Thin skinned greyhound?

L

LD&S

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 June 2012
Messages
991
Location
South East Kent
Visit site
I've recently taken on a rescue greyhound, when he arrived we noticed the hair on his lower legs is very fine and sparse, also further up one back leg the hair was quite thin. We assumed it had been the result of lying on a hard surface and that it would improve once he was out of kennels, however it seems to be getting worse and his front leg is showing signs of thinning hair now too. The rest of his coat is thick and glossy, he has seen a vet several times in the last month and the vet can't see anything wrong with his general health and as he isn't licking scratching or chewing we are at a loss as to what it might be.
Has anyone had similar or knows how we might deal with it?
 
Apparently spot on before we got him, it would have been put on the back of the neck, does that sometimes have an effect Alec? I haven't kept a dog for over 10yrs and never used the stuff.
 
Spoton can have a dreadful effect, but initially it's at the nape of the neck, the treatment site, as you say. I have a Cocker bitch here, who I bought it, she had the treatment before I collected her, the nape of her neck was bald, and it spread, and now though the neck has recovered, it's her legs which have these bald patches, just as you describe. I've now had her for 6 months, or so, and she seems to be slowly improving.

I strongly suspect that your dog may also have reacted. I also suspect that recovery can be a long and drawn out process, but the good thing is that the dog doesn't seem to suffer. They just look like they're a bit moth-eaten!

The above thoughts are only my thoughts, and others may point out that I'm wrong.

Alec.
 
That's interesting, Nutty's coat is very thick, there are only the two thinning areas, which are his shoulder and thigh that are vey thin though we did notice that when we gave him a chew where he'd been holding it between his paws to eat he had rubbed off some of the hair.
 
Greyhounds do suffer with balding thighs, which can also go to shoulders. My greyhound suffers with this too. She has got better with good food in her belly and a good soft bed/sofa lol

Would love to see a picture of your new addition :-)
 
The odd thing is it has got worse over the last week or so, he has had to have a couple of courses of anti biotics but has (what I'm told) is quite good quality kibble.
This is Nutty the evening he arrived
P1000532_zpseb953f5a.jpg


and him on one of his preferred sleeping places

P1000537_zps7404f4b7.jpg
 
Could be a contact intolerance/allergy.

What Washing powder do you use?
What food is he on?
 
Last edited:
I use ariel, I hadn't though of that as I always put his stuff through a second rinse cycle just to be sure and his stuff is washed on its own so there's never a lot in the machine,the odd thing is though he generally lays on the other side, he's on Arden Grange atm
 
If I use Ariel I come out in a rash. Try a liquid wash that isn't Ariel.

Arden grange is usually ok unless a dog has an allergy to one of the ingredients. Try an alternative flavour for the next bag or try Wafcol Salmon & potato.
 
My greyhound went bald on belly, neck and thighs after she came home, she was actually very fuzzy and had a thick kennel coat that was moulting (was early summer) but it seemed to go a little too far. It didn't really improve much and non the wiser really, had different food and washing stuff over time. As there are no other symptoms vet didn't seem to feel it was a problem as balding thighs/tums is common in the breed.
 
I have whippets ,almost the same as greyhounds lol
My racing bred black n white girl is v thin haired/.skin esp belly legs n ears oh and under her neck where the collar goes n notice where coat lays on her tail that's going bald ,when she runs/walk in wet ground her poor legs are just pink n can bleed on knuckles,,she's fine health wise
Sometimes it's just the blood lines ( my bitches sire is the same )
Some due to stress or high protein diet
U could try n add oil to diet but Unfortually this can occur in these breeds
 
CaveCanem said:
It does look more like an allergy or reaction. Is he a stressy type as it can be caused by stress as well x
Click to expand...

He's very laid back, not at all stressy

haycroft said:
I have whippets ,almost the same as greyhounds lol
My racing bred black n white girl is v thin haired/.skin esp belly legs n ears oh and under her neck where the collar goes n notice where coat lays on her tail that's going bald ,when she runs/walk in wet ground her poor legs are just pink n can bleed on knuckles,,she's fine health wise
Sometimes it's just the blood lines ( my bitches sire is the same )
Some due to stress or high protein diet
U could try n add oil to diet but Unfortually this can occur in these breeds
Click to expand...

He has sardines in oil twice a week and cod liver oil in between

horseperson said:
He is lovely :-)

Did the vets do a skin scrapping at all?
Click to expand...

No scrapping done as yet, vet felt as there was no licking or chewing of the area and no broken skin mites or similar were very unlikely. I suppose it's possible he is just very sensitive but will try a mild detergant anyway just to be sure.
 
Is the greyhound an ex racer ........... ?

I ask as I used to work with racing greyhounds, and many racers have a lack of fur when in kennels. It was said to be from the stress involved in kennel and racing life, some say it is to do with the foods pumped into them also - a large amount of veg is fed to bulk up their diet, but where i worked they stupidly also fed cooked onion (which as us dog owners know onion among a lot of other foods are toxic to dogs), but many allergies can crop up through their feeding regime also. Our racing condition G/H's were fed 3x a day approx 2 kilo feeds in total. Many will never get the hair back as the follicles almost get damaged from the kennel kept life, (as you can imagine there isnt a lot to do in the kennels apart from lie on their shredded paper bedding on top of a wooden box to keep them away from the draughty floors)but some do recover their length of fur - but it can take a long time, some that I know of have taken upto 2 years to regrow.
It was a horrendous place to work, and I nearly took a blind puppy from one of their litters home. The only thing that was good about these guys was that they rehabilitated their ex racers in their home and found new homes for them.

Hope the above helps
 
Nutty was kept for racing but only raced once, he finished a long way behind which we think may have been due to a shoulder injury, he was retired at 20mths, 6mths ago, he was in Ireland waiting to be rehomed, he came to England on 9th Feb and I picked him up a week later.
The thing we find odd is the rest of his coat is in really good condition but he generally lies on the opposite side to the one he's losing hair from.
 
Evening Primrose oil is beneficial for poor or lost fur & skin problems. Lamb flavoured foods are good for general skin condition too. Some G/H's will always have a poor coat as I think I said the follicles over time get damage from constantly being laid on, hence nothing grows back. Normally one side goes first, then the other one eventually. However if Nutty wasn't that good, then they may not have been taking great care of him either - the best G/H's get the best care IMO I'm afraid the losers miss out on a lot. Lots of brushing may help stimulate hair growth, but avoid bathing at all due to oil loss etc.
you can add decent Olive oil to Nutty's food, and can also massage into the skin to help too - sounds stupid but has been known to work !!!



(most of this I am sure you will already know - please don't think I am trying to be condescending at all, as I am not in the slightest).
 
Are the tips of his ears dry? As in feeling a bit crusty, without being crusty, if that makes sense?!? He may have a thyroid problem which is common in Greyhounds. Thyroid problems are easily treated, so don't panic, but it WILL make hair brittle and fall out easily.

Other than that it may just be hair loss due to the stress of moving. Or that it's just because he's mainly white. He may be at the beginning of a moult. I have a mainly white Greyhound with blue bits, and when she moults it looks like her legs are sore and inflammed - they're not, it's just the pink skin.

Ps, what protein content is the Arden Grange?
 
Last edited:
debsandpets said:
Evening Primrose oil is beneficial for poor or lost fur & skin problems. Lamb flavoured foods are good for general skin condition too. Some G/H's will always have a poor coat as I think I said the follicles over time get damage from constantly being laid on, hence nothing grows back. Normally one side goes first, then the other one eventually. However if Nutty wasn't that good, then they may not have been taking great care of him either - the best G/H's get the best care IMO I'm afraid the losers miss out on a lot. Lots of brushing may help stimulate hair growth, but avoid bathing at all due to oil loss etc.
you can add decent Olive oil to Nutty's food, and can also massage into the skin to help too - sounds stupid but has been known to work !!!

(most of this I am sure you will already know - please don't think I am trying to be condescending at all, as I am not in the slightest).
Click to expand...

I've never had a greyhound before and though I have done a lot of research any advice and information is very welcome


Gowlane Bluebell said:
Are the tips of his ears dry? As in feeling a bit crusty, without being crusty, if that makes sense?!? He may have a thyroid problem which is common in Greyhounds. Thyroid problems are easily treated, so don't panic, but it WILL make hair brittle and fall out easily.

Other than that it may just be hair loss due to the stress of moving. Or that it's just because he's mainly white. He may be at the beginning of a moult. I have a mainly white Greyhound with blue bits, and when she moults it looks like her legs are sore and inflammed - they're not, it's just the pink skin.

Ps, what protein content is the Arden Grange?
Click to expand...

Nutty's ears aren't dry at all, and yes his skin is very pink.
The Arden Grange feed is 25% crude protein, I understand from the bit I've read that too high a protein is not good but when I had a look even the supermarket own brand stuff (which I expected to be low ) was 22%.
 
Redmills tracker is 20% u can add meat if u wish
I feed mine on this ,costs r glossy also I feed the racer as I race one if my dogs
Some greyhound ppm do use 'gain' feeds
I think white or mainly white hounds do tend to hav thinner hair ,,
 
This is the strange thing apart from the thinning patches on the thigh and shoulder, which is NOT the side he mainly lays on, Nutty's coat is thick and glossy, it's already lost that dry fluffy kennel look.
The vet has checked him over and has said he's in really good condition, a happy healthy dog, very friendly and laid back.
 
I really wouldnt worry about it LD&S - it is a breed characteristic :)

My four are all in top condition and all four of them have patches of thinner hair like the ones you describe, it is more or less noticeable depending on the colour of the dog. It has been the same for all of the greyhounds I have had over the years (all rescues and ex-racers), and it has never been as a result of any allergy, health issue or anything awful like that.

My little white greyhound sounds very similar to your boy, she was bred in Ireland but never grew big enough to race, she was dumped and was rescued as a starvation case at 18 months old :( She is 6 now and much loved - and she has bald patches :D

ETA - I've just gone back and have read the other comments, and I agree that white greyhounds are particularly prone to looking like their skin is inflammed and sore when actually it may just be pink - I have that with Flick (my white girl) and have often panicked then realised that it is nothing!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top