Weird Condition

[JoanBelleIsle]

Hi,

 

Has anyone ever seen this before?

 

It has been unusually hot and humid in New England this year for at least the past 6+ weeks. I just picked up a foster who looks like a dog I would see in May that has been staying outside all winter. He still has a thick undercoat and is molting. It's almost like the reverse of the thin coat that is one of the symptoms of a thyroid problem.

 

I don't know what to make of this one much less if it points to some underlying physical condition that I should pay attention to.

 

Thanks...

[FountainLady]

Could the dog have Cushing's disease?   I know in horses that failure to shed out winter coats is a clue that they have this disorder & I've heard that dogs get Cushing's too. <BR><BR><BR>Edited to add:   Does anyone know why I get all the funky stuff in my posts when they go on line?    I don't type these extra stray letters in and they just show up.    I have't posted much because of it!   <IMG class=bbc_emoticon alt= src="http://forum.greytalk.com/public/style_emoticons/default/huh.gif">

Edited July 16, 2010 by FountainLady

[Guest lat41065]

my old boy just did that I am talking tufts of fuzzy hair. I brushed him and most of its gone and he is back slick but for a week or two he looked absurd. he is nearly 12 and ya have to beg him to go outside so he certainly didnt have an outside coat LOL he is healthy as can be .............

[TheFullHouse]

Some of mine put on a thick coat during this last winter and are still shedding it off. I think a lot of pups are losing hair this late in the year this year.

[Batmom]

Normal. Joseph is just about done shedding. Gidget is just getting started.

[Guest kydie]

I can't speek for greys, as I have only had my boy 2 years, but have had many other dogs, a dog's blood lines, even pure breeds, coat, coloring, position of ears, eye color, and even medical conditions, just as in humans,,, is genetic, from the grays I have seen, they too have very different coat thickness and length, when my boy came the adoption group said he had the fulless coat they had seen in a long time, and still does, when we do M&G's all the other grays have short close to their body coats,,,,, sure wouldn't you know it I have one that needs brushed ALL the time

[Guest Swifthounds]

It could be a sign of some underlying condition and it could be the change in diet and environment has caused a bit of stress that kicked in and jump started the heavy shedding.

 

Shedding isn't a heat/temp related thing, it's a twice per year transition initiated by changes in the amount of light exposure, so it could be that the hound is getting more light exposure than where it was before and thus shedding has kicked in.

[OwnedBySummer]

I can't comment much on the shedding, although I have seen a few lately who sound very similar. But I *CAN* recommend the Furminator! I picked one up a couple of weeks ago when my hound started (gracefully) shedding and they are truly WONDERFUL.

Edited July 16, 2010 by OwnedBySummer

[Batmom]

P.S. I also recall getting Joseph from Birmingham, AL kennel in September. He had the weirdest fuzzy coat, in a kennel known for its shiny ones! Dunno if it was leftover puppy coat or what. He gradually molted that out over @ 4-6 months.

[Guest fandogs]

When we had a kennel full of pups... some held their winter coats till Sept/Oct. then shed. Others dropped it all in the middle to late spring. Sounds perfectly normal to me.

[silverfish]

I remember picking Susan up and bringing her home - she had a really, really thick coat, and soft, like rabbit fur. Once she'd shed that kennel coat, she was as sleek as the rest of them, but her fur always had a different, softer feel. They do vary. Depends a lot on how they're kept prior to you getting them, too.

 

Could the dog have Cushing's disease?   I know in horses that failure to shed out winter coats is a clue that they have this disorder & I've heard that dogs get Cushing's too. <BR><BR><BR>Edited to add:   Does anyone know why I get all the funky stuff in my posts when they go on line?    I don't type these extra stray letters in and they just show up.    I have't posted much because of it!   <IMG class=bbc_emoticon alt= src="http://forum.greytalk.com/public/style_emoticons/default/huh.gif">

 

Good thought to check for something medical, but IMHO, it's a long shot. Still, keep an eye on him! And if you don't mind doing it, a routine blood check is always worth while.

 

As to the weird stuff in your post, that's code .. which editor are you using? If you just hit 'reply' and get the standard box up it shouldn't happen and I can't see a reason it would in the fast editor either. Post a question in tech support - someone will help you out with it!

[PrairieProf]

Where was the dog before? Sounds like he had a thick farm coat and is shedding it now.

 

See the top left "before" picture here for a perfectly healthy "molting" greyhound: http://www.qcgreyhoundadoption.org/little_bear

[Guest PiagetsMom]

 

Shedding isn't a heat/temp related thing, it's a twice per year transition initiated by changes in the amount of light exposure, so it could be that the hound is getting more light exposure than where it was before and thus shedding has kicked in.

 

This I did not know I always assumed it was temperature related. My pups are probably outside and sunbathe more in the cooler/winter times than they are in the warmer weather here - they definitely have a thicker coat in winter and shed more during spring/summer.

[Guest MZH]

Tucker had that all his life (got him at 6.5 weeks of age). I could brush him 45 minutes and never see the end of his undercoat. He wound up with an undefined immune disease and had a bunch of odd problems for four years until he passed at 10.5 from Glomerular nephritis and massive organ fibrosis. I hope your foster doesn't have an immune problem going on.

[Guest leash]

Magnum had the same problem. I got a furminator brush. It took all the under coat out in seconds. Now he looks great. The way Magnum looked I was afraid he had Alopecia. But the vet tested him and everything looks normal.

Edited July 17, 2010 by leash

[Guest Lmw626]

Two Point was a mess when I got him in March. Crazy, scraggily looking coat with thick tufts sticking out in various places, a strange course damaged looking patch of hair on his rump and a bald butt, stomach and under-neck. He was also shedding a weird kind of fuzz. After about two months on better food and a few spa days he changed to a smooth mostly soft coat and only shed when he got excited and worked up. Now in the last two week he's suddenly dropping hair like crazy only this time it's full hairs as if he's been shaved, it's not the fuzz that he blew out in April. I guess it's too early to tell if this is going to be a normal shedding time of year for him.

 

I picked up a furminator this week. I watched the vet and dog groomer use it in March and it took a lot of hair off. Back then a Zoom Groom worked wonders too. This time however, neither seem to be grabbing much hair but it keeps dropping. The hairs coming off him are like what you would see get brushed off a mans collar after using a clipper on the short hair of their neckline. I don't know how else to describe it. Just touching his back will leave your palm covered.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Lmw626