Hallelujah! A miracle supplement that stops shedding!
When I invited Vivamune supplements to join the Radio Pet Lady Network as a sponsor, I knew there was good science and ingredients behind this daily supplement that boosts and protects a dog’s (or cat’s) immune system. However, at first, I was not giving it to my own dogs because I was so busy helping to facilitate donations of Vivamune to shelters like Adopt-a-Dog in Westchester, Southampton Shelter (the Official Shelter of my NPR radio show DOG TALK®), Animal Haven in Connecticut, some wonderful Japanese Chin rescues, Doberman Rescue in Florida and Friends for Pets in Sunland, California where my first two Weimaraners came from. The company wanted my help to reach out and touch those animals most in need of immune support — those in shelters or foster care, whose unavoidable high stress levels being sheltered can weaken their immune system.
Treating Environmental Allergies
Meanwhile, I began giving Vivamune to my young rescued Weimaraner, Maisie, who suffers from environmental allergies (itching, scratching) and takes Benadryl several times a day. She also shed like crazy, more than any of the Weimaraners I have rescued over the years. Unlike my previous light gray Weimaraners (the usual color), Maisie is a dark charcoal gray (called a Blue Weim). Her shedding was such a nuisance that everything was covered in short black hairs: my car (where she spends a great deal of time, going with me everywhere), towels from her baths, the shower drain itself after bathing, the dog bed covers, her Ruffwear winter coat, and anywhere she lay down. If I had a damp hand and stroked her, my palm came away with hairs on it! I assumed it had to be the result of her allergies, since shes has a high quality diet of The Honest Kitchen, Halo kibble and high-quality omega-3 fish oil.
No More Cloud of Black Hairs
After a couple of weeks of giving her the delicious Vivamune chews that she viewed as a treat, I noticed that she seemed to be a lot less itchy. I didn’t know if she was scratching less because of the antihistamine she was getting, or the change in seasons with the weather getting colder. So I didn’t realize how dramatically the Vivamune had curtailed her shedding until I did a load of dog laundry. I had become accustomed to the inside of my washer window being covered in short dark hairs and having to wipe out the whole drum and run it on a rinse cycle. I was resigned to having a dryer that blew a cloud of black hair back at me when I opened the door after drying her things. It was gross! And so much work to clean out every time. Suddenly there was 90% less hair in both those places — I couldn’t believe my eyes, because I had not been expecting this visible result from giving the Vivamune, even though improvement of skin condition was one of the listed possible results of giving it. I was thrilled! I had expected to live my life under a cloud of black hairs, and now I discovered not only that Maisie was barely shedding compared to previously, but her coat had taken on a brilliant shine. It wasn’t obvious to me until I had some new photos taken with her for the Dog Film Festival website and I realized she was outshining me!
A Shiny New Coat
So many of us have dogs who shed or have dull, lifeless coats and we think that’s “just the way that dog is,” we don’t realize there is something we could do to improve that, even beyond a great diet. Hallelujah for Vivamune! Try it for your dog just for overall health, but see if you don’t get the bonus of the shiniest, prettiest pooch in the neighborhood!
–Tracie Hotchner
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Vivamune, Halo, The Honest Kitchen is a sponsor on Radio Pet Lady Network, by our invitation.