Why does a dog shed his fur?
All our furry pets shed a few hairs every day, just as you lose a few hairs when you brush or comb. If you have a darling dog or a cute cat who spends a lot of time indoors, it is A good idea to give him or her a daily brushing to keep the lost loose hairs from messing up the furniture. A daily grooming also pleases your pet and this kindness will make him love you even more than he already does.
The animals that wear coats of fur, hair or wool are mammals. The bristles of the pig and the quills of the porcupine are actually stiff hairs, which means that these fellows to are mammals. The whale and the hippo, though mostly bald, have just a few stubbly hairs to prove that they also belong to the mammal group of animals.
All baby mammals are fed on mother’s milk, which is another item which makes them different from all other animals. They are all warm¬ blooded animals. In a warm blooded animal, some of the food energy is used to keep the body at the right temperature, even when the weather is too hot or too cold for comfort. Cats, dogs and other furry fellows also wear coats which help to keep out the cold.
A hair or a thread of fur grows from a tiny pocket in the skin. New cells grow in at the root and older cells soon die. The new, Towing cells push the old thread up and out of the skin in a thin thread of fur or hair. A thread of hair is made of dead cells, which is why it does not hurt to have your hair cut.
When a thread of hair is long enough, the root stops making new cells for a while. But after a few weeks or months of wear and tear, a hair becomes shabby and worn. It falls out and the root come to life again and starts growing a new one.
A dog has millions of hairs and a few old ones fall out each day to let new ones start growing.
When winter comes, most mammals grow thicker coats and the extra hairs help keep out the cold. When the warm spring days come around, these hairs are ready to fall out. This is when a doggie goes throlagh a spell of shedding. As a rule, a mammals coat is thinner in the warm summer months and thicker during the winter, But a few old hairs are shed every day.
Do not worry if your dog sheds lots of hair in the spring for t= s is quite natural. Just help him along with extra brushings. But if he sheds in winter he may not be getting the right food to grow strong hairs. If he becomes bald, even in patches, he is sick and you should hurry him over to see a dog doctor who will know just what should be done.