Losing Hair??

[jys1011]

We recently started using a Gentle Leader on both our dogs…yet the pulling still continues (but that's for another thread).

At first, I would notice the fur dents around the nose where the lead was on. After about a month I realized that C3 is actually losing his hair in this same area. He looks so weird now....he's got this balding ring around his nose.

Overall his coat seems to be dry & coarser than before. Meanwhile Topaz fur has gotten much softer then when she first arrived.

Questions:
1-Is the Gentle Leader (not so gentle maybe?) too tight?? Should I go back to a neck lead?

2-Is this coarser coat due to the winter??? Should I change shampoos or diet??

Thanks for your help.
Jennifer

[nala121498]

Hi Jennifer…I'm not sure how old he is, but I can only tell you that Nala had that as a young dog, even after puppyhood. I had her to the vet, a dermatologist vet and neither could actually pinpoint what it was. She was on Clavamox so often. We also tried a gentle leader on Nala and she still pulled lik crazy...and still does, but we scrapped the gentle leader. I would also tell you that Nala has just last year, gone through a shedding period and then her normal, soft fur came back. The onlys spot that remains more coarse is her hackles or whatever it's called. The strip of fur down her back.
I'm sure others will respond with diet and suggestions that worked for their Bs coat. I hope you get it resolved. We just called Nala our raccoon for a while....LOL!

[jys1011]

Thanks! C3 turns three years old in a week. And they both were shedding for a bit but it now seems he's still shedding & his coat is much coarser than before. I'm more concerned with the balding around the collar areas.

[Duke]

@jys1011:

At first, I would notice the fur dents around the nose where the lead was on. After about a month I realized that C3 is actually losing his hair in this same area. He looks so weird now….he's got this balding ring around his nose.

Overall his coat seems to be dry & coarser than before. Meanwhile Topaz fur has gotten much softer then when she first arrived.

Questions:
1-Is the Gentle Leader (not so gentle maybe?) too tight?? Should I go back to a neck lead?

2-Is this coarser coat due to the winter??? Should I change shampoos or diet??

Thanks for your help.
Jennifer

I am wondering - Do you leave the Gentle Leader on all day? It should only be used when out for walks. You can leave both a neck collar and head collar on when walking. The neck collar has Dukes license and ID tags on it. When we're done with our walk, head collar comes off - basically, I leave it attached to his leash.

For me, the Gentle Leader was his first head collar. I got a tip here to look into a Black Dog head collar (Australian Co.). From their web site, I located a distributor in my area and bought one. I like it better than the Gentle Leader, because it is looser around the muzzle, and works better for both of us.

I don't know about the C3's coarser fur. I read that adding olive oil to their food might help. Does anyone know if it actually helps?

[lvoss]

Are you leaving his collar on all day? It is not unusual for collars to cause hair loss, just look at how much hair a collar gets caught in it. It is one reason many show dogs do not wear collars in the house.

As for the coarser coat, there could be a couple of reasons. Did you change his food when you got him? If this is his first real shed since you got him and you did change his food that may be a reason for the change. I don't know about in your area but in mine, it is very dry in the winter and if the dogs aren't getting enough oils their coats can seem a little coarser. Coat changes and hair loss can also be an indication a dog is hypothyroid. It is recommended by OFA that dogs between the ages of 1-5 be tested yearly for thyroid and then every other year after the age of 5.

[jys1011]

Thanks for the great advice here! We do not keep the Gentle Leader on at all once in the house. They can barely stand to keep it on during our walks ha! so we remove the lead immediately at home & we also remove their tags collar in the house too!

I did change their food from Eukanuba to Merricks about 2 months ago when we got him. I do see Merricks has olive oil in their wet foods which they get 1/2c a day. Maybe I can add a little more to their food.

I'm in NJ so the winter is extremely dry & the house is also pretty dry due to the heat. Can I try a humidifier?? Or vitamin E oils??

I will definitely look into the Hypothyroid…

thanks again!!