hi all, i have a GSP and she is excessivly shedding hair, she has been for about 6 weeks now and it is quite bad ! we can get nearly a dustpan worth every morning off the floor in the kitchen were she lives most of the time. i have read that this can be caused by a lack of essential fatty acids in there diet and i am wondering if there is any good dry dog foods out there that have EFA's in them that may help with this excessive shedding of hair.
or if anyone else has had the same problems and has found a solution please let me know how you solved it.

thanks everyone for your help :)

I don't feed exclusively dry to any of my dogs but have in the past found that Wafcol Salmon & Potato has been useful in achieving and maintaining good quality of coat :)

I think you'll find that at the moment there are thousands of dogs suffering from excessive moults, regardless of diets.  One of mine (long coated breed) looks like she had a litter 10 weeks ago she is so bald yet she had a superb coat until April >sigh<   Since then all of mine have been losing coat even when the new one is growing in and at shows and chatting with friends it's a common problem which (no scientific proof LOL) we've each concluded is down to the weird and wonderful changes in the GB weather.

There are several liquid coat supplements available which may help and can be drizzled over her existing diet should you be otherwise happy with what you're feeding or you could simply add a little olive oil instead.  Holland & Barrett also sell good quality Vit E and Evening Primrose Oil capsules which would be another alternative.

All above said, I'd personally be inclined to add around half a small tin of sardines to her food each day - a more natural alternative IMO and one she'll enjoy better :)

regards, Teri

I'd personally be inclined to add around half a small tin of sardines to her food each day - a more natural alternative IMO and one she'll enjoy better


I agree, this is what i do too though mine often get salmon or tuna rather than sardines and both have beautifully shiny coats (under the mud!! Summer? what summer? :-D )

I have started adding sunflower oil to my boys food after it was recommended on here and after precisely 9 days, I am sure that my boys look better - glossy and no dry flakes.

You could try a powdered supplement such as "The Missing Link" or "Nupro".  Or maybe try Salmon oil :)

You could try adding an evening primrose oil capsule (available as a doggy version (dont it is different to human ones) from dorwest).  Said to promote good quality coat growth, minimising moulting, rectifying dryness and maintaining good skin condition.

But I also have used salmon in the past.

Emma

Salmon oil is great and sa37 seaweed supplement help with the moulting also a furminator is handy for such breeds I use with my vizslas

Until recently I have fed Royal Canin Maxi Dog Sensible and have been really impressed with the quality of my girl's coat. We have been to SKC today and have had nothing but compliments on her coat and condition. The only reason I have changed is that she has developed a pink tinge and it is possible that the food could be the cause, however in a coloured dog I don't think this would be a problem. Although it is designed for sensitive stomachs, it has a very high level of EFA's and seems to help produce lush, shiny coats. My girls breeder has been so impressed with her coat and condition, that she has just reared her last litter on RC and is trying the food on her dogs. Have a look at their website and see what you think.

Yumega

An addition of Seagreens (including Kelp) seems to help a bit too. 

I have found mine keep good coat condition, even when moulting on Arden Grange.  Someone who had a dog with a  dry coat put hers on AG Salmon and the coat improved immensely, but she had been feeding poor quality food previously.

luvhandles has it right. Sunflower Oil is what you need. A healthy skin and coat need Linoleic Acid and vitamin D, both of these are present in the highest concentrate and the most easily digestible form in sunflower oil. A lot of the proprietary brands have added fish or vegetable oils, and these do help to a certain extent, but because of the danger of them going rancid, they don't add anything like enough. If you buy one of the very large bottles of sunflower oil from the supermarket and use the cap as a measure, your GSP will need about 2 capfuls a day.