Weight and coat loss ?

bonny

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Just pondering really as I'm not concerned but would love to know the reason for my dog's twice yearly cruelty case look ! She's a tall, black/grey/white collie with a coat like a husky, always healthy and lively but when she's casting her coat, as she is now, along with losing huge amounts of hair also drops weight dramatically. She's almost at the end now of her coat change and is very skinny which is what happens every time despite no change in her diet or anything else. She'll put the weight back on now but is looking very poor. Is this common in dogs ?
 

bonny

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No idea of her weight but it's not her coat hiding the weight loss. She loses an awful lot of weight, if you saw her now you would think about reporting her ! I've had her family for generations and her father used to be the same but no where near as drastic.
 

Moomin1

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She doesn't need a vet ! She does this twice a year, I was just wondering if anyone knew why ?

I'd suggest that if she loses so much weight that she is reportable, she does need a vet.

They would be able to find out why, in all probability.
 

CorvusCorax

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She's maybe just colder with the loss of coat/condition and dropping weight accordingly?

My dog has a very thick coat but I know he is lean underneath - if he's been swimmimg, you can definitely tell!. I'd weigh her at different points of the year just to satisfy yourself or maybe get her swimming or bath her in full coat to see if there is a massive difference.

I don't mind a lean dog!
 

bonny

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She's maybe just colder with the loss of coat/condition and dropping weight accordingly?

My dog has a very thick coat but I know he is lean underneath - if he's been swimmimg, you can definitely tell!. I'd weigh her at different points of the year just to satisfy yourself or maybe get her swimming or bath her in full coat to see if there is a massive difference.

I don't mind a lean dog!

Thanks for the reply, but it can't be that she's cold, she does this spring and autumn, maybe I'll just never know why and like you I like a lean dog, although not as thin as she gets ! If I took her swimming she would not only look like she's starving but would be homeless as she would leave in disgust !
 

Moomin1

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What's the issue with taking her to see a vet? Losing excessive amounts of weight (if indeed she goes as thin as you say), can lead to problems with the organs, and it sounds as if the coat loss could be due to some form of deficiency or allergy maybe. If it were my pet, I would want to do the best by them and explore every avenue.
 

bonny

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What's the issue with taking her to see a vet? Losing excessive amounts of weight (if indeed she goes as thin as you say), can lead to problems with the organs, and it sounds as if the coat loss could be due to some form of deficiency or allergy maybe. If it were my pet, I would want to do the best by them and explore every avenue.

What would be the point, she's almost at the end of her casting her coat and she will start putting the weight back on now. She's always done this, what would you expect a vet to do ? She's perfectly healthy in every other way.
 

Moomin1

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What would be the point, she's almost at the end of her casting her coat and she will start putting the weight back on now. She's always done this, what would you expect a vet to do ? She's perfectly healthy in every other way.

They would take bloods, skin scrapes and try to determine what is causing it each year - which is what you want to know, going by the title of the thread. We shouldn't allow our pets to drop so much weight they look 'starved' and reportable (in your words). I can never get my head around why people think that's acceptable. If you had a child who looked 'starved' at certain points of the year, you would take them to the dr, you wouldn't just shrug it off and say 'what's the point - she'll put it on soon again'.
 

CorvusCorax

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I don't mean cold as in freezing cold, but if she has a thick coat and loses it, she is going to be colder without it, than she is with it and will lose weight accordingly and then adjust. A lot of shepherds look terrible during their moult, I wouldn't worry too much about it but I suppose you could take her to the vet just to satisfy yourself.
 

Moomin1

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I don't mean cold as in freezing cold, but if she has a thick coat and loses it, she is going to be colder without it, than she is with it and will lose weight accordingly and then adjust. A lot of shepherds look terrible during their moult, I wouldn't worry too much about it but I suppose you could take her to the vet just to satisfy yourself.

I think that very much depends on just exactly how much weight the dog is losing. I don't think it's sensible to be advising someone not to worry about a dog who they say loses so much weight it looks starved in all honesty. Of course, OP may well be exaggerating and the dog may not be losing anywhere near the amount of weight she says, in which case I agree, it's probably nothing to worry about.

OP, perhaps a photo would help?
 

NeverSayNever

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could be hormonal :) best way to manage it would be since you know when it is going to happen, really up her food and make sure she gets a high fat intake.
 

bonny

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I don't mean cold as in freezing cold, but if she has a thick coat and loses it, she is going to be colder without it, than she is with it and will lose weight accordingly and then adjust. A lot of shepherds look terrible during their moult, I wouldn't worry too much about it but I suppose you could take her to the vet just to satisfy yourself.

Maybe you are right, hard to see another reason for it.....and she's not going to the vets .....she's fine, just skinny
 

Moomin1

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Maybe you are right, hard to see another reason for it.....and she's not going to the vets .....she's fine, just skinny

She hardly sounds fine if she looks like a cruelty case does she? Or are you exaggerating?

Surely your dog sees the vet at some point every year? Why not simply just mention it to your vet when your dog goes for boosters, or check ups?
 

bonny

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She hardly sounds fine if she looks like a cruelty case does she? Or are you exaggerating?

Surely your dog sees the vet at some point every year? Why not simply just mention it to your vet when your dog goes for boosters, or check ups?

No, she never sees a vet, amazing she's lived as long as she has really !
 

Moomin1

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No, she never sees a vet, amazing she's lived as long as she has really !

Why doesn't that surprise me...

Do you know, interestingly OP, guess what the most common reaction is when someone is caught with a neglect case, or a very skinny animal?? ...

"She/he is fine.....she's just skinny. She's always been this way". Not an excuse when I dog is walking around like a skeleton...

I am really hoping for the dog's sake that you are exaggerating on the weight loss, and she is fine.
 
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CorvusCorax

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Moomin, I guess I'm just used to seeing dogs looking poor during a cast, as mentioned. I said "I" wouldn't worry too much and I suggested a vet at the end of my post.
 

Moomin1

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Moomin, I guess I'm just used to seeing dogs looking poor during a cast, as mentioned. I said "I" wouldn't worry too much and I suggested a vet at the end of my post.

Yes I fully agree CC - many dogs do look poor in coat during a cast, and some loose a little weight. I can only hope OP's dog is losing a small amount and not quite as much as she says.
 

Cyrus

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It's quite normal in sibes and mals for some weight loss to occur during coat loss as fat stores are used to push coat out my 40kg malamute always looks like a rescue case when she looses coat but I can quite clearly tell she's perfectly ok and doesn't need a vet lol
 

bonny

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It's quite normal in sibes and mals for some weight loss to occur during coat loss as fat stores are used to push coat out my 40kg malamute always looks like a rescue case when she looses coat but I can quite clearly tell she's perfectly ok and doesn't need a vet lol

Thank you, finally a sensible answer from someone who knows what they are talking about, hopefully some on here who can only judge something they know nothing about could take note !
 
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