Why Is My Pet Shedding So Much Right Now?

It's not just you, and it's not just your pet. Here's what's actually going on this May, and what to do about it.

If you've found yourself hoovering the sofa three times this week, picking hair off your jodhpurs before you've even left the house, or wondering whether your dog is actually going bald, welcome to May.

Peak shedding season is here, and it is relentless. But once you understand what's actually happening and why, it becomes a lot easier to manage. Here's everything you need to know.

Why Does Shedding Spike So Dramatically in Spring?

Your pet's coat doesn't just grow continuously, it follows a seasonal cycle that's been hardwired into them for thousands of years.

Through autumn and winter, their body builds up a thick, dense undercoat designed to trap heat and keep them warm through the cold months. It's essentially a built-in duvet.

Then, as daylight hours increase and temperatures start to rise in spring, their body gets the signal that the duvet is no longer needed. And so it starts pushing it out, fast.

This process is called moulting, and in dogs and horses it tends to peak in April and May. The trigger isn't just temperature, it's actually the change in daylight length (known as photoperiod) that kicks the process off. Which is why you'll often notice the shed starting even before the weather has properly warmed up.

The result? Weeks of hair. Lots and lots of hair.

Is My Pet Shedding Too Much? What's Normal and What's Not?

This is one of the most common questions we get at Groomi this time of year, and the honest answer is that what looks alarming is usually completely normal.

Normal shedding in spring looks like:

• Large clumps of soft, fluffy undercoat coming out during brushing
• Hair visibly floating off the coat during movement or turnout
• Patchy areas where the winter coat has shed faster in some places than others
• A coat that looks slightly dull or uneven as the new summer coat grows through

Signs that something might be worth checking with your vet:

• Bald patches with no new hair growing through
• Skin that looks red, irritated, or flaky underneath the shed areas
• Excessive scratching or rubbing that seems distressing
• Shedding that continues heavily well into summer without slowing down

In the vast majority of cases, heavy spring shedding is completely natural. But if you're ever in doubt, it's always worth a quick call to your vet for peace of mind.

How Long Does It Last?

For most dogs and horses, the heaviest part of the spring shed lasts around four to six weeks, typically peaking in May and starting to calm down through June.

The exact timeline varies depending on breed, age, and individual animal, some horses seem to shed overnight while others drag it out for months. Consistent grooming during this period genuinely speeds the process up by helping to physically remove the dead coat rather than waiting for it to fall out on its own.

The Quickest Way to Get On Top of It

Here's the part most people don't realise: brushing more frequently isn't always the answer. Brushing smarter is.

A standard body brush or comb will tidy the surface of the coat, but it won't reach the dense undercoat where the bulk of the shed hair is sitting. That's why you can spend twenty minutes brushing and still feel like you've barely made a dent.

The Groomi Brush is designed specifically for this. Its unique blade gets right down into the undercoat and physically lifts the dead, loose hair out, efficiently, safely, and without cutting or damaging the healthy coat growing through underneath. Most owners find they shift more in five minutes with the Groomi than they would in half an hour with a traditional brush.

A few tips to make the most of your grooming sessions this season:

Groom after exercise when possible. Warmth opens up the coat and makes the dead hair easier to lift. A post-ride or post-walk groom is far more effective than grooming a cold, static coat.

Check your blade. If you've been using your Groomi heavily since autumn, the blade may be starting to dull. A fresh blade makes an enormous difference, it should glide through the coat rather than dragging. Spare blades take seconds to swap in and make the brush feel brand new again.

Don't skip the tricky spots. Behind the ears, under the belly, around the girth area, and at the base of the tail are all places where dead coat tends to mat and clump. A spritz of Fur Detangler on any knotted areas before you brush makes these spots much easier to work through without causing discomfort.

Be consistent rather than intensive. A ten-minute groom every couple of days will move more coat than a marathon session once a week. Little and often is the approach that gets you through shedding season fastest.

What About the Dullness?

You might notice that even once the heavy shedding starts to slow down, the coat still doesn't look quite right. A bit flat. Missing that shine you see in the summer months.

This is completely normal and separate from the shedding itself. As the winter coat exits and the new summer coat grows through, it needs nutritional support to develop properly.

This is where Salmon Oil earns its place in the daily routine. A pump added to their feed each day delivers Omega 3, 6, and 9, the building blocks of a genuinely healthy, hydrated coat. The difference it makes over four to six weeks is remarkable, and it's the quiet secret behind most show-ring coats.

The Short Version

If your pet is shedding heavily right now, everything is almost certainly fine. Their body is doing exactly what it's supposed to do, and with the right grooming routine, you can work with it rather than just constantly cleaning up after it.

The routine that works:

1. Groom regularly with a blade-based deshedding brush like the Groomi
2. Swap to a fresh blade if yours is due a change
3. Use Fur Detangler on any matted or knotty areas
4. Add Salmon Oil to their daily feed to support the new coat growing through

Do that consistently through May and June and you'll come out the other side with the kind of summer coat that turns heads everywhere from the yard to the park.

Your pet will thank you for it, and so will your hoover. 🐾

Shop the Groomi shedding season essentials: Groomi Brush | Spare Blades | Fur Detangler | Salmon Oil