Retired now, Malcolm  was a veterinarian at Woods Humane Society from 2005 to 2012. He still resides in Morro Bay where he has found geographic fulfillment. Pictured here with his new side kick 'Annie' —  born last November —  they are both from Woods Humane Society. Contact Malcolm

'Till Death Do They Shed

by Malcolm Riordan 

There is no dog - or breed of dog - that does not shed.

You may have a Chinese Crested or a Mexican Hairless Chihuahua, but what little hair they do have still goes through the universal hair cycle. Each hair has a phase of growth, a phase of remaining in place while no longer growing and, then finally, each hair is shed from the skin.

This cycle may take longer in some dogs than in others, may be affected by season and coat density can range widely among dogs. While the amount of hair shed or the timing of shedding may vary, shedding, like death and taxes, is unavoidable.

Some dogs, such a Poodle or Maltese, may shed most of their hairs into the coat or undercoat. Some of those hairs may fall into the dogs' environment. Most hairs will get groomed or brushed out, or failing that, become mats needing to be clipped out.

How much fur there is - and where it goes will vary, but all dogs shed.

Are There Really Hypoallergenic Breeds of Dogs?

Describing a breed of dog as hypoallergenic is meant to imply that that breed will not trigger allergic symptoms in allergic humans that live with the breed. While certain breeds have simple physical characteristics (small dog, short hair, wiry coat, less dense coats) that reduce the amount hair found loose in the house – labeling such breeds as hypoallergenic (or as non-shedding) is certainly not accurate to the extent typically understood in conversation or implied by glib media. In most contexts it is a bogus thing to say.

When a person is allergic to certain dogs, their allergy is not to the entire breed.  Rather, when allergens from a dog elicit allergic reactions in an allergic person, the allergens are specific and unique proteins in that particular dog's saliva or dander. The dried saliva (from self grooming) and/or dander is found on the dog's coat/fur and is also associated with the loose, swirling, shed hairs in the dog's environment. From there the allergens could come in contact with the allergic person via touch contact or inhalation.

If a dog is bathed frequently and brushed often, a whole lot of its dander, dried saliva, and loose hair is removed.  Similarly, appropriate vacuuming removes a whole lot of allergens from the shared environment of the dog and the allergic person. Pet bathing and brushing, house cleaning, and vacuuming can lower the allergen load to less than it takes to set off symptoms in most situations.

The smaller the dog the less total amount of dander, hair, and saliva produced. With smaller pets it can be markedly easier to bathe, brush, or vacuum away the allergen carried on their hairs. Further, if that dog has a coat type (such as tight and curly) that is good at trapping shed/loosened hairs within its own coat, that dog is less likely to trigger allergic suffering to the people in its environment.

So, if some breeds of dogs are smaller and/or have coat types that either trap shed hairs or coats that are short or easier to work with/control, that breed could come to be seen as hypoallergenic, when in fact they are just small dogs with curly or easier to manage coats. 

And again, we need to remember that the exact unique offending canine dander or saliva protein that the allergic human is sensitive to is not dictated by a dog's breed! Rather it is dictated by that person's unique hypersensitivity to specific proteins in a particular dog's dander or saliva. The allergic person's own specific allergic sensitivities are running the show, not the breed of the dog!

This is all to say a dog-allergic person could be miserably sensitive to a so-called hypoallergenic breed — say, a small poodle — yet that same allergic person could be totally comfortable and allergy-free while living with a big, hairy, heavy shedding, slobbering dog to whose dander and saliva proteins the person is not sensitive.

Legends and labels of dogs that don't shed or breeds that are hypoallergenic are misleading and misdirect adopters away from so very many random-bred dogs that could satisfy the special needs of certain homes looking to adopt a dog.

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Woods Rafter Cat Image on Banner by Malcolm Riordan.