Is Your Lovable Pet Shedding Gobs of Hair All Over the House? Here’s the Solution!
Do you love your pet? Of course you do! And they give so much love back to you, but when pet shedding season starts, with hair left on every available surface of your house, it can drive you to distraction. If you’ve got allergies to pet hair, that makes it even worse unless you can find a solution that keeps you and your pets happy.
Your furry friends, especially dogs, build up a substantial amount of extra fur to keep them warm through the cold months. Probably the worst case scenario involves long-haired dogs who spend a lot of time outdoors but who also have plenty of indoor access as well. When spring rolls around, that dog starts dropping hair like there’s no tomorrow. Some breeds lose their coat in plugs; this process is often called “blowing their coat”. Dogs tend to go through a shedding in the fall too, as they lose the excess to get ready to grow their winter coat. When pet shedding season is upon you, it’s on you and everything in your house. Kitties have lesser amounts of hair, but basically shed as they clean themselves year around. Cat hair, being finer, also tends to glue itself to your couch, bed rugs and any other fabric, making it much harder to deal with. Here we show you some ways to head off major pet shedding and how to minimize the problem at all times.
- Groom your pet weekly, if not daily, using an appropriate brush that’s made for the characteristics and sensitivity of your pet’s fur and skin. A thorough, weekly grooming removes the loose fur before it distributes itself on you and your furnishings. This also stimulates the hair follicles and distributes your pet’s natural oils, leaving a nice shiny, healthy coat and less shedding.
- Shampoo your pet whenever he or she needs it. This should be obvious! Use a shampoo formulated for your pet. Dog shampoos sometimes include flea and tick killers and may be too strong and harsh for a kitty’s system to tolerate. Just be sure to use the right shampoo for the job.
- Trim fur in areas where the fur becomes quite thick in winter, as in the case of the tails and rear legs of German shepherds and Labradors. Be extra careful with dogs that have “wings” back there; we call that foo-foo. Brush that area carefully and trim if needed. Grooming will help, but matting can still result. If you let this go, when pet shedding season begins, you’ll end up cutting out matted hair. When Rover starts shedding naturally, in response to warmer days, you’ll have unattractive, uneven patches.
- Water-repellent fabric sprays, designed to allow you to wipe up spills on upholstery, also serve you well in the pet shedding area. The hair won’t stick very well, making it far easier to wipe it off with a slightly damp cloth. Vacuuming is also easier and less time consuming.
Following these tips will minimize both excessive pet shedding and maintenance. Now it’s too bad our pets don’t really understand English. Then you could simply chastise them, just like you do your kids. “Hey, get your feet off that chair, please!”
Category: Pets