husky blow outs???????

[LorraineO]

As you kow I am hoping to adopt Rose. A husky /Cattle dog.. well I have a question about her coat.....

she is shedding REALLY bad right now and I am really hoping that with time her coat will not shed QUITE as much as it was today,, I mean, man,, I would pet her from her head to her bum and come away with a handful of hair! What season do Huskies BLOW coats??? Maybe thats what she is doing?

I am also worried about he hair factor as I became terribly allergic to our scotty after my kidney transplant.... I couldnt breathe for about 4 months,,, it was awful,,,, he came down with cancer and had to be put down and then within a month,,, I was back to normal,,, God,, what do I do if I get allergic to Rose??? Are all longish haired dogs highly allergenic?? Is that the right word? Input anyone??

[chocolatepuppy]

Lorianne, I have no allergy problems. My Mandy,while she has hair like a golden retriever in the summer has the hair of a newfie in the winter. And boy does she shed:eek: hair everywhere! But from what I've always heard it's not the dogs hair as much as their dander that makes people allergic. Not an expert but that's what I've always heard. Maybe someone else can help you more.

[anna_66]

Originally posted by LorraineO
she is shedding REALLY bad right now and I am really hoping that with time her coat will not shed QUITE as much as it was today,, I mean, man,, I would pet her from her head to her bum and come away with a handful of hair! What season do Huskies BLOW coats??? Maybe thats what she is doing?

Well I'm no expert but with Roxey I can get hair like that from her just about all the time...just ask Robin! She came to visit and I brushed Roxey really good. Then Robin came and Roxey got excited and the hair just started flying:eek:
I know they are supposed to blow coat twice a year but all thoughout the rest of the year they shed too. I've heard that it's worse if they are an inside dog, but I couldn't tell you for sure if that's true (since ours mainly stay in the house).
Don't know if I helped any, just thought I'd share;)

[Glacier]

Huskies blow their coats twice a year. Once just before their winter coat comes in and again the early summer when they let the winter coat go. The amount of hair is truly astonishing. I have friend who spins my dogs' fur into wool! I have a great hat made out of their fur and this year I am getting some mittens!

Regular brushing will keep it down somewhat, but huskies always shed some, even when they aren't in full coat blow mode. If she spends alot of time indoors, the shedding will be less.

[sammy101]

my godparents have a Husky/malamute mix and he wasnt shedding too bad,but it was snowing already,so we just missed his big shedding.Probably just regular baths and brushing should keep it under control.
btw-make sure you brush her OUTSIDE!!:p

[tatsxxx11]

My Cody, a Husky x, has one major blowout per year, where she sheds her undercoat...it pops out in tufts that you can pluck off! That happens from around March till early summer. She does shed a lot of fine fur, her top coat all summer but from Fall till Spring, she hardly sheds at all! With her, the key is daily combing and brushing, a bath every 2 weeks and a good diet.

[Tonya]

Roxy is Husky and she blows her coat once about June time. Dusty is Husky and Australian Shephard, he blows his coat about April. They shed year around but the late spring early summer is the worst. I remember when I first got Dusty, he was especially bad because his coat hadn't been taken care of. Once he got a good brushing, it was never that bad again. I have a hard time tolerating all that fur, especially with my son's allergies, so they both get shaved every May. It is hot enough by May, and their fur is back in thick by the time fall comes back around.

[talia22]

I HAVE 3 HUSKIES AND IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THEY ARE SHEDDING YEAR ROUND! IT SEEMS AS SOON AS 1 STOPS ANOTHER STARTS DEFIANATLY SUMMER AND WINTE ARE WORSE BUT I FIND IF I GIVE THEMA GOOD BRUSH OUT IT HELPS ALOT!! HOPE THIS HELPS

[LorraineO]

I was wondering if it might be a good idea to take her into a groomer,, have her bathed throughly and properly brushed for the first time,,,

Get some pointers from the groomer on how to properly brush her,,, I understand huskies have a very thick undercoat,, right? If thats true,,, I will have to get right down to her skin to groom her right and prevent matting from starting. Am I on the right track ladies??

thanks a million for the advice,, I just cant get over how nervous I am..... I just have nightmares of becoming allergic after getting her!!! :( :( with all the meds I am on now from my kidney transplant , I cant take too many if any over the counter allergy drugs...

I also cant believe how STUPID I was for not taking some pics of her while she was here at the house... Can we say stupid Lorraine???

[talia22]

ALSO ONE TIME WE SHAVED OUR HUSKY HE LOOKED VERY SILLY AND UNLESS IT WAS FOR REASONS LIKE ALLERGYS I WOULDNT RECOMMMEND BUT IT MIGHT HELP.

[Glacier]

A professional grooming would probably be a great start. I've never seen a husky get truly matted though. You need to get a special brush for dogs with an undercoat. It looks like a rake, works like crazy!

Shaving a husky is generally discouraged. The undercoat protects them from heat and cold. They need in the summer too. They also have quite sensitive skin and can sunburn easily if they are shaved too short. I've heard horror stories of huskies who's coat never grew back after they were shaved. THey could no longer tolerate cold the way a husky should be able to.

[Iilo]

She might not blow as much coat as other nordic breeds do because she's crossed with something else, just a thought..
But if she does have the real thick undercoat you'll want to invest in a soft slicker (I go to the pet store and "brush" my arm to see how soft they are -- if they leave marks on my arm I won't buy... and if they hurt I try to hide them so uneducated pet owners won't buy them). I use a greyhound comb (all metal with moderatly wide spaced teeth) and do something called "line grooming" at least once a month. It takes about three hours on my big ol' Malamute. I put him up on our grooming table and hold my left hand against his fur and brush a little section at a time, moving my left hand up slowly and letting more fur get combed... if that makes any sense.

[LorraineO]

I am enclosing a pic taken fairly recently of roses coat..... is it anything like a huskies??

see attachement

[Tonya]

Rose's coat looks similar to Dusty's. His outer coat isn't like a Husky's, but his undercoat is. Yes, like Glacier said it's not recommended to shave a husky. I live in mild climate so I don't worry about it.

[Corinna]

I haven't owned a huskey but with my chows it seemed that it depended on you area. If you have really definate seasons the shed did its thing and was done . But if you have very simmalar temps its all year round.

[RobiLee]

Hehehe...yep, I can testify that Anna's Roxey is a shedder. Thats not going to stop me from going back though. I love that beautiful husky girl ;)

I noticed that Tori is starting to shed more and more. She has always shed some but I have noticed that the fur is really starting to fly lately. She loves for me to scratch her backside and when I do that her fur really starts coming out. Its everywhere. Tori has only been with us for four months now so I haven't experienced all the different seasons with her yet.

I would say to trust Glacier's opinions and advice. With her pack of beauties and experience I would consider her our husky expert ;)

Robin :)

[talia22]

Her coat looks alot like my Female husky Talia and she sheds the least of the 3 huskys. i would not worry about it her chunks of hair do not come out nearly as much as the other 2 and her daily SHAVING is more than a regular dog but nowhere near my males who have super thick dence hair...oh and about shedding like i said i also discourage you from doing it i to have heard that they need there coat for many reasons other than warmth. Also i can verify that it is hard to grow back it took a long while for my Male Tahoe to grow back and when it did he had a bald patch on his back right where tail meets for the longest time then we started him on prednisone for a totally unrelated reason and it grew back immediatly i still think it had something to do with is but my husband disagrees...

[dogs_4_me]

Emma blew her coat around june. There was soo much hair! But we found regular brushes, and taken ehr to the groomer once during helped ALOT.

[LorraineO]

WHAT wqould I do without you ladies??? I cant tell you just how much better I feel after reading all your opinions and experiences with your doggies! I think we can give this a go.....

On another different topic from hair...

It will be a lifestlye change for a few things for us for awhile... We ALWAYS take Lucybelle with us shooping and such unless its super hot,,, but with the dogs being so new to eachother,, I dont think its such a good plan to leave them in a car together,,, I figure maybe after a cpl of months and they are used to eachother it might be okay then.... I recall reading somewhere it s not a good idea to leave them alone for at least a month or so.... I could leave her at home with my son,, but he is 14 and I dont know the dog at all,, so thats not a good idea either... I guess crating them together might be ok... (2 crates side by side I mean) It usually takes us an hour and a half to do shopping,,that should be alright?

Just tell me toshut up if I am getting annoying here!!! :o

[anna_66]

Originally posted by talia22
we started him on prednisone for a totally unrelated reason and it grew back immediatly i still think it had something to do with is but my husband disagrees...
Tell him it's true! We've had Angus on prednisone for the last two months and he has the most amazing beautiful hair! He had always lost it like crazy, but now I rarely even find any of his hair!

Lorraine, yes I think that sounds like a great idea to let them get to know each other much better before leaving them alone in the car together. You just never know.
And I too think having a professional grooming session for Rose would be ideal! Rose is a beautiful color in the picture you attached. Have you found out if and & when you will bring her home?

[LorraineO]

Well we are going to have her overnight on Saturday,,, and if all goes well.. a visit to our vet.. discuss her eyes and her overall health... and by the wednesday next.. she should have found her forever home with us!

Her coloring is indeed very pretty,,, a light and dark caramel color... her face is very feminine,,, i PROMISE to take pics this time round....

[Stenograsaurus]

My husky sheds constantly. I run the sweeper in my living room twice a day just to keep up with it.

[wolf_Q]

Her coat looks about the same length/thickness (and color too ;) ) as Nebo's.

I'm completely anal about clumps of hair. If Nebo gets even a few little tiny clumps, he goes to work with me! I use the high pressure dryer on him to blow out his coat, then brush him mostly with a slicker and and undercoat rake. I bath him every 1-2 months.

Yes, huskies do shed like crazy. Nebo seems to shed *really* bad in the spring. That's when his undercoat is coming out so he can have the thinner coat for summer. During the winter his coat thickens and the undercoat doesn't come out as much. However, he sheds individual hairs all year round.

I would NEVER recommend shaving a husky. I know that some don't agree with me, but I have seen coats ruined by shaving. A husky's coat insulates against heat and cold. The best thing to do to keep a husky cool is to keep the coat brushed out well.

[Tonya]

BTW, Dusty loves it when I vacumn him! When I brush him, I contantly run the vacumn on him to get the loose hair. He'll sit there all day!

[talia22]

ANNA 66:
thank u FOR CONFIRMING ABOUT THE PREDNISONE I HAD MY HUSBAND COME READ WHAT YOU WROTE AND NOW HE FINALLY BELIEVES ME:)

WOLF Q:
NEBO U ARE ADORABLE LOOKS ALOT LIKE MY TALIA::) SAME KINDA COAT TOO.

IN CASE ANY ONE MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT I SAID WAS ALTHOUGH I HAD SHAVED MY OLDEST HUSKY ABOUT 5 YRS AGO I ALSO WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT FOR MANY REASONS BUT THE MAIN ONE WAS THAT IT DIDNT GROW BACK FOR THE LONGEST TIME BUT NOT HIS COAT IS BACK AND BEAUTIFUL

ALSO WITH 3 HUSKYS I AM USING THE DUST BUSTER AT LEAST 3 TIMES A DAY AND A GIANT HAIR ROLLE RFOR THE COUCH:)