[germanshepherd07]

Spring.


The vet believes it's an allergy issue and I have taken her to the vet every time this occurs and she gets the usual shot of cortisol or whatever it is(LOL, sorry, I don't keep up with the proper names of the shots) and some prednisone. The last time I took her(which was back in February I believe)he gave us like 60 tables of the steroid and I just finally stopped giving it to her back in April.

I just want to defend myself here because she has been my baby for eight years, I felt her just keep going on the remaining tablets was unhealthy so I discontinued it and I read somewhere that steroids can reduce the longevity of your dog so I don't want to happen! This has been occurring for many years and it mostly occurs during the fall(when oddly she supposed to be developing her winter coat).

Also, she is experiencing some lamness when getting it up but I attribute this to her age and the infamous joint problems the breed acquires. I had her on Cosequin(the walmart kind, not the the more expensive kind. That was like 20 dollars but same company and everything. Do you think Dasquin is much better?

SORRY FOR THE LONG POST. I just want some advice.

Edit: So many errors but I apologize.

 

[JakodaCD OA]

Is she itchy? Sores? red marks?

GSD's shed ALOT, and mine can sometimes do a heavy shed a couple times a year, it's normal.

There are lots of good arthritic meds on he market, I think Dasaquin was discontinued not positive on that.

Hopefully others will chime in with some suggestions as well

 

[germanshepherd07]

Is she itchy? Sores? red marks?

GSD's shed ALOT, and mine can sometimes do a heavy shed a couple times a year, it's normal.

There are lots of good arthritic meds on he market, I think Dasaquin was discontinued not positive on that.

Hopefully others will chime in with some suggestions as well

She does have one bald spot on each side of her hind legs. I wouldn't say she is itchy as her condition doesn't seem to make her scratch frequently. Just abnormal heavy shedding.

Dasuquin is available on Amazon but a bit pricey.

 

[carmspack]

Welcome new member.

I don't know where to start on this one . There is a thread comments about comments about comments. Regulars will know it -- and I think there needs to be more information so I will ask a question about your question.

What does the vet think is an allergy ? the shedding?

Shedding is perfectly normal . A GSD kept in our artificial light hours will shed some hair continually . A GSD kept in natural light hours will acquire a seasonal coat and loose it triggered by changes in daylight , not temperature.

Shedding is not an allergy if that is what your vet told you.

Here is a good magazine Dogs Naturally Magazine Dogs Naturally Magazine

The steroids tend to mask a symptom , but then there is a rebound effect .

You should also be looking into what not to give and not just what to add , review the entire diet , see what and how much inflammation promoting ingredients and omega 6 there is in the diet , and remove those .

 

[NancyJ]

Abnormal beyond the normal change of coats in Fall and Spring when they "blow" their coats and chunks of hair fall out?

 

[carmspack]

can you provide a picture to see the overall condition of the dog

 

[carmspack]

Jocoyn and gsd07 (OP) I have never ever heard of a vet giving cortisol, prednisone and "tablets" for shedding . Ever. I would change vets so fast .
A good ratio of omega 3 will reduce shedding . A GSD with a double coat does shed .

 

[germanshepherd07]

Abnormal beyond the normal change of coats in Fall and Spring when they "blow" their coats and chunks of hair fall out?

To the point you can see her white/pink skin if you look carefully enough. It's more of a skin allergy.


I was asked one time if I wanted to do an allergy test for her but it was going to cost me 300 dollars. No thanks.

 

[Courtney]

Seriously, post a picture if you can.

 

[carmspack]

Geek CORTISOL RESPONSE | Living an Optimized Life

hormones are reliant on light length fluctuations .

maybe the dog has an exhausted adrenal gland?
something out of order glandular levels , thyroid, adrenal .

 

[Liesje]

My dog just experienced a shed like I have NEVER seen before. If it had not been a holiday weekend we would have been at the vet. His top coat (not undercoat) was coming out in my hands in fistfuls as I was petting him. He also had heavy dandruff along his back and some areas that were like larger flakes of dry scabby skin. There have been no changes in diet lately, no exposure to anything out of the ordinary, I don't even groom my GSDs (so not a case of over brushing). I was terrified he had some sort of fungal infection or massive allergic reaction, but alas he is not bald (though his coat texture is now different and his color is not the same, a little bleed through on his black "saddle" along his neck/wither where he used to be a gorgeous solid black saddle). I ended up bathing him with a medicated shampoo and then using my dog dryer for about an hour, blowing out all the coat and checking his skin. I don't know what the deal was with all the skin and scabs but after the bath and blowing that out he's been fine. His skin is healthy and I can't find any more flaky spots. He lost more coat in 2 hours than I think he's lost total in the past two years. My dogs always shed seasonally and get that clumpy undercoat that has to be pulled out but this is the first time I've seen a dog shed more than half his top coat (the long, thick, sleek hairs). A few other people said their dogs had the same thing recently. I'm thinking in my case it was because we've had a very very cold spring and it went from freezing to 90 degrees and humid almost overnight. My dog prefers the colder temps to hot and humid and had developed a really lush coat this winter and spring (normally his coat is not as lush for a WGSL dog), so I think that immediate change kind of shocked his system hence the crazier-than-usual spring shed.

 

[carmspack]

people who improve their dog's diet sometimes see a dramatic shed , an overhaul , detox , then improvement.

 

[NancyJ]

It sounds like the OP has a chronic problem but I also had that topcoat shed with Grim last year (older male) and his thyroid was borderline low and I convinced the vet to give us a supplement based on Dodds and arguments about reference ranges etc. and it really helped.

Beau has some clumps of undercoat coming out right now but no topcoat loss. But we have now had hot sunny days after our cold rainy Spring. and I just put out his play pool and soaking seems to help bring out the coat. Time to blow him out good with the Metro.

Pictures and diet summary would be good though for the OPs dog.

 

[Liesje]

In my case absolutely nothing has changed other than the weather. I think it is hard on their system to go from freezing temps to that heat so fast, especially with no acclimation or buffer zone in the house (we don't use AC so if it's 90 outside, then it's 90 in the house too). It had been so cold and crappy he wasn't even using his play pool before the massive shed (sometimes in the summer he gets stinky because he goes in and out of his pool constantly and never dries with the summer humidity).

 

[carmspack]

If it would be helpful take the dog to a grooming salon and have them use the furminator to take all the loose hair out . That will let you have a good look at the skin .

There was a lost dog that I found that we had for a while waiting for a rescue group to have an opening in a foster home , or to be rehomed. In the interim I took him in for a groom. The coat was shaved , only to find a collar that was so tight that it had been covered with matted coat, and left an impression on the neck when removed. The coat was so matted it had to be shaved and gently pulled , looked like a dirty sheep rug after , all felted together. The skin underneath had lots of issues because the coat had actually trapped moisture causing problems. We had him for a few months and then he went to his new home , a retiree in an apartment .

If you take the coat off you can also see the quality of the new coat, pigment and how quickly it replaces itself. That gives you some clue as to the hormonal balances.