Please Help! Fur Loss?

[Kasey]

I am a relatively new Chow owner, we have had Bear for a little over 1 year now. When it started to get cold last winter we noticed that she began to lose fur on her hind legs and eventually the rest of her fur began to thin out as well. When this happened we initially thought she was having an allergy to her food so we changed that, not the cause. We then treated her for fleas, also not the cause. Once spring came her fur began to thicken again. Her coat had completely returned to normal until recently when the weather started to get cold again. She is now losing the fur on her hind legs again and starting to thin on other parts of her body. The fur on her legs in some spots is almost completely gone. I have been looking online for a cause for the problem and have seen things about blowing her coat and also thyroid problems. If it is just her blowing her coat would that cause her to lose fur completely in some areas, and why would she be thinning in the winter and thickening in the summer? Or is it something more serious that she needs to see the vet about?

[Constantina]

Could it be demodex mange? Is he scratching and losing hair around the eyes and muzzle? My 8 month old puppy it turns out has demodex mange and she lost hair on her legs and chest before the new vet diagnosed it. Take him to the vet for testing.

[Kasey]

She isn't losing any fur around her face and she isn't scratching at the areas where she is losing fur. What ever the cause may be it doesn't seem to bother her one bit. Maybe we should take her to the vet just to be safe, thanks for the information!

[Rory's Dad]

Yes it could absolutely be a normal coat blow. Without any pictures or other detailed info, its hard to tell. But, being related to temperature change, combined with growing out of any puppy fur she still has (usually about 1 year, but could be up to 2 years) you definitely could end up with a hairless chow for a period of time.

Best solution, if that is the case is frequent brush outs to encourage fur growth and bathing. This will remove the dead fur, keep the skin and follicles clear, and stimulate the regrowth.