Tumbleweeds

Isn't she a beauty? That's Meggie, our Golden Retriever who is pushing the ripe old age of 8. She's the reason I'm so attached to my Swiffer. But even the Swiffer can't keep up with a shedding long-haired dog sometimes.

We've tried numerous things to try to help the shedding situation. However, brushing daily, especially in the winter, often leaves Meggie's skin very tender and dry. Once we gave her fish oil every day for a couple of months and that helped a lot. But a bottle of fish oil at PetSmart was about $20! That definitely doesn't fit into our budget these days.

So while scanning through blogs, I found another random piece of information. Pour olive oil on your dog's food each day to help their skin and coat! I have found lots of great deals on olive oil lately, so I stocked up and gave this a try. The amount of tumbleweeds floating through our house has probably decreased by 75%! That's a big deal to me.

While this still isn't necessarily cheap, it has saved some of my sanity. When Alayna was crawling I was very particular about our floors and was desperate to keep the balls of hair out of her mouth. Maybe someone else out there will find this piece of information helpful as well.

(Another warning for you: Some dogs have sensitive stomachs and may not tolerate such a remedy. Your dog may also have a few bathroom issues while adjusting to the new diet. So use caution and perhaps slowly work up to a tablespoon or two each day depending on your dog's size.)