Im not sure if my shiba is sick!!!
Im not sure if my 1 yr old shiba inu Momo is sick.
A few weeks ago, she started to shead ALOT!!! and I know that occurs at least twice a year. But she's shedding so much, that she's starting to look like she's much skinnier than ever. And she's losing fur, in patches. I don't know if that is normal!!
Cause I have a male shiba inu also 1 yr kenshin. And he lost it in layers, so he looks fine.
by patches i mean like you can visibly see where she had shed and where she hasnt yet. legs, chest.
but then again, both of their fur are slightly different, even though they are suppose to be siblings. Kenshin's is much more soft and smooth, while Momo's is tough and coarse.
should i bring her to the vet and maybe get blood work done? She just got all her shots and spaying like 6 months ago.
A few weeks ago, she started to shead ALOT!!! and I know that occurs at least twice a year. But she's shedding so much, that she's starting to look like she's much skinnier than ever. And she's losing fur, in patches. I don't know if that is normal!!
Cause I have a male shiba inu also 1 yr kenshin. And he lost it in layers, so he looks fine.
by patches i mean like you can visibly see where she had shed and where she hasnt yet. legs, chest.
but then again, both of their fur are slightly different, even though they are suppose to be siblings. Kenshin's is much more soft and smooth, while Momo's is tough and coarse.
should i bring her to the vet and maybe get blood work done? She just got all her shots and spaying like 6 months ago.
Comments
They use to be on Eukanuba, but ive switched them to IAMS tiny bites.
I couldnt find Eukanuba at BJ, so I chnaged them over to IAMS.
What food should they be on...?
Nutro? Eukanuba? Iams? none of the above?
Vet around where i am (NY) runs about $65 just for the visits, do u remember how much the blood work was in CA?
They just turned 1 a few days ago, but they are still small (puppy look) compared to some of the other shiba inu ive seen.
I heard they sometimes take up to 3 years to grow full size. Is that true?
LJ also makes a great point, and since you feed Iams - there are a lot of filler grains in that type of food. I think double coated spitz breeds (shibas) thrive on a grain free diet with omega's (fish oil). Perhaps you can do some comparative shopping on different types of dog food available to you.
dogfoodanalysis.com has ingredient listings, and dogfoodproject.com has awesome information about the different types of dog food available today.
Also, keep in mind that your shibas are young, so they probably haven't blown coat often enough for you to compare. I don't think shibas reach their full size potential until closer to 18-24 months. I think around 8-12 months they max out their height, but everything else takes a little longer to follow. My male turned one in November and just started to really fill out and look more 'adult' than ever.
Momo might just really be blowing coat hard, and without the added coat supplements it might look worse than it really is. But consider the vet tests and food options, even as a preventative caution - it never hurts.
You should try to find a food that is grain-free - I notice my Shiba does best on grain-free foods.
You can view reviews of dog food at Dog Food Analysis (this is the same site jen posted...seems she posted while I was typing :P)
A few brands that I would recommend would be: EVO, Orijen, Solid Gold, Before Grain, Nature's Variety, Wellness CORE
A few brands that aren't 5 or 6 star, but still pretty healthy and more affordable: California Natural, Artemis, Innova, Natural Balance
Most importantly - you should go with what your dogs like and do well on. Even though Orijen is a great food, it is too rich for my dogs and they get bad gas and loose stools. So it's important to go with what your dogs do well on and can handle. Every dog is different, so it's not 100% your dogs will do well with these foods just because others do. You should probably try to pick up some 1 or 5 lb. samples to try out first.
As for how long it takes for shiba's to reach full size...I think Ninja was done at around 8 months.
THANK YOU!!!~
ive seen videos on youtube, with this really fluffy shiba inus, with much wider faces
=]
im definitely looking into the better foods, and a visit to the vet!!
thanks
I also changed their food to EVO red meat little bite!! just incase =]
and i have felt that their fur has been much much softer.
thanks for everybody's advise
=]