my shih tzu gave birth 3 weeks ago. her coat has been falling out pretty rapidly and has been tangeling fairly easy. the vet keeps telling me it will come back to the luxurious coat i have worked so hard on, and she gave me a list of things to feed her to help her coat, but i just wanted to hear from someone who has gon through this personally what did you do? how long did it take for her coat to come all the way back?
Answers:
This is really normal due to the hormone changes. Giving birth and nursing a litter is rough on their coat. Your vet is correct. It can take up to 2 years. Raw eggs are not good for dogs, it robs their system of Biotin.
Give your dog an egg every week or so. Even if its with the shell, its all really healthy, and should make the coat shiny and really healthy in approximatly a month or two, not too exact on the time frame though. Don't cook the egg, just give it too her, and keep her in an area where its eay to clean. Or you can crack the egg into her bowl, either just the contents, or you could crush the shell a little, if she doesn't eat the shell, its fine, the egg itself also has nutrients that will definalty help. Also, continue brushing, if you did, if not, start, it won't be as tangly. Also, you could ask at a local pet store for shampoos that have that added ingrediant for shine and healthy coat.
tyr eggs every couple days its very good for there coat
It will take quite some time for her coat to return to normal after giving birth. Flax seed is very healthy for dogs and I have noticed it makes my dog's coat very shiny, I don't know if this will speed up the process but it might be worth a try. You can buy milled flax seed at the grocerty store and just sprinkle a teaspoon or so onto her food. My dog loves it (it has a very nutty flavor) and its good for humans too!
In most cases, a dog's fur and skin health can be directly related to its diet, especially during pregnancy, after giving birth, and during nursing. If your dog is not eating a good quality diet high in nutrition and/or is not getting enough food, then skin and fur problems develop.
The fur problem your shih tzu is having could also be related to the immense amount of stress she encounters during this period. Once again, a good quality, nutrient dense diet may relieve most or all of the problem.
What your vet told you, that her fur will eventually come back to what is was, is true for the most part. And though I don't know what things she listed for you to give your dog, you may want to try some of the following suggestions I have listed.
But first, what brand of dog food are you feeding her? Is it a holistic formula dog food or is it one of the many inferior quality, "top-selling" brands that many people feed their pets?
Holistic formulas contain a "named" meat, or even several "named" meats, as the first or first few ingredients. Seems to reason, since dogs are carnivores and require meat-based proteins as their primary source of nutrition. Breeds like shih tzu's require slightly higher protein levels than many other breeds in order to maintain good health, especially with their skin and coat.
Holistic foods also contain whole grains such as rice, barley, oats, flax, etc. Granted, the best food for dogs should contain NO grains whatsoever. But if it does then these whole grains are completely acceptable provided the food is not grain-heavy.
Along with other healthy additions to the ingredient list, like chicken fat (instead of "poultry" or "animal" fat), vegetables and fruits, herring or herring oil, as well as natural preservatives like tocopherols (vitamin E), the food will provide the needed nutrients (particularly Omega 3 and 6) for good health.
What holistic foods don't contain, and which should be strictly avoided, are CORN, WHEAT and SOY in any form, any "unnamed" meat source (such as "meat" by-product, "meat and bone" meal), BY-PRODUCTS (even "named" by-products) of any kind, "animal" fat or digest, and ARTIFICIAL colors, flavors and especially preservatives. (Keep in mind that if any food contains a fish meal of some type, this may very well have been preserved with the harmful ingredient Ethoxyquin).
The list of ingredients to avoid goes on, so the best thing is to do alittle research. Understand what each ingredient is and learn what dog foods should and should NOT contain.
Surprisingly many dog foods, even brands like Iams, Nutro, Science Diet, and Eukanuba, contain many bad and even harmful ingredients. Brands like Purina and Pedigree are far worse.
A good, high quality food should help alleviate your "baby's" problem in a reasonable period of time. Maybe adding a food supplement would be necessary if the food alone doesn't work.
Whatever it is you try, just remember to be patient. Recovery may take several weeks or even a few months. But if you do it right your dog will recover.
The following are just some suggestions to try if others fail.
INNOVA Adult Dry dog food--A great nutrient-dense food considered to be one of the healthiest dog foods in the world. Feeding my shih tzu/yorkie this food has produced a very healthy skin and coat.
CANIDAE Canine All Life Stages Formula (avoid the chicken only or the lamb only formulas)--Another nutrient-dense food that contains several ingredients for a healthy skin and coat.
CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE DOG LOVER's SOUL--A good food with healthy ingredients. The fish meal used is preserved with natural ingredients and NOT Ethoxyquin.
MERRICK Turducken formula
Feeding canned food along with dry will be of great benefit. The added moisture will help your dog digest the food easier.
Using canned foods like Wellness, Innova (EVO is best), California Natural and Canidae are a healthy addition. And for goodness sake don't feed any food that you can buy at the grocery store or at places like Walmart.
Some pet owners will feed their dogs a puppy formula during pregnancy and lactation. Doing this in short-term should cause no problems. It may also give mother's milk the added nutrients she can pass onto her pups.
You may also want to try a natural supplement that will add extra skin and coat nutrients.
California Natural Skin and Coat supplement is a good choice. So is Shed Stop (recommended by vets even if the dog isnt shedding).
These should only be used for short periods of time but they will make a difference in the condition of fur and coat.
Below I have listed some great websites that may help you.
Good luck and the best to you both!
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