Do Some Greyhounds Have Thinner Skin Than Most?

[brianamac]

Out of curiosity only-

Boo gets cuts all over his paws and legs constantly, just from a regular romp in the backyard. I've checked the yard many times for glass, rocks, beer caps, etc. I find nothing of note. Bubba NEVER gets cuts from running in the same yard.

Boo came to us with a ton of scars, I assume from play with his littermates or fellow track dogs (although I think reds/fawns show scars more than some other colours)

But I wonder... do some Greyhounds just have EXTRA thin skin?

Edited March 29, 2014 by brianamac

[Guest grey_dreams]

Within the scope of genetics, it surely is possible that his skin is more fragile than normal. A sulfur supplement might be able to help his skin; the biologically available form is called MSM (methylsulfonylmethane). It is a component in many high-quality joint supplements. Do you give fish oil? We really like the sardine and anchovy oil from Iceland Pure.

[silverfish]

Yes, it's been our experience that some do have thinner skin. I think it goes along with the thinner, silkier type of coat - although maybe those with thicker, woollier coats get a bit of protection from the extra fluff, too!

Susan, Jack and Sid - thick, fluffy coats. Hardly any nicks and scrapes.

 

Renie - flat soft, silky coat and thin skin. She didn't get many nicks, but that's because she was a princess who wouldn't even walk through a wet patch, let alone throw herself into bushes or try to jump fences etc

 

Jim - kind of middling coat. Got a few nicks but nothing major, and he was a real daredevil and very playful. Used to tear around with other dogs, and jump anything he felt like jumping.

 

Jeffie - flat, thin coat and clumsy. He is ALWAYS picking up wounds, and half the time I have no idea where or what did it!

[Guest DeniseL]

Our galga, izzy, has extremely thin skin, she has nicks and scars all over and has needed staples twice since we brought her home....it's crazy.

[cleptogrey]

annie w/ her thick luxurious red fawn coat scars as soon as she has a slight nick or ding. nothing heals, everything scars, one scrape and the hair never grows back. felix w/ his short tight red fawn coat has some scars from major dings but most of the minor stuff has regrown hair. go know....

[Sambuca]

Greyhounds have thinner skin than most other dogs and some greyhounds are clumsier than others.

[Guest Lillypad]

Are some Greys more thinned skinned? Don't know the answer to that question. But shallow as this may seem, one of the criteria when we decided to get a greyhound was a dark brindle. Many of the fawns I saw seemed to be scarred up from one nick or another. It was my reasoning that the bindles would be more forgiving scar wise. This has definitely turned out to be a fact in our case, cause she was in a doggie-doggie "accident" that would have left her scars very visible if she had been a fawn. The advice of supplements is definitely a good one, I condone the fish oil and flax suggestions. Make sure you get a good product or you may just be wasting your money. Human grade is best, don't bother with pet store products.

[queenwinniesmom]

Lydia must be! This winter has been horrible for her, and for us, with all the scrapes on her legs. At one point, she had FOUR bandages on her legs. Two wounds needed stapled, and one was so big that we treated it for a couple months. We've been to the vet at least 6 times since the end of January. She finally seems to be at a status quo, and hasn't broken the skin. We've been giving her coconut oil. Not sure if it's helping, but she and the others love it, and I guess it can't hurt.

[Guest AimeeBee]

I think some do. George is one of the flat, silky coated dogs and he is regularly cutting up his legs on....things. I don't even know how he manages to do it; I can be outside with the dogs the entire time and don't see him get into anything unusual -- come back inside, boom, bleeding legs/feet. Both my first foster and the one that is with us now had fluffier, somewhat rougher coats and neither seemed to get scraped up as much as George does. At first I blamed it on his white coat making everything look worse than it was, but foster #1 was a cowdoggie too and he wasn't nearly as accident-prone.

 

He does get fish oil in every meal, if it's helping I'd hate to think what things would be like if he didn't!

[heartdogs]

Aimee, my first grey was a white/black & he got cut just from running in the grass. The vet said the lighter colored greys do have thinner skin & he was surprise some had any hide left on their bodies. nnie is a red girl & she now has Wal Marts smiley face on her side from a run in with her brother. My boys are brindles & any scars just blend in with the stripes. I've had people say how abused greys are by the number of scars they have but most people have scars from being kids so what's the big deal?

[PatricksMom]

I think so. Patrick was either a clutz or thin skinned, we were constantly bandaging him up or taking him to the vet. I thought that was normal for greyhounds, but we haven't had to to taken in Murphy, Henry, or Leo yet and we almost never have to bandage either.

[KristenMichele]

I think the fawn and white dogs definitely show scars more than other dogs.also I think they have thinner skin then most others

[Guest tinams8]

My Lucy is like this also, constantly has small nicks on her lower legs and feet from stepping on sticks or something. At the end of this winter the snow was icy and crusty and she was coming in bleeding every time she went out. She is white with very little fur on her legs. I think if she had more fur it wouldn't happen, and of course everything shows against her pink legs (and the bloody footprints on the floor).

[Banjoman]

I've had Chancey two months & her legs & feet now have so many nicks in them that I feel almost guilty about them, she was OK when she arrived.

She has recently lost most of her thicker kennel coat and now has a fine, short coat so I suspect she's always going to have minor injuries like this.

She does spend her time out in the garden patrolling the wire mesh fence that my neighbour's Leylandii hedge grows through & there are plenty of my own bushes to catch herself on. When the other neighbour's little poodle type dog is out and barking at her she's racing up and down the lawn & pushing through the shrubs to get to the fence that side.

[Guest grey_dreams]

Maybe you will have to try to manage the environment by cutting back the hedge, making sure the fencing wire is buried or turned flush (no metal protrusions).