Any ideas for a constant heavy moulting GSD.  Long story with this boy buy itching alot and had all tests done for food, inhouse/outhouse allergies.  Fed on BARF diet.  Has to have a head and shoulders bath every month or so as his coat gets very waxy and heavy.  His moult is dreadfull, he is nearly 8 and has never lost so much hair, its even tho and doesnt look thin or patchy.  Vet is unsure of why he is itching.  Recently put him on a holistic 'Almost Human' Superdog vitamin supplement but the itching is still ongoing.  The amount of hair coming out of him is incredible! Any ideas? I could write an essay on this dog with the things we have tried so any responses from you guys may be returned with a 'tried that' LOL but appreciate any ideas. I am wondering if there is something more sinister going on with him??

> Has to have a head and shoulders bath every month or so as his coat gets very waxy and heavy

Head & Shoulders ???? Far better to use Quistel products. Not tested on animals it really does work, the people from Quistel are really helpful

Mind you GSDs do tend to moult 365 days a year, but usually a big moult only twice a year

my vet suggested H&S as it very effective for getting the waxy/grease out and it does makes a huge difference to him for around 4/6 weeks - same as the old Seleen shampoo apparently.  I am aware they loose hair daily and have a bigger moult twice a year but this is different.  He is nearly 8 and I have had him since he was 7 wks, this one is ongoing and heavier than usual, his topcoat comes out in handfulls and really easily.  Just been reading about hyperthoriodism, problem with trying to diagnose on the internet is you can get carried away.  Seeing vet next week as its worrying me.

I was going to ask if you'd tested for hypothyroidism (HYPER is unlikely, that tends to affect cats, dogs get the hypo version) as it does affect the coat. My 9 year old Malinois bitch has recently been diagnosed with it. After 3 weeks on medication she's back to normal and looks really young again, obviously it will be for life now but the tablets are pretty cheap and she's fine so all's well.

Have you tried to help with the itching with washing in Maleseb? - leave on for about 1/2hr and then wash off
Also camrosa ointment is good and i know someone who has been using Dermacton which has pretty much stopped the itchiness.
How about trying piriton if the vets are happy to see if this assists in alleviating anything

You say all the tests have been done with nothing to say that he is allergic to anything. I would do the following if not already done:
Remove all air fresheners in the house including febreeze
Stop using any shake n vac
Washing all dogs bedding in non bio only
Use only cotton bedding
Check what you wash the floors with, some chemicals can cause irritation

Funny question but probably not related but do you have ants in your garden as these can cause much irritation to a dog - this only came to mind after a friend mentioned this to me

Failing that i would be looking at getting blood tests done at the vets.

Hi, thats what I meant, just a typo! Thanks, will ask vet next wk for test.

Hi
Used for 6 months or so but he is so big a bottle at £20.00 only does 3 washes so vet rec H&S. His coat actually looks and feels better than with the maleseb.  Yes, all allergy tests were normal. All plug in's were removed last yr, I dont use shake n vac, we use vetbed gold and only use a natural non bio washing powder. When washing the floor i use natural cleaning product diluted and then rinse over with water and dry it before the dogs come back in. As to ants, cant say I have ever seen an abundance of them. He is less itchy on stone floors than carpets. We tried him on piriton for 3 months but it didnt help him.  He is now on Atopica daily for the itching, which suits me as he has A.F so this drug does both conditions - its the loss of coat that worries me. 
Thanks for you reply, much appreciated.

If he's losing this much coat and it's not looking thinner then maybe he's just having a very late moult?    the weather this year has been confusing for coats to say the least, varying between cold and very warm - maybe this is causing a heavier moult now?

If he's happier on stone floors then could it be that he is simply feeling the heat because of his heavy coat?

a Rubber Brush in the bath will help you get loads of coat out - and you can use it in between too.   

There are numerous tools to help keep shedding under control, you may find one which works for you ;)

This Article mentions dermatitis in connection with AF and GSDs

Thats interesting - thank you.

I've had marvellous results with Aldi's own version of H&S and it's only 99p.
I found H&S a bit too harsh for my bichon, hth x

love
welshdoglover x

> constant heavy moulting GSD

One of our dogues is like that. I wonder if it's because he's neutered, none of our others do it. We keep on top of it by using a furminator once a week. Plenty of hair comes out but there's plenty left too. In itself it's not a worry and unlike yours he doesn't seem to itch with it.

Maybe more testing is the way to go. I believe AF can be related to general skin problems so it might be a question of managing his skin as best you can. Can you ask for a referrral to a dermatologist?

I am off to Aldi later so I will get some to try, thanks

Hii. he too is neutered, I am attending a AF seminar in October in Hertfordshire so could ask about to one of the experts there.  His pedigree was sent to London vets school for studying to ascertain as to if there is a genentic link with AF.
thanks