Do animals shed in the Spring?

[David's Bride]

Hi all. I very rarely post anymore, but I am really worried about the amount of shedding that is going on with me. I recently started on Wellbutrin and wonder if this is the problem. I have finally reached my goal of growing out my layers and am down to hip with healthy ends which I am so happy about, but I wonder if these meds are worth the shedding or is it common to shed like this, this time of year? I want to get down to TB as my final goal, but want thick ends in doing so. Is anyone else shedding much more than usual and is it due to the Spring? Thank you everyone for your help!

Tina

[ratgirldjh]

hahaha! my cat is shedding so much right now that there is always fur floating in the air! i have brushed her i don't know how many times for a few days and it is getting better - i was shedding earlier in the month too, and so was my dog - but i think that animals must DEFINITELY shed in the spring!!!
it would only make sense because they need to grow more fur or hair for colder months ;)

that is what i've been telling myself and my cat anyway :)

[David's Bride]

Thanks ratgirl! I don't have cats anymore, but I remember the way they would shed ALL THE TIME! I would have fur all over the place - I couldn't keep up with them! I guess we are all mammals so it makes for curious conversation. I just wish my body hair would shed! My Italian genes have made it that I can't keep up with the amount of shaving, tweezing and epilating I need to do on a daily basis!

Tina

[ratgirldjh]

wow - i am quite the opposite of you with body hair - maybe because i have some american indian in me - i have hardly no hair on my body and most of it is almost straight! i don't even shave under my arms and now most of my leg hair is missing too! my mom has hardly no eyebrows now that she is in her 60's! can you believe it? i still have LOTS of eyebrows though ;)

oh and i'm hoping that zoey doesn't shed like this ALL the time! but she is pregnant and she wasn't shedding when i got her - so hopefully she won't be a full time shedder... poor girl, she is SO big and now she has all this fur floating around and it makes her sneeze! the picture below was taken before she started shedding so much and was less preggers

[Elenna]

With three long haired cats there is fur everywhere. This goes on all the time! They require a lot of grooming like their owner. The amount of their human shedding depends on gentle handling, no sls (etc because of recent allergies), vitamins and a good diet. Not seasonal at all!

[spidermom]

I don't think that humans shed seasonally either. But the animals certainly do! I have enough dog hair collecting around here to knit puppies (note to self - schedule a session with the broom or vacuum cleaner).

[ShaSha]

Horses do. :rolleyes:

I came home today covered in light brown hairs. :rolleyes:

Dogs, at least mine, are more irregular, but they shed seasonally too. Then again all those animals depend on their fur to keep them warm and shed according to that. I have not found those kind of seasonal changes in me.

[ktani]

I posted some research on seasonal shedding here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=363568&postcount=104).

[Honey39]

Yeah, our cats would shed in spring and summer like CRAZY, and then grow in a thick new coat for the winter. Their winter fur was lovely, all thick and gorgeous....

That's why spring sheds make sense - also there are autumn sheds to make way for all the new fur...:-)

[feralnature]

I live on a farm and of course our farm animals shed in the spring. Our farm mammals include horses, donkeys, pigs and lots and lots of goats, and dogs and cats. We had to sell the cows because of the devastating drought.

Anyway, with humans, part of the reason for the head being covered is not just for warmth but also for protection from the sun as well as for decoration or mate selection. So we don't lose all our hair at once.

Yes, the Welbutrin can cause it. I take psyche and seizure meds and do have hair loss with certain ones. I compensate by eating well and taking suppliments. Also, tell your doc.

[Anje]

Alopecia (just meaning losing hair) is listed as a reported side effect for Wellbutrin SR, but I don't recall having a noticeable increase in shedding when I took it.

My family's pets definitely shed in spring, though my Siamese don't (but they don't seem to develop winter coats, either). Lots of folks report that they shed seasonally, and I go through occasional periods of increased shedding.

I'd say to give it a few weeks, and see if the shedding goes down. Talk to the doctor if it gets bad, or if your hair is noticeably thinned, of course. It could just be mild and temporary, or even just a coincidence that your shedding happened now.

[David's Bride]

Thank you all for your replies! I will talk to my doctor, who happens to be one of my best friends too! You are all so sweet and your pets are so cute!

Tina

[kimi]

Wellbutrin for me was sort of odd - I took it once for about a year 10 years ago, lost quite a bit of hair, then again for 6 months 2 years ago and didn't lose much hair at all. I don't know why, it wasn't a different dose, maybe differing hormonal levels since I'm closer to menopause now. *shrug* But good luck! With hair that long you surely don't want to risk it.

[ravenreed]

I lost a good bit of hair with one med I was on, could have been Wellbutrin. It was quite a while ago, so I am not sure which one exactly. But it is a side effect on a few different ones.

However, as to critters, my dog who has since passed on, used to look like a molting buffalo in the spring when her winter coat would shed out, but not completely, and then clump. I would have to brush and brush to get all the mats out of her fur. Since her hair wasn't very long, it looked odd for a few months.

[longhairedfairy]

I've heard of those meds causing some shedding, but that wasn't one of the side effects I experienced. That said, many hedgehogs do seem to shed more quills in the Spring.

[LaurelSpring]

I posted some research on seasonal shedding here (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showpost.php?p=363568&postcount=104).

Thanks for posting this ktani.

.... there is an increase in shedding during spring and fall, the number of hairs shed still falls within the generally recognized limits of 50 to 100 hairs a day. .

I remembered seeing this thread and searched it because all of a sudden I am shedding like mad. I was hoping it was the season change. I have had some stress so I hope it just seasonal and will stop soon. I am glad to know that hopefully it is normal.

[rhubarbarin]

Mine do. shudder: There's a reason they call it a ' blowing coat' - there are fur tumbleweeds going across my floor right now!

Most mammals shed in fall and spring, since there are advantages to having separate winter and summer coats.

I would imagine humans would retain this tendency as well, but obviously it's not too extreme since our heads don't get visibly thinned out..

[Exodus]

Oh yeah! I have three cats, and they always shed (and I wear black clothes). But these last weeks... In my opinion they shouldn't have any fur left anymore, as much as they have shed.. Same thing every spring.. Maybe I should use the vacuum cleaner on my cats instead of the floor...

[bte]

I think most mammals do - horses, cows, sheep, cats, dogs, llamas, alpacas, and they mostly lose al ltheir coat and grow a new one!