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More than once I’ve had a
grooming customer say something like this, “My dog has hair, not fur.
He does not shed and is non allergenic.” After I perform an eye roll
of such epic proportions that I can see inside my skull, I generally just
nod, try to make my grimace look like a grin and make agreement noises.
However, misconceptions on this topic are many, and there is a good bit of
misunderstanding even among pet care professionals when it comes to the very
thing we base our careers on, that stuff that grows on dogs and cats.
So, is it fur or is it
hair? Experts agree; it’s all the same thing. In the English language, the
word “hair” is commonly used to refer to what grows on humans. “Fur” is a
word commonly used when describing the pelts on animals such as Mink that
humans use to manufacture clothing from. But, biologically, it is all the
same thing. Hair is one characteristic that is shared by all mammals.
There are two types of hair, primary and secondary. When dealing with pets,
we know primary hair as “guard hairs,” the longer, usually coarser, glossy
hairs that make up the outer coat. Secondary hair we know as the softer,
shorter “undercoat,” and its function is to regulate body temperature and
repel moisture.
Animals referred to as
“furry” normally have both primary and secondary hair on their bodies.
Humans, horses and some breeds of dogs only have primary hair. But the
bottom line is that when it comes down to fur or hair, it’s all hair,
and if someone wants to tell you otherwise, you now know better!
Now, lets talk about the
sticky subject of shedding. Despite claims to the contrary, there are no
shed-less breeds. Any dog that has hair is going to have some shedding.
There are breeds that shed less than others. Longhaired, single
coated dogs such as Yorkshire Terriers shed less that shorthaired, double
coated dogs. The simplified way this works is that different types of coats
have different growth cycles. My pug sheds- a LOT! The hair on her body is
short, so it has a short growth cycle. From the time the hair emerges from
the follicle until the time it dies and falls out on my clean sheets is
short, because the hair is short. My friend has a Lhasa Apso. The
individual hairs on her dog are long. From the time each hair emerges until
the time it dies and falls out is long. For some dogs that length of time
can be years! But all hair has a growth cycle, and at some point the hair
will die, fall out and be replaced by new hair. Think that is not so? Brush
out a dog that is supposed to be “shedless.” You will find hair in the
brush after a few strokes. That is dead hair that you have just helped to
shed out of the follicle. If you had not brushed it out, it would have
fallen on its own, been rubbed off on the carpet, or pulled out by a passing
bush. Shedding is influenced by heredity, diet, health and environment.
Seasonal shedding is affected by the number of hours of light an animal is
exposed to during the day. When days lengthen in the spring, it triggers
the pet’s body to shed out heavy winter coat in preparation for the longer,
warmer days ahead.
How about allergies?
Some breeds of dogs are said to be “hypo allergenic.” While it is true that
people who have pet allergies may be less sensitive to some dogs than
others, there is no true “non allergenic” dog. It is generally not the hair
of the pet that causes problems, rather it is saliva, dead skin and dander,
skin secretions or even traces of urine in the pets coat that cause allergic
reactions in humans. Indoor-air.org says, “Different animals produce
different allergens, but the type and potency of allergen is unrelated to
whether the animal has long or short hair. In addition there is no one
breed that is free of allergens.”
http://www.indoor-air.org/index.php/46
The point of all this is
that misunderstandings about the furry friends we live and work with
abounds, but there is lots of good information available for us to further
our education. You can learn more by checking out the websites in the
sidebar. Meanwhile, you might take on the challenge of educating your
customers when they ask you if a certain breed has fur or hair, or wonder
what breed won’t shed or make them sneeze. I suggest you avoid the enormous
eye roll I often practice; it can give you a headache!
Sidebar:
www.allerpet.com/facts/fact1.htm
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Article706.htm
http://cats.about.com/od/faqcatcare/f/catfurvscathair.htm
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=72
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