Hair falling out

[Paegan]

Willow was spayed last month and since then her hair has continued to fall out by the bucket full. She looks more like a lab than a newf. I can't tell you how many vacuum cleaner bags I have gone through.

Are these two things related? I guess I need assurance that her long coat will eventually grow back.

 

[NessaM]

Usually the girls grow an insanely thick coat after they get spayed! This is the time of year though when the newfs lose their undercoat for the second time in preparation for winter - and often after surgery a dog will lose a bunch of coat - but hair loss can also indicate a thyroid problem or skin condition.

If you are really concerned, I'd bring her in for a post-op checkup with your vet. He or she will likely be able to tell from examining Willow whether or not this is a normal shed cycle/accelerated shed cycle due to surgery and time of year, or if it is health-related and needs to be addressed.

Worst case scenario, it might indicate estrogen responsive dermatosis - a visit to your vet will determine if this is the case, and it can be treated with estrogen replacement therapy.

 

[Paegan]

Thanks Nessa...Willow has her annual checkup/vaccinations in 3 weeks. I will discuss my concerns with the Vet at that time.

 

[ozzysma]

she is probably blowing her coat . sometimes when this is happening i still think something is wrong with them!!LOL! it is amazing how much coat can fall out!

 

[Paegan]

she is probably blowing her coat . sometimes when this is happening i still think something is wrong with them!!LOL! it is amazing how much coat can fall out!

This past weekend the only long hair on her were her "pants" and she look just ridiculous. I trimmed her back end so least it evened her out. Her hair is very shorty now. Not at all fluffy like a Newfie should be.

 

[victoria1140]

thyroid is my first thought but make sure they take a blood sample as it gives a more accurate result

 

[blackbear cove]

Have your vet run a full T panel for thyroid...one of mine has low thyroid and her coat was coming out by the handfulls and the coat felt like a S.O.S pad...now that she is on meds for it she has a beautiful coat again...just 1 pill daily keeps it in check with rechecks every 6 months...doesnt hurt to check to be safe and ease your mind.

Also I've heard that putting them under for Surgery can make them blow coat like crazy too, mine never did, but I've heard it can happen.

 

[Bär]

Depending where you live it could a summer blow.
Bär is blowing like crazy right now. We had a none existing summer, but now in September we have temps around 30C. If he keeps up shedding like this he will be naked by the end of the month.
Is there a law against indecent exposure in a Newf. If so I better get knitting him a coat.

 

[Pipelineozzy]

It's actually not unusual for a Newf to lose their coat after anesthetic. I would wait a while and see if it comes back in after the coat change. I've had dogs that had hair loss similar to a post partum shed after having anesthetic...and it came back in normally, or in the case of a spay...heavier than ever!! If coat texture and skin appear normal, it's probably a combination of a normal shed and post anesthetic shed at the same time.

 

[ardeagold]

Don't run the thyroid quite yet. Give it a bit of time before you do. Sometimes the spay will cause the thyroid to be "off" and then it will return to normal, because the hormones from the ovaries influence is suddenly removed from the endocrine system. (That's what Dr. Jean Dodds told me after Mira was spayed and having odd symptoms. We had run a thyroid test and it was a little wacky. Within a few months (like 3-4) all was normal again).

Lots of females blow their coat after a spay...just like they do when they've had a litter of pups. It's ugly, but it does grow back. Usually much coarser (in the butt area) and thicker. Then you have the spay coat to deal with. We call Addie Mae brillo butt. HAHAHA.

 

[nowhavethreebears]

Hair loss CAN definitely be a side effect of anesthesia. Just as it can be with humans. And as others have mentioned, it can be normal coat blowing following spay.
If this is her only symptom I would just give it some time....Sounds like you may have a combination of factors at work here...

 

[Paegan]

Lots of good comments and help here. Thank you.

 

[R Taft]

It's actually not unusual for a Newf to lose their coat after anesthetic. I would wait a while and see if it comes back in after the coat change. I've had dogs that had hair loss similar to a post partum shed after having anesthetic...and it came back in normally, or in the case of a spay...heavier than ever!! If coat texture and skin appear normal, it's probably a combination of a normal shed and post anesthetic shed at the same time.

I would go with the post anesthetic thing too. Annabelle's coat just fell out by the bucket load. As did Abbey's and Tessa's. We also had a male dog, had major surgery and he had hairloss.
That said, people often have bad skin and loose hair post anaest. Or sometimes their hair goes dull or straighter if curly. There are a multitude of different reactions