I rehomed a guide dog last summer - lab/retriever cross. When she arrived, having been retired at 10, her coat was rather dull and dry, and after a month or two she started shedding like there was no tomorrow - not just the usual wafting around in a cloud of hair but bucket loads were coming off her. It went on for weeks. At the time I was feeding her with a mixture specifically for senior labs and I did wonder if that was the problem, and changed her to Harringtons. May have been a coincidence but it was about then that the loss slowed down and stopped, and her coat came in beautifully. In fact I've got used to people stopping me to comment on her lovely glossy coat .
Now, once again, and at the same time of year, it's happening again. She looks like the Specsavers advert. I stop hoovering only long enough to take her out under cover of darkness. I think she may be getting over the worst of it, as the thick ruff of hair over her shoulders is lovely and soft again, but it's still pretty bad lower down her back and now she's also covered in skin flakes down there.
Is this normal? I know labs shed, shed, and shed again, but really massively like this? Any advice?