{"id":13567,"date":"2022-08-02T09:30:50","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T14:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/?p=13567"},"modified":"2026-02-17T10:07:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:07:54","slug":"can-specific-nutrients-help-manage-shedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/blog\/grooming\/shedding\/can-specific-nutrients-help-manage-shedding\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Specific Nutrients Help Manage Your Dog\u2019s Shedding?"},"content":{"rendered":"

For most pet parents, shedding is a small nuisance you endure as a trade-off for the love and affection of your best furry friend. Constantly vacuuming and lint-rolling isn\u2019t soooo much of a task when you\u2019re greeted with those big puppy-dog eyes afterwards. But there are ways to help manage your dog\u2019s shedding, including making sure they have adequate amounts of certain nutrients in their diet.<\/p>\n

First, Why Do Dogs Shed?<\/h2>\n

Shedding is a natural process that removes loose, old or damaged hair. How often your dog sheds is affected by whether they spend most of their time indoors or outdoors, because day length and temperature affect shedding. If your dog is an \u201cI only go outside for the necessities\u201d type dog, then they may shed more lightly and evenly all year compared to an \u201cI love exploring the great outdoors\u201d type dog, who may shed more in the spring and fall. Other factors that affect how much your dog sheds include breed, disease, stress, pregnancy and nutrition.<\/p>\n

Hair Needs Nutrients, Too<\/h2>\n

Just like how your dog needs a certain amount of nutrients to stay healthy and active, their hair also needs specific nutrients to stay strong and shiny (and less likely to shed). If your dog\u2019s diet doesn\u2019t meet their fur\u2019s nutritional needs, it may cause dry, brittle hair and a dull coat \u2014 and result in more shedding.<\/p>\n

Hair is mostly protein, so if there is inadequate or poor-quality protein in a dog\u2019s diet, their coat will be among the first areas of the body affected. Other nutrients that are also important to keep hair healthy and less likely to shed include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids<\/a>, zinc and vitamins A and E. Fatty acids are found in the oils produced by your dog\u2019s skin that contribute to the luster or shininess of a normal healthy coat. Vitamin A helps the skin produce these oils and helps with hair maintenance and growth. Zinc helps hair follicles function properly and also helps make the protein in hair. Vitamin E is important for skin health and helps support hair strength. Zinc and vitamin E are also antioxidants<\/a> that help protect your dog from damaging free radicals.<\/p>\n

To help manage shedding, veterinary nutritionists and veterinarians recommend feeding your dog a pet food<\/a> that provides high-quality protein, an adquate ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and adequate amounts of zinc and vitamins A and E.<\/p>\n

Nutrient Sources for Hair Health<\/h2>\n

So where do the nutrients important for your dog\u2019s hair health (and therefore helpful for managing shedding) come from? From a variety of ingredients in high-quality dog food<\/a>. Below are some examples of the ingredient sources for protein, omega fatty acids, zinc and vitamins A and E in Diamond pet food formulas.<\/p>\n

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Excessive Shedding Could Be Normal \u2014 or Not<\/h2>\n

If the amount of hair your dog is shedding has you vacuuming waaay more than you think you should be, it\u2019s a good idea to have your dog checked by your veterinarian. Because along with poor nutrition, a medical issue could cause excessive shedding. You should also contact your veterinarian if your dog\u2019s hair falls out easily or in clumps, or if your dog has irritated, red, itchy skin. Keep in mind that what seems like excessive shedding to you could actually be normal for your dog. Your veterinarian will help determine what is normal shedding and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

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RELATED POST: Dog Grooming 101<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For most pet parents, shedding is a small nuisance you endure as a trade-off for the love and affection of your best furry friend. Constantly vacuuming and lint-rolling isn\u2019t soooo much of a task when you\u2019re greeted with those big puppy-dog eyes afterwards. But there are ways to help manage your dog\u2019s shedding, including making […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13569,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Can Specific Nutrients Help Manage Your Dog\u2019s Shedding?","_seopress_titles_desc":"Despite what you may think, specific nutrients in your dog\u2019s diet can help keep their hair healthy, strong and less likely to shed. Find out more today!","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[47,265],"tags":[10,385,803],"class_list":["post-13567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grooming","category-shedding","tag-dog","tag-dog-nutrition","tag-dog-shedding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13567\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}