Does Our Grey Have An Undercoat?

[Guest burgerandfrey]

We have two greyhounds: Zeke and Lola. We also had another grey, Aries, for ten years. Lola's coat is much like Aries' coat was: Pretty much the same year round. Maybe some filling in for Winter, some shedding year round with slightly more shedding in the late Spring/early Summer.

 

Our boy Zeke (six years old) was adopted last Summer. When we got him he was a bit bald on his chest, stomach, and on the backs of his legs. But as Winter arrived his coat filled in and there were no more bald patches... and he had the softest coat I have ever felt on a greyhound or any other dog. It was a beautiful coat! Of course it has been coming out like crazy in recent weeks. We brush him everyday and it's kind of like removing an undercoat. All this soft downy fur comes out that is lighter in color, and what is left behind is slightly coarser and darker hair. He is also getting more bald on the backs of his legs again, but not as bad as when we adopted him. His diet hasn't changed, and our other grey is only shedding about 1/10th as much.

 

I thought greyhounds didn't have undercoats, but I guess there are variations within the same breed depending on the genes that are passed down. And I don't know if this is technically an undercoat or if he just has more hair and sheds more than our other two greys...both females. Zeke is very active and seems happy and healthy. No strange behavior... he is full of energy. I assume I have no reason to be concerned, but it's interesting that his coat would be so much different from the other greys we've had.

 

Is this kind of coat and shedding common among greyhounds?

[Hubcitypam]

To me it sounds like a farm coat. When they are outside growing up on the farms and don't have heat they grow a softer, fluffier coat. The same thing happens with greys picked up as strays after being out a while in the winter. In black dogs the farm coat often looks brown and when it's gone there is a shiny black dog underneath.

[Guest BooBooMama]

We have two greyhounds: Zeke and Lola. We also had another grey, Aries, for ten years. Lola's coat is much like Aries' coat was: Pretty much the same year round. Maybe some filling in for Winter, some shedding year round with slightly more shedding in the late Spring/early Summer.

 

Our boy Zeke (six years old) was adopted last Summer. When we got him he was a bit bald on his chest, stomach, and on the backs of his legs. But as Winter arrived his coat filled in and there were no more bald patches... and he had the softest coat I have ever felt on a greyhound or any other dog. It was a beautiful coat! Of course it has been coming out like crazy in recent weeks. We brush him everyday and it's kind of like removing an undercoat. All this soft downy fur comes out that is lighter in color, and what is left behind is slightly coarser and darker hair. He is also getting more bald on the backs of his legs again, but not as bad as when we adopted him. His diet hasn't changed, and our other grey is only shedding about 1/10th as much.

 

I thought greyhounds didn't have undercoats, but I guess there are variations within the same breed depending on the genes that are passed down. And I don't know if this is technically an undercoat or if he just has more hair and sheds more than our other two greys...both females. Zeke is very active and seems happy and healthy. No strange behavior... he is full of energy. I assume I have no reason to be concerned, but it's interesting that his coat would be so much different from the other greys we've had.

 

Is this kind of coat and shedding common among greyhounds?

 

BooBoo had the same kind of coat- my upholstery and carpets are full of her fur- like a cat! She was never kept outdoors, always kenneled. Some of them just have that velvety fur.

[Guest Spencers_Greyt]

Spencer has a coat just like that and is shedding like crazy. I call it his bunny fur cuz he's so soft!

[Guest burgerandfrey]

To me it sounds like a farm coat. When they are outside growing up on the farms and don't have heat they grow a softer, fluffier coat. The same thing happens with greys picked up as strays after being out a while in the winter. In black dogs the farm coat often looks brown and when it's gone there is a shiny black dog underneath.

 

That could be it. He raced in Colorado and we adopted him when he was 5. Our other greys were adopted at younger ages (1.5 years and 2.5 years) and our girl Lola raced in warmer Florida. Maybe Zeke just grows the kind of coat he needed to stay warm in Colorado :-)

 

We are sorry to see his Winter coat go... for the obvious reasons as well as because it really was incredibly soft and beautiful. I think Lola was jealous! We thought about changing his name to "Fabio!"

 

Just look at all that chest hair!

[Guest kydie]

My boys coat seems a bit longer than other greys we do M&G's with and he is shedding a lot now, but I just chalked it up to his gene pool, when we picked him up the adoption group folks said he had the longest coat on a grey they had seen in a long time, here shedding makes no difference, his just blends in with the rest

[robinw]

that happens to phoenix. he coat become kind of thick in the winter. in the spring he sheds non-stop. underneath the old coat is a brand new, shorter, darker coat. i think Zeke and hoenix are demonstrating the meaning of "blowing one's coat"

[Guest IrishGH]

We recently adopted a GH that spent some of the winter on the farm up north, he's now in Fl and is shedding his winter coat.

 

Full winter coat

 

The wool......

 

This was photo shows his normal coat,,,,, well what it will look like after he sheds the winter coat

 

 

Pat

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Navy!! :wub:

 

I got to meet Navy and I can assure you he is SOFT as velvet! Monet is too, and she is dropping her coat and turning into a deep, bright red brindle.

[Guest Lovey_Hounds]

vegas is fluffy year round he feels like he has farm coat even though he doesnt he hasnt been on a farm since he was a pup (he was moved from track to track) he sheds like heck but he is SO soft all the time. Our old girl D.C gets a winter under coat and sheds like crazy in the spring.

[Guest sorenkkg]

I have one of these--- someone introduced me to the term "teddy bear greyhound" ? Have you ever heard that?

 

anyway, I have siblings right? they were raised in the same area, raced in the same area (lincoln and wonderland I believe) so the only difference between them is Aleeya spent a few years having puppies out west somewhere.

 

Haka definitely has an undercoat, and Aleeya definitely doesn't

 

We can use the "furminator" on him all day every day, winter and summer, and I swear we can make a coat. She, not so much. Both are very soft, b/c of their food and LOVE I'm sure, but he is like a bunny, and everyone who touches him is SO surprised.

 

I swear, he wears a coat in the winter, same as his sister, and she doesn't get this undercoat.

 

Some are just furry I think

 

oh, and his tush was bald when we got him, now it's filled in, and it never changes. When I furminate, I get a LOT from the back of the neck, and the lower back just above the tail... but he's softest in the neck and chest.