Dog and cat shedding: here are some tips to follow

Renewing dog and cat hair is often an unmanageable problem for some owners. A professional groomer gave us some advice < /h2>

The Autumn and our dogs and our cats they prepare to renew their coat, a natural cycle that occurs from the end of September until the end of November. However, although the shedding of dog and cat hair repeats itself seasonally (spring and autumn), there are many who find themselves unprepared in managing it.
The reason is the lack of knowledge and confusion on the subject which is still very widespread, with the final result however of not being of help to your four-legged friends.
To clarify things once and for all, we decided to rely on the advice of a professional groomer, as well as coach of our Aries Academy Natural, Rosaria Maria Rana.
Together with her in this article we are going to learn how and why moulting occurs and above all how to deal with it in the right way by following some important advice.

The shedding of the dog’s fur

As already mentioned, knowledge about the renewal of dog and cat hair is often accompanied by some inaccuracies.
One of these is the one that says that the moult is linked only to the change in hot/cold temperatures, when in reality – explains the expert Rosaria Maria Rana – it is influenced and regulated by the photoperiod (ratio between hours of light and darkness). The long photoperiod in spring, associated with an increase in temperatures, means that the thick winter undercoat is completely lost and therefore the molt is total. In autumn, however, the short photoperiod, with a drop in temperatures, stimulates the organism to thicken the coat, causing the moult to be partial.

Medium-haired dogs shed more

When we talk about shedding, we might think that long-haired dogs and cats lose the most hair. In reality the opposite is true.
Another of the myths to dispel about dog shedding, in fact, is precisely the one that states that the amount of hair lost depends on its length.
“Paradoxically – says the expert – it is medium-haired dogs and cats that lose the most hair. For example, one of the most demanding dogs during shedding it is the German Shepherd, a dog with an abundant undercoat. In fact, what falls out during the moult is the secondary hair, which long-haired dogs have less of, which is why their moult is easier to manage in terms of quantity of hair lost “.
The same thing goes for cats, although regarding the moulting of felines there would be a separate discussion, which we will illustrate further down in the article .

Brush the fur regularly

One of the fundamental rules for dealing with the shedding of your dogs and cats during the renewal of the coat is brushing.
As the groomer explains, it is one of the practices that must be intensified in all dogs and cats, whether they have long, medium or short hair.
“Brushing our dogs and cats regularly, – underlines Rana – helps them get rid of dead hair more easily. Furthermore, in cases where the dog and cat have long hair, I recommend using a conditioner, therefore never brushing them dry. This way you avoid causing static electricity in the fur, breaking it and causing pain to our pets. animal friends”.

The importance of relying on professional groomers

Another important piece of advice that Rosaria Maria Rana gives during the moulting period is to intensify the frequency of grooming. This applies to all types of dogs, but especially to medium-haired ones.
“The reason – he explains – lies in the fact that bathing facilitates the fall of dead hair and those who wash their dog independently during the moult risk meet again an additional quantity of hair in the house that will be difficult to manage. It is therefore advisable to rely on us professional groomers, as we use treatments and tools suitable for each specific case and each type of hair”.

Watch out for wire-haired dogs

Special attention should be given to the category of dogs with rough or wiry hair. That is, those breeds such as the Border terrier, Jack Russell, the Spinone, the Fox terrier, the Westie, and so on.
“This type of dog – says Rana – absolutely needs to be subjected to treatments by us groomers, because they require Stripping , a grooming technique that allows dogs with rough hair to finish moulting. Therefore it is essential for them to guarantee regular grooming. Those with rough hair – he adds – are in fact dogs that, if not helped to eliminate their hair dead which tends to compact and prevent the skin from breathing, are more subject to dermatitis. Therefore during the moult they should be taken periodically to professional grooming centers, and not twice a year as some people do”.

The cat’s molt, a case in itself

As regards the shedding of cats, the matter requires separate attention, although the rule of continuous brushing to be carried out with the use of conditioners if the hair is long.
The cat molt However, it is much more complex than that of the dog, because it is different from cat to cat and due to various factors.
“There are some feline breeds for example that lose their hair every two months, – explains Rosaria Maria Rana – others instead that tend not to lose it, like the Siamese. For this reason, specific treatment at grooming centers is advisable for each type of cat”.

The importance of cat grooming

Compared to that of dogs, the care of felines’ coats is often overlooked, or rather underestimated. Which is why some cats risk having a series of problems during hair renewal.
All this can be attributed to the spread of a false myth regarding their cleaning, namely that cats do everything themselves.
“To take serious care of the cat – underlines the groomer – it is necessary to dispel the myth that felines wash themselves. This is partly true, only that for the same reason as the dog, the cat also eliminates a greater quantity of dead hair during the bath. For this reason, to facilitate its shedding when they shed, it would be advisable to subject it to washing. Furthermore, since the renewal of their fur varies based on to the breed, it is absolutely necessary to entrust the cat to the treatments of us groomers, who will thus have the opportunity to monitor its shedding and treat it in a specific way on a case-by-case basis”.

• Thanking the groomer and our coach Rosaria Maria Rana for the precious advice, we at Aries Soluzioni Naturali, aware of how important the care of the coat of your beloved animals is, we invite you to get to know our various Finishing lines natural based and specific for every type of dog and cat.

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