Is this shedding or hair loss?

We recently got a dog from the pound. She was picked up as a stray and was very malnourished. They say she is a german shepherd/lab mix. I notice that she loses a LOT of fur. I vacuum and brush her two times a day and bathe her once every 3 weeks. When I pet her, I get handfuls of hair at a time. We are eating, sleeping and breathing nothing but dog hair!


I am feeding her IAMS healthy naturals with wholesome chicken plus vitamins, minerals and amino acids..


She has an appt with the vet in a couple weeks but I thought I would see what I can try before then. Any ideas?Is this shedding or hair loss?
first of all don't feed her iams its bad to many preservatives in the food , go with nutro i guarantee its better


It can be excess shedding since dogs have different types of coats they shed as in summer/winter coat, (its just a change from a lighter coat to a heavier coat so they are warm in winter, then the change from a thick coat to a lighter coat so they are cooler in summer) but let your vet tell you whats wrong. I hope everything turns out goodIs this shedding or hair loss?
well it can be a lot of things but the most common thing would be shedding because of the seasonal changes there,for example if as u say it gets to 50 below zero if it suddenly gets warmer say about 25 above zero she/he can lose hair due to the weather because when a dog sheds its because when it gets warmer they need less hair and need to shed it because its too warm for them,and in alaska it can be very cold one day then ';warm'; the next so that may be why she/he is shedding hope this healps ^^
She is shedding and the causes could be numerous. A major change in diet, stress of moving to a new environment, parasites, normal seasonal changes can all contribute to significant shedding.
ya just take her to that appmnt the vet will probably proscribe a special diet and shampoo for your dog
It could just be change in diet or shampoo





but its natural for dogs to shed ALOT





i wouldnt be too worried if i were u just wait untill the app.
I got a German Shep X Lab from the pound about 4 months ago now and I think it was one of the best things I've done in a long time so thanks for getting one from the pound and not a pet shop.





My girl is sort of the opposite though, instead of getting the german shep long hair, she has short black lab fur. I'm sure that your doing a good thing by brushing her a lot and the time left between baths seems normal.





If you live where I do and it is summer now, loosing hair it completely normal. It drives me crazy when i have to vacuum the house 3 times a week but i know that when winter comes around, it will be back to normal.


If it is winter though, I would have her looked over by a vet if you think that there is way too much hair coming off her. It is possible that she has an allergy or may have a minor skin condition. Don't be too worried though
It sounds like you are doing the right things. You say she was malnourished when you got her. Is she still thin? If she is I would change her to puppy chow. I feed mine Beneful. My vet thinks it is a better food than Iams. You could also add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to her food. It will help her coat a lot. Those kinds of dogs do shed a lot but what you are describing seems excessive. I do know that malnourished animals tend to loose a lot of their hair, sometimes to the skin. It takes a long time for and animal to regain their health after being malnourished for any length of time. Thank you for saving this dog. She deserves so much more than she has received.