Hair Turning White Then Falling Out

[Guest HersheysMom]

I'm not sure if I should call the vet about this or not, so wanted to see if anyone has had this happen. Sonie has been shedding for about a week, maybe two. By shedding, I mean when just petting her you end up with fur on your hands, and when brushing you get maybe four very full brushfuls before it even starts to slow down (brushing twice a day)

 

This seemed odd, but only today did I get truly alarmed. I noticed today that she seems to be developing sort of a white "undercoat" She is a medium brindle so has always had some white, so this kind of crept up on me. There are patches of white fur, and they look like they are coming in under the brindle fur. Then, the hair coming off in the brush seems to be this new hair, because it is all white in the brush - no brown or black hairs. It's probably important for me to add that she has NO bald spots despite this - the hair seems to be coming in fast enough to prevent this.

 

Hershey is not shedding at all. I did switch foods about 4-6 weeks ago.

 

Help?

[MP_the4pack]

Having problems with the coat could be indicative of a problem. The body will ignore the coat to work on healing whatever else needs it.

 

But don't panic. It might just be a thyroid problem, or a slight imbalance somewhere.

 

 

[Guest HersheysMom]

Thanks for the reply.

 

I called the vet this morning and talked to a tech. She said greys do get a different winter coat (I was questioning whether it was an undercoat because I didn't think greys got those), and not to be alarmed unless I start seeing bald patches, because it could be a thyroid problem if she's losing that much. The mere fact that the hair is turning white was not alarming to her. She said to look at her skin and make sure it is pink and not scaly or overly oily, and if it is she should come in.

[turbotaina]

Someone posted on here once about the undercoat their grey got and the amount of shedding...Nothing wrong with the dog, just a different kind of coat

[Meandmy]

Although I don't see any white coming in on my 2, I can tell you that they are shedding like crazy right now. They seem to do it right in the middle of winter every year. No idea why, just the way it is. We have fur tumbleweeds rolling through our dining room and handfuls of hair after every scritchie session.

[Guest Cris_M]

Let me put it this way..... When folks comment that greys are non-shedders, I fall out laughing -- only to land in a pile of dog fur. I swear that Duncan keeps his trim figure by blowing his coat at odd times of the year. If you find out why they shed their warm undercoat in the middle of winter, let me know. So, now you know that if your dog isn't perfectly normal, at least she has a friend with a similar "problem".

[SPDoggie]

Kingsley is a red brindle, and his undercoat is greyish... I would not be shocked to find him shedding right now due to the rapid increase in temperature these past few days. I don't think I would worry about it unless it continues once our cold weather is back. And asking your vet will never hurt, so if you are worried, don't hesitate to see your vet.