# question about loose skin



## T Man (Mar 18, 2010)

On our 9 month male his skin feels very loose on his body, totally different than our female. Around his neck area it is the most noticeable, it is like he is wearing a coat that is two sizes two big . It isn't really noticeable just looking at him, but when you pet him it is or when he is lying down you can tell.

Is this maybe because he is still young and hasn't fully grown yet? I should also mention that I don't believe he is underweight.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

No idea, sorry. Has he always been like that?


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## T Man (Mar 18, 2010)

I think you mean to ask if he has always been that way, and the answer is yes overall but it became more pronounced at around 6 months old.


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## Looni2ns (Mar 26, 2010)

Just wait a few months, or years. He'll grow into it. 

God put that loose skin on them to serve as handles when they get into something they shouldn't. His mom used it to carry him around.


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## mag&bays mom (Sep 25, 2010)

i have been wondering this same thing. my 9 month old female has very loose skin as well. shes a skinny little thing too although my vet said her weight is just fine. 

im looking foward to see what others have to say!


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

T Man said:


> I think you mean to ask if he has always been that way, and the answer is yes overall but it became more pronounced at around 6 months old.


Oops, yea, I'll correct that.


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## TomCat'sGirl (Aug 27, 2010)

Cash has loose skin. I notice it more when he's lying down. I always just assumed he would "grow" into it like he will his ears and paws.


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## T Man (Mar 18, 2010)

Hmm, I just read online that it can be a sign of dehydration, and I posted in a previous thread that Spencer our male drinks water like a vacuum cleaner to the point where he sometimes throws it up. I may call the vet to see what she thinks. Hopefully it's just normal.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I was hesitating here because I don't actually know if there is a single reason...?

I do think that young dogs DO have loose skin and it tightens up as they bulk up and fill out. 

I also think that it's sometimes in their genes to have loose skin. So they never grow into it. 

Our Sammy was an example of the latter. He was purebred (meadowpond/asterling and kiowa), but we liked to joke that he had some hound dog in him (in addition to sussex spaniel) because he had the loose jowls thing going on. And the skin on his back was pretty loose.

Even though it's not in the breed standard, it's not a health problem. If anything, it can be pretty annoying. Sammy was expert for slipping his collars.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

T Man said:


> Hmm, I just read online that it can be a sign of dehydration, and I posted in a previous thread that Spencer our male drinks water like a vacuum cleaner to the point where he sometimes throws it up. I may call the vet to see what she thinks. Hopefully it's just normal.


I don't think loose skin per se is a sign of dehydration, but to check for dehydration, you pinch the skin on their back and it it stays pinched rather than returning to normal, that can be a sign of dehydration.

My son-in-law's GSD always had a lot of loose skin when he was a pup and grew into it.

I'm sure your guy is fine.


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## janine (Aug 8, 2009)

Murphy has loose skin....we pull on it (in a nice way) and ask him when he is going to grow into his dog suit. He is also very skinny...


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## T Man (Mar 18, 2010)

Thanks for the replies, I might post a picture or video so you can see what I mean because on Spencer it is a lot of extra skin. You can literally take both hands on top of his neck, grab two handfuls and lift up several inches without it pulling tight at all. I think he could gain 30 lbs and his skin would still fit him.


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## ZooVeteran (Dec 5, 2018)

hello, my 5 years old golden has the same problem and the skin is very think + hard + black.
i was thinking that the problem was caused by water as he always put his full mouth in water to drink, but even with a smaller bowl and less often wet skin, nothing changes.

Anybody has experience with golden retriever thick black skin under neck ?

Thank you so much for your ideas and suggestions.


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