Golden Rules Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 One of my Golden Retrievers Duncan is now about 12 months old. When I got him at 6 months old, his coat wasn't the best, never washed, he was malnourished, he was losing hair from stress through being in the pound etc....... A couple of months later, his coat started looking so much better, thicker, healthier and was growing...... Now - his coat is very coarse, dry and has thin patches everywhere on his main body. He is losing hair as though he is moulting (but I don't think he is actually moulting). I was expecting his coat to only get thicker, longer and healthier as he grew out of puppyhood. He did have an allergy to something a couple of months ago but I restricted his diet (mainly cut out beef) and his scratching and biting seems to have disappeared. So, any suggestions as to what might be causing this? Worms maybe? I don't think it's diet related as he is on a good diet of chicken frames, Coprice, lamb bones and has kelp, zinc, and fish oil supplements. He gets an egg and some sardines about once a week. Hoping someone can offer some suggestions as I fear his condition whatever that may be, will affect more than just his coat in the long run. TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shmoo Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 Has his Thyroid been checked out? Was he inside more and now outside more or vice versa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted July 22, 2007 Author Share Posted July 22, 2007 Has his Thyroid been checked out?Was he inside more and now outside more or vice versa? Funny you should say that as I have been thinking thyroid too! No I haven't had it checked out but I think I might have to - only thing is vets here in Australia are not fully up to date with thyroid problems - Dr Jean Dodds in America is the leading specialist there. Duncan has always been an inside dog since I have had him, except during the day when I am at work. He did spend a couple of weeks in kennels a couple of weeks ago. They bathed him there and his coat was lovely and soft when I picked him up but it has only got worse from then on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 (edited) What we bathed him in should have no effect on the coat. i would be inclined to say its the Medication he is on. As to Thyroid the vets here are very good. We had a dog with thyroid issues (bad) had no issues at all with the vet being very offay with the problem. Edited July 22, 2007 by showdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shmoo Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 ah yes if he is on Meds i would look at those too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 I know when my GSD's did their big first coat drops they looked terrible...it seemed like all the good coat had fallen out...and just left crap coat behind...lol. It's also coming up to time for dogs to change to their summer coat - or at least my GSD's have already started since the days are getting longer again. I'd suggest up the brushing, check what medication he is on (if any) and if that would make a difference, check that he is at a good weight, perhaps check what his skin is like under the fur - eg a little dry (like we get dry skin perhaps) make sure he is drinking enough and perhaps give him an egg twice a week for a bit. If it continues to get worse check with your vet - it could still be an allergy but without the more noticible indicators. Eg has an issue with red meat not just beef but the beef was aggravating him worse kinda thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted July 22, 2007 Author Share Posted July 22, 2007 Hi Showdog Sorry, I wasn't saying what you bathed him in made a difference, it was simply since he has been back home I have noticed his coat thinning. Both boys were lovely and soft when I picked them up! I saw ILoveFlatCoats last week and she said you had groomed Grover for her - I will PM you as I would be interested in having my boys done on a regular basis. I am inclined to agree with Schmoo about getting Duncan's thyroid checked as the next step. I have been weaning him off his prozac, he is down to 1 tablet every 3 days, and considering he started on them 8 weeks ago, I think I would have noticed sooner if they were having any effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 yes but remember he had the small breakout on his thigh area . I had a dog that for 6 months after heavy med treatment coat went from stunning to dry,course,brittle to slowly back again. Until his system was flushed through the meds had effected his coat for a good 6 months before all returned to normal. I would maybe give acidophollous(sp) tablets with his meds to replace the good bacteria in his system. Tablets can do funny things to a dogs system . The extreme humidity we have also experienced lately will also blow coats . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILFC Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 Hi DandD, Grover is on the prozac- as you know and it has had no effect on his coat. His thyroid levels are also monitored due to his LP- they are a little low and may get worse. But his coat seems okay- soft and beautiful (now that showdog has done it ) Weird that it is thinner though- do Goldies change their coat? e.g. from a puppy one to adult? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted July 22, 2007 Author Share Posted July 22, 2007 Hi DandD,Grover is on the prozac- as you know and it has had no effect on his coat. His thyroid levels are also monitored due to his LP- they are a little low and may get worse. But his coat seems okay- soft and beautiful (now that showdog has done it ) Weird that it is thinner though- do Goldies change their coat? e.g. from a puppy one to adult? Hey ILFC Changing coat is another thing I wondered about - I don't know if goldies do it or not. KitKat - do all dogs do a 'big drop'? I'm brushing him almost every day at present just to try and avoid so much extra hair around the house (usually brush every 2nd day) and there are handfuls of hair coming out - far more than Dougal who's coat is 10 times thicker and he usually sheds heaps more! Thanks for the other ideas too, it's all been taken on board and he got another egg with tea tonight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 I'd be thinking along the lines that people react to medication differently and i'd be willing to believe that dogs are the same - eg some get some side effects, some get different side effects other get none at all. With his system changing to deal with the different dosages i'd be expecting some changes - coat, behaviour, appetite - one or more or if lucky none...lol. And if it is coat then the dog has to rid itself of the old coat for the new healthy coat to come thru - at least that's how i understand it. Look at getting the boy some aloe vera juice and also look at giving apple cider vinegar - bit of the ACV in the water and Aloe as directed. And as ShowDog says the accidopolous or however it's spelt (lol) tabets to help his system recover also. As to the coat drop thing...i think all dogs get it to a degree longer coats are just more noticible - but puppy coat changes to adult coat and bad coat changes to good coat if good changes are made...and then there is the seasonal change to add to the mix - could be that you are getting all three in one hit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted July 22, 2007 Author Share Posted July 22, 2007 Thanks for all the replies everyone, lots of variables and lots to consider! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 Golden Retrievers generally do a "Junior Drop"...........up to 18 months they lose their coat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Rules Posted July 22, 2007 Author Share Posted July 22, 2007 Golden Retrievers generally do a "Junior Drop"...........up to 18 months they lose their coat. Thanks Cavandra, it would be good if that was all that was happening. So when you say "up to 18 months", do you mean anytime up to that age they can lose their coat? And is what comes through generally thicker? This boy doesn't seem to have an undercoat, or just a very thin one - otherwise seems pretty happy within himself so I'm hoping it is a drop and nothing more serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 Golden Retrievers generally do a "Junior Drop"...........up to 18 months they lose their coat. Thanks Cavandra, it would be good if that was all that was happening. So when you say "up to 18 months", do you mean anytime up to that age they can lose their coat? And is what comes through generally thicker? This boy doesn't seem to have an undercoat, or just a very thin one - otherwise seems pretty happy within himself so I'm hoping it is a drop and nothing more serious. Theoretically "Junior" is 9-18 months, but really for the "Junior Drop" theory it is 12-18 months for this breed. I wouldnt expect it to be more sinister than that at this early stage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shmoo Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 some good points on this thread! let us know the outcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now