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Shed Defender – Dog Onesie to Control Shedding or Replace Cone Collar

Today I want to let you guys know about a product called the Shed Defender. I’ve featured the product here on That Mutt a couple of times. It has a lot of uses and can help a variety of dogs and their owners.

First, it’s best to get the laughs out of the way because the Shed Defender is truly a onesie for dogs! …. We call it Ace’s “lumberjack suit.” …

My dog Ace wearing the Shed Defender

… But on a serious note, the product is more than just a silly, adorable outfit.

The Shed Defender can:

  • Replace the medical cone collar (this is what we use it for)
  • Help manage a dog’s allergies
  • Manage a person’s allergies to dogs
  • Control the shedding in your home or car
  • Protect your dog from insects
  • Decrease anxiety in some dogs

This post is sponsored by Shed Defender. Use code Mutt15 for 15% off your order. Click here.

Leave a comment at the end of the post for a chance to win a Shed Defender for your dog.

In this post, I’ll share some examples of professionals who use the product for the dogs in their care. Dr. Pete Lands is the director of emergency and critical care at Saint Francis Veterinary Center in New Jersey. Kenny Shuck runs a rescue group for border collies based out of Indiana.

The Shed Defender for controlling your dog’s shedding

On a daily basis, Dr. Pete Lands’ clients ask him how they can stop their dogs from shedding.

“I spent an afternoon reading journal articles on hair loss and shedding only to find out what I already knew was true,” he said. “Shedding is normal. It can’t be stopped but can be contained.”

While searching online, he came across the Shed Defender for managing shedding and decided to try it for his own dog, a Labrador.

The Shed Defender to control shedding

“The results were remarkable. I didn’t have to sweep my house daily, and there was no more fur on my couch.”

Lands said the product was easy to use because his dog will do anything for a treat!

Turns out, a lot of dog owners want to find a way to control the shedding. I shared many examples in this post.

Ordering a Shed Defender:

The Shed Defender is available on its website in many different colors and sizes. Use code Mutt15 for 15% off.

Shed Defender for replacing the cone collar

My Lab mix Ace sheds worse than any dog I’ve met, but I prefer to use the Shed Defender for a different reason – replacing the medical cone collar.

The Shed Defender to replace the cone collar

Ace has had plenty of allergies over the years that cause hot spots and other skin problems. He’s spent plenty of time wearing the cone, and the Shed Defender is helpful because it gives us an alternative.

Kenny Shuck runs the rescue group “Clancy’s Dream” and said he also finds the Shed Defender valuable as an alternative to a cone collar.

The cone limits the dog from reaching the surgery spot, but it also limits the dog’s freedom, he said. For example, walking through doors with a cone collar is challenging for some dogs. So is going down steps. And while walking in the house, dogs can easily knock over or damage items.

Shuck said he’s tried various styles of cone collars but they increase the heart rate of some dogs or spook the dogs and cause anxiety problems. Some dogs will even just lie still and not move when they have a cone collar on.

Yet, while wearing the Shed Defender the dog has “total freedom and can live a normal life,” he said.

Kenny Shuck

The product has helped several of the dogs in his rescue group. One of the dogs recently had abdominal surgery and the Shed Defender keeps the area covered. Another dog is wearing a Shed Defender to protect an ACL surgery.

“It does not rub or interfere with any surgeries we’ve had,” Shuck said.

He wrote a blog post about how the product has helped the dogs in his rescue. Read it here.

Modeling the Shed Defender

Likewise, Lands said he also recommends the product for some of his post-operative surgical patients.

“It is extremely helpful to prevent dogs from agitating repairs of the neck, ankles, and wrists,” he said. “Because Shed Defender is made from an eco-friendly, breathable fabric, I generally do not get concerned about trapping moisture and delaying healing.”

Other uses for the Shed Defender

Lands listed out several other examples where the product is helpful.

1. Warmth in the winter.

“In the winter it is a great and fashionable way to keep your dog warm on walks,” he said. “Because it’s very easy to put on and take off, it barely adds time to your routine.”

Ace wearing his Shed Defender

2. Keeping dog hair out of the car.

Lands said his friends and family would complain when he picked them up in his car. They didn’t want to sit in all the dog hair!

“Putting the Shed Defender on my dog before car rides has become a routine,” he said. “Less hair in my car means less time I have to spend vacuuming.”

3. Reducing a dog’s anxiety.

Lands said the Shed Defender might decrease a dog’s general anxiety during thunderstorms or car rides. This is because it provides a source of constant skin pressure that can have a calming effect on the body.

Both Lands and Shuck said most dogs don’t seem to mind wearing the Shed Defender. I also found this to be the case with my dog Ace.

If needed, Lands suggested introducing the Shed Defender with something your dog loves like a treat or a favorite toy to help them relate to wearing it with a positive experience.

Here is a quick video I made showing my dog Ace in his Shed Defender:

Could the Shed Defender help your dog? (Giveaway!)

Shed Defender is giving away a onesie to one reader of That Mutt (must have a U.S. mailing address). Yes, I just called it a onesie.

To enter, just leave a comment below so I know your dog wants in on the drawing.

I’ll choose a winner at random on Tuesday March 22. The winner will be notified by email first and then posted here.

Let me know in the comments if your dog is interested in a Shed Defender.

That Mutt’s $5/mo or higher Patreon members receive automatic entries into all our giveaways, including this one. Join us on Patreon here and support the blog.

Are you interested in this product?

Let us know in the comments.

Please share this post with anyone you know who might be interested.

Read my full review of the Shed Defender here.

Katrina Grammer

Thursday 14th of March 2019

I would love to try one of these lightweight suits to see if it would work for my husband’s asthma, which has become worse the 10 months we have had out Border Collie!! We love her and she loves us! We are doing everything possible to cut down on shedding and dander issues, de shedding tools to brush her with de shedding shampoos, vacuuming and dusting tons! De cluttered! She is our sweetheart! I have read 40 reviews on the shed defender website and then found an artical from your site here and it really helped me realize it can help calm her craziness that happens to her when she gets anxious over something unfamiliar!! It would be great to win one of those suits if it did not make her too hot! Her hair is really long! I have been told she is long haired rough coat, but her coat feels silky in most areas! Good thing is our house always stays cool winter or summer because my husband is a hotbox and needs the temperature set pretty cool!!

Lindsay Stordahl

Thursday 14th of March 2019

Katrina, the giveaway has ended but the suit shouldn't make your dog too hot. It is very lightweight and breathable. I hope it helps!

sandy weinstein

Monday 19th of March 2018

I like the idea of this even though my girls don't really shed much, the shed defender is good for other things, liked if your dog has surgery, or has a licking problems, or has a skin problem, it is so much easier than using a cone collar and much easier on the dog. I would love to have one of these if my girls had to have surgery again. I think it might also help them when we have storms, we have tried several other things and they did not work so I would hope that something like this jumpsuit would work on them.

Lani

Sunday 18th of March 2018

I have a puppy Tervuren and he sheds! There known to shed a lot! I’ve heard of these onesies for dogs! But I’ve never got around to trying it out.

Laura M

Sunday 18th of March 2018

My pup Junior badly needs this. Her black fur gets EWEYWHERE!

Wouldn’t it be cute if they made superhero themed ones? The tightness made me think of that haha!

Lindsay Stordahl

Sunday 18th of March 2018

Haha!

Laura M

Sunday 18th of March 2018

Boo Autocorrect! Her name is Junie!

Ann Carr

Friday 16th of March 2018

I live by an Asian Wedding venue and several times over each weekend I can hear lots of fireworks which scare me. My mistress cuddled me but I still tremble. Maybe I would be happier if I could wear a That Mutts Shed Defender like a comfort blanket. I would like to try one.