Hair loss beyond shedding

by Tami
(Eufaula Oklahoma)

My male is now 11 months old and the last couple of weeks the shedding started but not to this degree. He just walks by and large amounts of his hair just fall off of him. My house is just covered in it. I just took him to vet and he said he was a healthy boy.

Can anyone tell me what might trigger this? His diet has not changed, no other behaviour or anything at all is different.

I love my baby, and want to help him but have no idea what it could be. I have owned other Pyrenees mix breeds before and other long haired dogs including a Komondor female. They have been raised together as pups. My dogs are very spoiled.

His diet and food has not changed a bit.


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Aug 09, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		save it!!
by: Anonymous

Aaah, the lovely Pyr coat. So perhaps you could think of this as a precious resource instead of a worry or a mess? If he's losing so much that there's nothing left but bare skin, you know what to do. But your vet says he's healthy so why the worry? Gather up the wool he's gifting you, store it in a paper bag and when you have a big bag-full take it to someone who will spin it into yarn. Knit lovely white Pyr mitts soft as an angora sweater. Its what I do with mine!
Aug 10, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		hair loss
by: Anonymous

I totally feel your frustration with the hair loss but I don't think it's a medical issue. I have a 6 yr old male pyr that lives inside my home. Pyrs supposedly go thru a shedding twice a year but my Brutus seems to shed all the time. I vacuum every other day. And every 2-3 days I give him a good comb out outside which leaves enough hair on the ground for 10 bird nests. Brutus loves the brushing time. My Brutus is 140 lbs and very healthy. So I think the shedding issue is partly because inside dogs shed more than outsiders but mostly just due to the pyr breed. I knew that when I chose my Brutus and will just clean up after him like I did my kids and now my grandkids.
Aug 10, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		hair loss
by: Anonymous

Oh, and by the way...glad to see a post from someone from my neck of the country. I now live in tx but was from Oklahoma! I just posted about my Brutus shedding issues.
Aug 10, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hair loss
by: Donna

This is normal. He is moulting and this happens in spring and fall. However, we are in summer so that doesn't help you much.

Is everything else about your dog 'normal'? Is he energetic, does he eat normally (not ravenous), is his skin normal (not red or irritated or dry)?

Diet can play a part, too. Raw diet will play a much better role in your dog's health than kibble. Kibble is a processed meal and is partial filler (as evidenced by all the poop).
Aug 11, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Normal
by: Anonymous

Echoing what others have already said. Heavy shedding/blowing coats is normal for Pyrs.

Your previous Pyr mixes may not have inherited the Pyr's follicles ; )
Mar 25, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Worried about my dog
by: Pat

My 6 yr old is losing his hair to vet said nothing wrong blood test came back normal does anybody no the best food for him?
Mar 25, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Diet
by: Donna

Raw is a species appropriate for dogs. Costs can be lower or the same as kibble.

Kibble is not regulated and you would be shocked to find out what goes into it.

Raw Food Diet

Raw Roundup facebook page
Jul 27, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Shedding preyenese
by: Anonymous

We are fostering a 15 month old great prey mix and she has lost so much hair in the last 2 months that she now looks like a German Sheppard! I too had blood tests done and they found nothing, although they did suggest not using frontline flea drops. I was vacuuming every other day and combing twice a week....thought it was never going to end!
Apr 25, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		GP hair loss
by: Snack, Va

Our 3yr old Little Ann has done this every spring. She goes thru a phase where she looks like she has Mange. She is a farm dog and runs free. Our neighbors are fine with her daily visits, they were just concerned at first at the clumps of fur she would leave on their property.

I was checking to see if this is normal and, apparently, it is.

And I have to add, my security word to submit this postis 'corona'! Really?! Lol!
Apr 26, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Coat Loss
by: Donna

Be careful about allowing her to run loose. As long as she doesn't wander beyond your neighbours and she has been spayed. Otherwise, an intact male will find her.

Pyrs molt twice a year–fall and spring–and shed all year round. You should notice how much coat does come out when you groom her. She should be groomed regularly so her coat doesn't become matted. Mats are very painful for a dog. They coats also need to be mat-free to allow the air to move through their skin. And, of course, make sure you are clipping/dremmeling her nails and all dews every couple of weeks.

Here is some information on grooming:

https://k9gentledental.ca/double-coated-dogs/

I hope this helps.
Nov 05, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Losing hair
by: Anonymous

My pyr has had some skin issues, appeared to be hot spots and had him to 5he vet where he had a couple of spots shaved and that cleared but but have now found he has some other areas that he has scratched on his back. Back to the vet, he is on antibiotics and prednisone now but we live 8n northern Alberta and he is not getting his undercoat yet. This worries me since he is an outside farm dog. Any suggestions as to why this would be?
Nov 06, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hot Spots
by: Donna

Neither prednisone nor antibiotics are going to solve the issue it seems. You need to get to the root of the problem. These will bring your dog's immune system down.


My dog was a mess when I adopted her. The vet put her on the same stuff with no success. I finally did my research, engaged a wholistic vet, and got her onto raw. That species appropriate diet got her onto the right track and I haven't looked back.

If you are able to consult with a wholistic vet, that would be helpful. They will definitely get you on the right track.

Here is a list of vets who should be able to help you.

You could also consult with a nutritionist who has successfully put dogs with skin issues back on track. Isabelle, although in Ottawa, Ontario, can help you.
Aug 06, 2022
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Clumps of undercoat
by: Mike

I got very concerned when clumps came off her side and moved to her other side. Vet started her on 10 days antibiotic and spray skin areas with Chlorhexidine spray with no real progress. Maggie is 4 yrs old swam in the pool in Fla almost everyday for 2 yrs with no shed problems , came to NY started to swim occas ionally in June and the under coat problem started. Her white thick fur is a big part of her personality and everyone wants to pet her. I dont let people around her now because clumps of fur will come off if someone pets her. The spray helps her not scratching the areas but winter will be here in about 4 months.
Aug 08, 2022
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Discomfort
by: Donna

Maggie must be in great discomfort. There is more going on than just losing her coat. There is a problem with her system.

Here is information on
fur loss.

And, from Dogs Naturally.

I would suggest contacting Isabelle, holirawnutrition@gmail.com, who can get you on track with your girl. Holiraw Nutrition

Best of luck with her. She sounds like a lovely girl.
Jan 16, 2023
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		NO!!! NOT YET!!!
by: Jody

First of all, my pyr's name is also Maggie. She's 18 months old and weighs 125 pounds. We call her the Abominable Snowbeast I think somwhow my Maggie got confused about when to blow her coat(moult). It's mid-January, and we have had extreme winter weather where we live, which is California Valley, California. We've had so much rain since Christmas with winds topping out at 70 MPH, As cold as it's been lately, yet she's decided this is the perfect time to blow her coat. I have never seen this happen. I worry about her because she has big bare spots with new fur, and the way her fur is falling out, in huge clumps, I'm afraid she'll get cold. She did not moult at all last year. She spends alot of her time outside, but she's free to come inside whenever she wants. Right now she's laying on the foot of the bed at our feet. There is nothing wrong with her appetite or activity level. The vet told us she's perfectly healthy. Maybe it's because it's been so cold that the coyotes haven't been been out too much that she's spending too much time indoors where it's warm. I am saving all of her fur to have spun into yarn.
Jan 18, 2023
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Loss of coat
by: Donna

This doesn't sound right. It will come out in clumps, but there should be another coat coming in behind it.

Here is another article besides the Dogs Naturally article in the other comment. This is from Dr. Karen Becker.

As long as she has access as she pleases, she should be okay.
May 14, 2023
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Piper is going bald!
by: Anonymous

Piper is a 7 year old spayed GP. This spring she started getting bald spots along her shoulders …the baldness is moving back on her torso. She doesn’t scratch. Skin looks healthy. She’s on a monthly flea heart worm prevention and eats a senior dog food for sensitive stomach and skin. Vet seems to think its ok if its not bothering her …but it wont be long and she will be bald. She’s and outside dog. I would like to know if anyone else has experience this
May 15, 2023
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Baldness
by: Donna

You do not want a bald Pyr. Her immune system sounds compromised. You might consider using a natural flea and tick solution. And, you might consider changing to a raw diet which is a species-appropriate diet. These two changes will get your dog's immune system healthy again, and her coat will come back.

Making the switch.

Here is an article on hair loss in dogs.

And, an article about flea and tick medications. Dogs Naturally.

There is also this information for you from Dr. Falconer.
Jun 12, 2023
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Mine went bald
by: Anonymous

My girl went bald shoulders down to her butt & under side also. Her butt where she sits is raw. Her hair is coming back in the vet wasn’t concerned. I think it was frontline. I used it on all three of my Great Pyrenees the others are fine. The vet dislikes frontline. I’ve been keeping her inside due to the sun but no food changes nothing but frontline
Jun 13, 2023
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		meds
by: anon

It's all about keeping the immune system up to snuff, and that's through a proper diet and the fewer the meds, the better.

it's like smoking, people who smoke have no immediate side effects. It usually catches up with them years later. Or, people who eat processed food. It fills the gut, but doesn't give the body what it needs to stay healthy.

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