores that sell Natura pet foods, and there is a demand for it by the educated consumer.




You mean the 'duped consumer'? Thanks for planting that thought in my head. :D

Very nice article, but after reading certain parts of it, it does sound like this vet is a shill for Eukanuba, duping pet owners into believing Eukanuba is good dog food. Which we all know it isn't.



Nice, I will send this statement to the rep I know with Eukanuba. Curious on their response.

Nice, I will send this statement to the rep I know with Eukanuba. Curious on their response.

LMAO, I am sure they will agree with that...;)

So...some of you are saying I should actually be happy about the excessive shedding, i.e. means they're eating healthy diets and bodies getting rid of old hair??

Let's not lead this into which food is better then another thread, that was NOT the point of this thread; most of us can and have already decided if corn is suitable or not for our pups.

Post freely what you're feeding and have had good results with, but we don't need to turn it into a *don't feed this or that* topic nor do we need to turn it into a *millions of show quality breeders have fed this or that* - end result is still the same for me....I now live out in the absolute middle of nowhere; my dogs primarily eat homecooked cause it's cheaper, goes much further nutrient wise, and I don't fall for or trust any dog food company to the point of banking my entire k-9's nutrition upon it.

I have thought about adding a bit of fresh, field corn to their diet/meals to see if I notice any difference in overall hair quality. As I've heard corn mentioned before in overall hair texture, etc...if people have truly noticed a difference with corn in certain foods, then I should definitely see a difference adding it in if in fact corn is the key element.

Thanks for the comments, I will definitely try to make time to brush the dogs more....please people though, this was not another thread to start an argument about Purina, Natura, etc I simply wanted to know if others were having the same shedding issue.

No arguments from here, the blade that was posted a page or 2 back is what I use I think it works great . The other thing I just thought of is the heat issue. I am sorry I do not remember where you live but is there heat on compared to summer and no heat /furnace?

We also added a room humidifier (portable) so we can take it to family room or living room when we have fire. I think it helps with not only RC's skin but ours too

kathy

but unfortunately there will be hair
the comic strip that was posted is so true:D

I have tried the Furmerator on Rivers, it works great on his lower thighs/tail, but I found that it was actually slicing his hair and making it look horrible. He doesn't really have an underlying coat, so the brush was jaggedly cutting his top coat.

I do like using it on the backside of his thighs; but I didn't really like the way it butchered his tail either. Took all of the fullness out of it, and gave it a million split ends.

Have you tried the Furminator? We have one and you can use that thing forever and ever and you will always pull fur out of the dog. I think it actually cuts the dogs hair. It does work though, but a shedding rake probably works just as good.

When you use a Furminator, you are actually stripping the undercoat of a Lab...this is why it will continue to pull fur out of the dog...which is not a good thing...:(

Labs need their undercoats for a reason...it amazes me to hear how many Lab owners think that a Furminator is wonderful....they don't realize what it is doing to their Lab's beautiful coats. :rolleyes:

A shedding blade will also damage a Lab's coat, because it actually "cuts" the dog's hair.

And not to hijack the thread once again, but I don't think corn in a dog's diet is as bad as everyone thinks. Some dogs have no problems at all with corn in their diet and do quite well...while others may have some sensitivities. I don't think anyone on the board should criticize someone that feeds their dogs a diet that contains corn. I know some very beautiful and healthy dogs that are fed diets that contain corn and they are still fed a good healthy diet. The type of corn used makes the difference. Whole ground corn:

Corn (Whole Ground)

Corn is an ideal ingredient when used correctly in a formula. It is 99% digestible, an excellent energy source, and one of the best natural Omega 6 fatty acid sources.

Carbohydrates are used in pet food primarily to provide energy. Energy is required for the central nervous system, normal and high levels of physical activity and is also needed when anabolic activities like gestation, lactation and growth are proceeding at a high rate. With little or no dietary carbohydrates available there is added strain on fat and protein. This extra burden on fats and proteins can cause serious problems at birthing time.(1) Judicious use of carbohydrates in a meat meal based formula, i.e. corn, not listed first on the ingredient panel is a nutritionally sound and healthy use of corn and other quality carbohydrates.

(1) Hypoglycemia prior to welping, reduced plasma concentrations, reduced number of live births, lethargy, reduced mothering ability, fetal abnormalities, embryo resorption and reduced milk production.

It Is Not A Filler...
While we believe in meat meal based diets, meaning meat meal should be listed first on the ingredient panel, corn makes an important nutritional contribution to the formula, as noted above; fillers, such as wheat mids and peanut hulls, do not.

Rarely Does Corn Cause Allergies...
A complete literature review shows that corn is rarely incriminated as causing allergies. "Small Animal Clinical Nutrition" addresses this twice: "There have been only six confirmed cases of allergy to corn in dogs reported in the veterinary literature out of 253 total cases." "Corn is a nutritionally superior grain compared with others used in pet foods because it contains a balance of nutrients not found in other grains. Corn provides a highly available source of complex carbohydrates and substantial quantities of linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid important for healthy skin. Corn also provides essential amino acids and fiber. In a survey of veterinary dermatologists, corn was not listed among the ingredients most often suspected to cause food allergies. A review of over 200 confirmed canine cases of food allergy in the veterinary literature revealed only three were caused by corn."

A Very Digestible Carbohydrate...
One pet food company that does not have ready access to corn states, rather crudely, that look how corn comes out after we eat corn on the cob and therefore it can't be very digestible. This company knows full well that corn is ground very finely before it is added to the pet food formula. According to "Small Animal Clinical Nutrition", 4th Edition, "Several reports (3) indicate that dogs and cats readily digest starches in commercial pet foods. In studies, dogs were fed foods in which 30 to 57% of the food came from extruded corn, barley, rice or oats. The starch was nearly 100% digested in the small intestine."

It is difficult to do the math because some base numbers are not available, but probably only one dog out of several hundred thousand dogs are likely to be allergic to corn when used correctly in a Super Premium, meat meal-based diet. With an ingredient that quality research shows to be an excellent ingredient, why would you not want to feed it as the carbohydrate component in the diet?

Sources: The information above was drawn from fifteen research studies as listed in Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 4th Edition.

The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog. Wendy Volhard and her husband, Jack, train dogs and conduct "Camps" on dog training, nutrition, and holistic care. Howell Book House recently published a second edition of "The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog". Volhard regards carbohydrates as crucial for a dog's health, and utilizes grains as the major provider of carbohydrates.

never tried the furminator I just use the one that mckjen posted picture of , I have heard the same thing that you are explaining with Rivers from other people so I hesitated in trying furminator.

Actually RC is due for a brushing, it will have to be tomorrow though when we can do it outside then I throw his hair garden beds by doorways not sure if that helps with keeping unwanted animals away or not (I hope so) I do enough clapping when we are out walking after dark

kathy

Sorry Lovemylaby I think we were posting at same time , I have always used what was pictured a bit ago is that a shedding blade? (sorry dont remember what it was called, have had it forever.

what would be good to use for their fur?

kathy

edit to add, I agree

Sorry Lovemylaby I think we were posting at same time , I have always used what was pictured a bit ago is that a shedding blade? (sorry dont remember what it was called, have had it forever.

what would be good to use for their fur?

kathy

edit to add, I agree

The absolute best grooming tool for a Lab is called a "Curry" brush.

They are very inexpensive and will not damage a Lab's coat. You can find them almost anywhere....here is a picture for you:

http://www.doglikenature.com/store/item/42004.Rubber.Curry.Brush.With.Handstrap

Thank You, I have seen these :thankyou:

I guess I started using the other because of the flat side to get excess water out

will get a "Curry " tomorrow"

kathy

Thank You, I have seen these :thankyou:

I guess I started using the other because of the flat side to get excess water out

will get a "Curry " tomorrow"

kathy

Your welcome!

I have been using a Curry brush on my Toby since he was a baby...and his coat is beautiful.

Good Luck!

I have a golden also who had problems with shedding and itching. I now use a supplement called ShowStopper. It's a powder-meal type that you sprinkle on the dog's food. They have an online site to order from or you can order from Jeffers Pet online. I'm in Canada and can't get it up here so I order it in. It makes a big differenct to cut down the shedding as well as has vitamins, nutrition and extra energy.

Here's some food for thought, when we were feeding Kirkland, and I would feed my oldest the Chicken/Rice formula, it appeared that he shed NONSTOP. When he ate the Lamb/Rice formula, his shedding was normal. The adults in the house right now are eating a mix of Pro Plan Selects Salmon and Chicken. I have normal shedding...the kind that just requires a quick brushing daily and no excessive vacuuming. The little guys are on the Performance and they don't look like they are dropping 1 hair at all. I got a free bag of EVO the other day and mixed a bit in with their kibbles (just enough like if one was doing a full on food switch) and I had runs in ALL OF THEM. Stopped feeding it, everything is back to normal again.

Fetchtheball, be careful with the Showstopper as it's like 50% fat. I use it too, but only give 1TB a meal not the recommended amount.

Thats funny.. When I had my senior Lab/GR I was feeding Kirkland C/R -shedding was ok. I switched to the blue senior formula and he started blowing coat like crazy -back to C/R and back "normal"

I'm not sure that I agree the shedding blade slices the hair....its the same tool used on horses and they usually don't have enough hair to slice.

Now -for Rivers w/the longer silker coat.....I have a BCX and I've been afriad to try the furminator on her too -she has waves - not soft golden retriever type waves....courser hair that frizzes after a bath. I do use a shedding rake w/the rotating pins and it does a very nice job of getting the under coat. She's very sensitive and doesn't seem to mind this one.

A shedding blade shouldn't have a sharp edge of any kind. It shouldn't cut the coat unless you're using it at some kind of strange angle or something.

Here's some food for thought, when we were feeding Kirkland, and I would feed my oldest the Chicken/Rice formula, it appeared that he shed NONSTOP. When he ate the Lamb/Rice formula, his shedding was normal. The adults in the house right now are eating a mix of Pro Plan Selects Salmon and Chicken. I have normal shedding...the kind that just requires a quick brushing daily and no excessive vacuuming. The little guys are on the Performance and they don't look like they are dropping 1 hair at all. I got a free bag of EVO the other day and mixed a bit in with their kibbles (just enough like if one was doing a full on food switch) and I had runs in ALL OF THEM. Stopped feeding it, everything is back to normal again.

Fetchtheball, be careful with the Showstopper as it's like 50% fat. I use it too, but only give 1TB a meal not the recommended amount.

IMHO, two things are wrong here. First, introducing a super premium food like EVO with a lower quality food will surely upset their digestive system. EVO is very rich and even mixing it in with the other food can cause what happened to your pups.

Two, which is highly probable, it is not the EVO that caused the problem with your dogs having the runs, but your dogs having an intolerance to the richness and one or more ingredients in the food. EVO is a super high quality, super rich, meat based food, not all dogs can tolerate it especially if they are used to eating a grain based food like Purina.

Canyonlab's - the runs sounds normal for dogs that are used to what they eat for a *staple* and then suddenly throw in something new.....this is the reason I constantly feed something different daily to my gang. I do not want their systems getting too attached to only one food, cause if you have to suddenly switch, you guessed it, they get the runs.

There isn't a single food I've tried/fed that has ever given my gang the runs.

Evo is very very rich, and is not a food you can just abruptly throw into the diet. Not sure how much you gave them, but this would be considered a food you'd only want to give a tiny half-handful too mixed in with 98% of their usual food, and slowly transition them daily if they're not used to rich foods in general. Which it sounds like they're not.

When I first got my pom, who was only 9mnths old, who knows what his previous diet was, I found him in a dumpster. I immediately put him on Evo without a single hiccup.

Canyonlab's - the runs sounds normal for dogs that are used to what they eat for a *staple* and then suddenly throw in something new.....this is the reason I constantly feed something different daily to my gang. I do not want their systems getting too attached to only one food, cause if you have to suddenly switch, you guessed it, they get the runs.

Nice observation, but not true with my dogs. While kibble forms the basis of their meals, they often get different kibbles mixed together, different fresh meats, different fresh vegetables, potatoes, yogurt etc. I've clearly noticed that their systems don't do well on Evo. TOTW was better for them, but overall have noticed the best results on Pro Plan...and this is from over 8 years of experience with feeding my dogs.

Nice observation, but not true with my dogs. While kibble forms the basis of their meals, they often get different kibbles mixed together, different fresh meats, different fresh vegetables, potatoes, yogurt etc. I've clearly noticed that their systems don't do well on Evo. TOTW was better for them, but overall have noticed the best results on Pro Plan...and this is from over 8 years of experience with feeding my dogs.

Personally, I'm not fond of any dog foods period. Used to be, until this current gang, where I've noticed since they eat 90% homecooked versus only 10% dry foods, they are all much healthier then dogs I've had in the past that ate mostly, if not all dry dog food of various brands.

This with over 15yrs experience feeding my dogs, the dogs in the last 10yrs have been twice as healthy since forgoing any supermarket brands, and even healthier by dropping all dog foods period.

That said, Evo is a complicated formula with a ton of ingredients, this alone can lead to issues, I have fed it in the past to my 2 little dogs for several months prior to switching to homecooked.

I don't feed any dog foods now though, with the exception of cal natural puppy but only twice a week.

Good luck to you.

FWIW, I've brushed Rivers three times since starting this thread, as of yesterday I didn't see any loose hairs in the house. So all of this was probably from not brushing him over the course of several weeks, cause a ton of hair came out the first 2 times.

quote woofie: "That said, Evo is a complicated formula with a ton of ingredients, this alone can lead to issues, I have fed it in the past to my 2 little dogs for several months prior to switching to homecooked."

Not really, if you look at EVO's ingredient list for most of thier varieties, the list is really quite minimal.

Thier new Herring and Salmon formula has only 12 ingredients:

See it here:
http://www.evopet.com/products/default.asp?id=1699

EVO's other formulas also are not over abundant with ingredients.

As far as being complicated, apples, carrots, cottage cheese and eggs don't sound too complicated. Just my opinion...

Bear - Evo really is not that complicated. But it is a rich food. Most dogs can handle one or two additional ingredients thrown at them a day, but perhaps a formula like Evo is just too much for a lab that may not get those ingredients all at once.

I feed variety for sure, however, I don't feed my gang several different ingredients at one meal. My dogs get meat/eggs for one meal, for instance, their 2nd meal consists of veggies/fruits/oils....I will not feed them carb's with their meat meals.

Doing their meals this way has dramatically improved their digestion of foods, IMHO.

Aside from this, irregardless what one can prove with a certain food, another person is still going to feed what works for them time and time again. Most people don't like change, or if they have an immediate bad reaction to a food, they're not going to feed it again, I wouldn't either.

Bear - Evo really is not that complicated. But it is a rich food. Most dogs can handle one or two additional ingredients thrown at them a day, but perhaps a formula like Evo is just too much for a lab that may not get those ingredients all at once.

I feed variety for sure, however, I don't feed my gang several different ingredients at one meal. My dogs get meat/eggs for one meal, for instance, their 2nd meal consists of veggies/fruits/oils....I will not feed them carb's with their meat meals.

Doing their meals this way has dramatically improved their digestion of foods, IMHO.

Aside from this, irregardless what one can prove with a certain food, another person is still going to feed what works for them time and time again. Most people don't like change, or if they have an immediate bad reaction to a food, they're not going to feed it again, I wouldn't either.

I guess my dogs are lucky in that sense, because they can eat everything and anything at one meal it doesn't bother them a bit. Still good firm logs and no digestive upset. I do see what you are saying for dogs with issues, simple is better.

I have to check the price of the EVO Herring and Salmon formula. If not too bad for the mid-size bag, might start mixing it with Innova. Also thanks for the tip on the Purina Pro Plan Selects Salmon food. Meal is always better than non-meal.

Meal is always better than non-meal.

That is an opinion. Has anyone stopped to consider the fact that Meal is cooked twice (once to remove the moisture and once as the kibble is baked)? While Meal is supposed to pack a concentrated protein punch, how many nutrients are left after it's cooked twice? Can you actually prove that Meal is nutritionally better (without citing sources from Natura, Wellness, Dogfoodanalysis, etc.)? My guess is that it's neither better or worse than regular meat that's been cooked once. However, that's my OPINION. Even Natura utilizes fresh meat in addition to their Meals- but I guess they must be trying to rip people off, right?;)

That is an opinion. Has anyone stopped to consider the fact that Meal is cooked twice (once to remove the moisture and once as the kibble is baked)? While Meal is supposed to pack a concentrated protein punch, how many nutrients are left after it's cooked twice? Can you actually prove that Meal is nutritionally better (without citing sources from Natura, Wellness, Dogfoodanalysis, etc.)? My guess is that it's neither better or worse than regular meat that's been cooked once. However, that's my OPINION. Even Natura utilizes fresh meat in addition to their Meals- but I guess they must be trying to rip people off, right?;)

I think you make a good point and without a doubt the reason Natura does utilizes fresh meat along with meal in their foods. All bases are covered this way. ;)

Once again a simply question has turned into the never ending food debate. Can't we all just agree to disagree and move on?! What I feed might not work for your dog but it works for mine. The companies I trust might not be the ones you trust but that's the beauty of freedom of choice. My opinions might not be your opinions but that's all they are, my opinions and your opinions. Please give it a rest already!

Once again a simply question has turned into the never ending food debate. Can't we all just agree to disagree and move on?! What I feed might not work for your dog but it works for mine. The companies I trust might not be the ones you trust but that's the beauty of freedom of choice. My opinions might not be your opinions but that's all they are, my opinions and your opinions. Please give it a rest already!

Good sound advice, but that will go nowhere here.;)

My two labs shed like crazy!!!

Heather - I wasn't posting an opinion, I just said for the *cost* of the Purina, I would want to make sure that it had meat as the first 2 ingredients, whether the meat is considered a *meal* or just plain meat, i.e. salmon followed by something else meat-based rather then brown-rice, that's all.

And I would want to make sure the fish meal doesn't contain ethoxiquin, otherwise, I see nothing wrong with the Purina. Feed away.

Also, I am not a die-hard fan of Naturapet, I like them, but they are not the end-all; they also do not label their bags as being ethoxiquin free sources on formulas with fish in them. But they do list meat as the first 3 ingredients, in the Innova/Evo formulas; however in the cal natural they do not....so again, they too (cal natural) are high carb based as well.

I don't think it's wrong for a person to point out verbage on the meat content in a food, it's not based on opinion, it's based on what IS.

In the end, feed what you can afford and what works. I have a friend who's lost his job, same boat we're in, he's now feeding Ole Roy....he has no choice; he's at least feeding his dog. He was feeding Purina and couldn't afford it anymore. I've given him some of what I have, but again, I only have 25# left of Cal natural and then my dogs will be going without dog food period.

I have plenty of turkey for now, but once I run out of that, I don't know what we'll do, cause there are no stores around here that carry affordable dog foods that don't have yeast, oats in them.

Rivers has already lost 5# over the last 2 mnths, as I'm trying to stretch out their food as much as possible; he's still doing ok and hasn't lost anymore weight....but he didn't need to lose weight to begin with.

Again, in the end, feed what works, what you can afford, and what's available. If Purina's in your budget, do it, I find around here though that Purina's expensive in comparison to similar foods.

Some dogs blow their coat after a change in diet.

Others just shed a LOT... like Maxwell. You haven't seen shedding until you've met Maxwell. :eek:

I agree... From my own experience - including the fosters I've had, is that whenever I have changed dog food it has resulted in them blowing their coat. One reason I transitioned Molly off of Wellness Core-Ocean once she started blowing her summer coat.

Jazzmine eats Origen LBP now and she has been shedding like crazy! (enough to make a whole new dog) I think it's just because she is a LAB. I use a Zoom Groom on her & only use the Furminator when it's really bad.

another vote for the Furminator!!!! BEST INVENTION EVERRRRR