Need help for shed control..

xenathecrazy

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I have an almost 8 month old Siamese mix. She was a rescue from the shelter and was previously a stray. I've had her since she was 4 months old. At first, she didn't seem to shed a lot but the past 2 months have been horrible. I have a Furminator comb and I'm surprised she hasn't gone bald with all the hair that comes off. She has no health issues other than possible feline herpes for which she gets 500 mg of Lysine daily to help prevent bad flare ups. She is spayed. I've read that wet food is best but I need a kibble to leave out for her which she eats during the night. I also need the kibble for times where I have to go out of town and there are schedule conflicts so I want to know she has food available at all times. She never overeats. I can't afford a diet of all premium quality wet food so I'm looking for sales and am doing a combo of both qualities of food. She only likes pate style wet food. Does wet food help with shedding and does diet really make a difference in the amount of shedding? I already add some Grizzly Salmon oil to her food.

Which kibbles are highest in Omegas and fat that might help her skin and coat? I've read that Nutro indoor Whitefish/Brown Rice could possibly help excess shedding due to the higher Omegas but just wondering what might be comparable but better quality. I'm going to shave her down for now to help keep things a little more minimized. 
 

bellel

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Has she had any bloodwork done lately to make sure she's not deficient in something, like a kind of vitamin?
 
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xenathecrazy

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The only tests that she's had done is Feline Leukemia and FIV. I took her in when discussing her sneezing and watery eyes and that's when he said that she most likely had feline herpes. I brought up the shedding but I guess because it was early summer, he attributed it to just normal shedding at that time of the year. He suggested that I maybe add some fish oil to see if it helps. That's why I started the Grizzly Salmon oil. I know we're going into fall now and that's another shedding season. I've been thinking of taking her to another vet but I was trying to see if an improvement in diet could possibly help minimize the shedding. If things stay the same, I'd definitely bring her in to see a vet for a complete workup. She started eating Science Diet and she ate Fromm Salmon Tunachovy for awhile but I started switching things around because I read that too much fish wasn't good for cats and could lead to problems with crystals. Not sure if that's a given but I was looking for something less fishy. She wouldn't touch Taste of the Wild nor Annamaet. 
 

stephanietx

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Diet is probably the biggest contributor to skin and fur health.  Most cats shed, especially during the winter to spring change.  I would work on changing her to a high quality grain-free diet, including canned.  You could also add some supplements such as Welactin, which in an omega-3, Evening Primrose Oil (no more than 500mg/day), or a supplement such as The Missing Link. 
 

bellel

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It's always good to have bloodwork done once just to get a good baseline.
 
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