# Fur will NOT grow back now?



## bobinyelm (Mar 27, 2015)

We're new to the Forum, but are concerned about our newest family member.

Our 11 year old Golden we adopted a couple of years ago (after severe neglect by his previous owners, and having been hit by a car, bitten by a copperhead, and intentionally poisoned by a neighbor) tends to curl and mat with incredible ease, despite bathing and brushing, so being in Texas, where even indoors in the Summer he's HOT and unhappy, we've taken to cutting his hair length to below the curling length (almost a "perm" curl), and we all seem happier.

Unfortunately, at the last trimming 3mo ago, the clippers bit much deeper than intended on a 10sq in section at the top of Rusty's back when he moved quite unexpectedly, and got down to the skin in a couple of places.

In the past, and other than this area this time only, his hair has grown back thick and bushy, but in the area mentioned THIS time, it doesn't seem to be growing back noticeably at all. This is also the first time he was cut too short I might mention. The remainder IS growing normally, BTW, so it doesn't appear to be a system-wide problem, but only where he was unintentionally "shaved."

I've done searches here and on the Web, and nothing seems to fit. Rusty is healthy, with a good appetite, and other than a few seizures (which we've been assured by our Vet is not abnormal for a Golden, especially given his troubled history), seems totally normal.

Any ideas WHY or solutions (vitamins, supplements, etc.) MOST welcome! 

BTW, Rusty is now an indoor dog (and very grateful after having never been allowed in a home until we adopted him), and we are now especially careful not to allow him to be in the sun much, knowing his bare spots make him subject to sunburn. BTW, he doesn't seem "bothered" by the area, and he doesn't scratch, rub, or otherwise seem to be aware of the problem.

Thanks,
Bob


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Hi, 

Welcome to the forum. 
Has your Vet done a full blood work up on our boy? Checked his thyroid?
If not, you may want to have one done to rule out any medical conditions.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

I tried Vitacaps from Drs. Foster & Smith when I had to cut mats out of Mercy's tail and a year later it was still rather thin. Now she has a fuller coat than ever. I stopped giving her vitacaps about 6 months ago. Good luck with getting the hair back.


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## bobinyelm (Mar 27, 2015)

Thanks-

I did a search of various nutritional supplements after the suggestion of Dr Foster's formulation, and a number of people suggested this:

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002YFBF8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/ame]

Several reviews (Amazon and elsewhere) wrote rave reviews on it, with one suggesting, "I think this stuff could grow hair on a bucket."

We shall see, but for the cost of a pound container, it seems like a small price to see.

For the Thyroid suggestion, are there any obvious symptoms a thyroid condition would be likely to cause?

Thanks,
Bob


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

There is actually a term for this problem, it's called clipper alopecia. Especially in older dogs it takes a long time for the fur to grow back when it's been shaved to the skin. You could look into adding salmon oil or coconut oil to his food and see if in a couple of months it helps. My son made the mistake of having his 5 yr old female cut too short, she had a patch of alopecia on her back just in front of her tail. It took over a year for it to fill back in, but it did. 

I second the suggestion of having his thyroid checked if you haven't done that. A full senior blood panel is a good idea for a dog his age. Thyroid imbalance can cause lethargy, coat loss, inability to grow coat back, weight gain and the inability to lose weight, occasionally it can cause some irritable behavior. There are a host of things low thyroid can cause. One thing to keep in mind, most Golden Retrievers that test in the low end of the normal range still need to be on medication. It's inexpensive and easy to give, and improves a lot of issues.

Thank you for giving this Golden treasure a loving home for his senior years. You will never regret it.


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## bobinyelm (Mar 27, 2015)

Thanks for a suggestion on how we triggered this condition.

Fortunately, poor Rusty cannot see his back, so he hasn't become irritable (as I would certainly be).

I did a Google on hypothyroidism, and other than hair growth in the too-close area, the only other "symptom" he has is an occasional short seizure, which we've come to learn is not abnormal of an older retriever?

It was tragic to watch his owners neglect him over the years (he never went hungry-the neighbors were happy to get him "snacks"), but as he has reached senior status, we just could not bear it. Amazingly, his owners (since he was a 6wk old pup) have not reacted at ALL, though I know they know we've taken him in.

When we decided he simply could not survive outdoors (winter or summer), we had to DRAG him inside (literally, he would go limp like a 75 pound sack of sand), but now he knocks us over if we obstruct the doorway as we bring him inside after a "nature call." Amazing how they acclimate!

Hopefully, the supplements will help. We only allow him out now in cloudy weather after reading of possible sun burn.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I love that he is the typical Golden, show them a cushy indoor life and it doesn't take any time for them to be completely ensconced.

FYI, seizures are NOT normal. If he is having them routinely you really need to have a vet check him out. If they are often there is medication that can reduce the frequency.

At his age a full senior blood panel is always a good idea just to be sure there are no elevated levels that need to be treated.


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## bobinyelm (Mar 27, 2015)

I didn't mean to say seizures were normal, only that our Vet said that Goldens seem more prone to them as they age than many other breeds.

He mentioned medications, though since since Rusty averages only maybe 4 per year, with most lasting only 30 seconds or so, medicating him would likely cause more side effects (adverse personality changes) than justified. He said given that he was hit by a car (head injury), poisoned (intentionally by an evil neighbor), and had sustained a copperhead bite to his face, it is not unlikely he has some neurological issues going on very occasionally.

I suppose we could find a different Vet, though this one has a good reputation, and we used him with our previous large breed (who passed in 2009 after 19 years with us) and we do like him.

Bob


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

It sounds like your vet is knowledgeable. Poor Rusty, he really did have a rough time. I'm so glad he's with you now.


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## Anon-2130948gsoni (Apr 12, 2014)

Wow, you should rename him Lucky...all those mishaps and neglect and now he's finally won the life he deserves. Good for you!

We had a gorgeous sheltie/chow girl and in her ninth year she had to have her lower half shaved. It sort of grew back, eventually, but the hair was much thinner and a lighter color. After a certain age, it's just much harder to grow hair...just like in humans.

The good news was that it was a relatively warm summer and after all those years of a chow/sheltie coat, she LOVED being shaved! Much cooler and she could roll in the grass and actually feel it! So they certainly don't mind...


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

mylissyk said:


> There is actually a term for this problem, it's called clipper alopecia.


First off thanks for this mylissyk. 5 years ago I posted a similar question but no one mentioned this at the time. I googled it and the first link that came up for me mentioned that Melatonin might help.

Post clipping alopecia and poor hair regrowth in pets | petMD

My boy had places on either side of his chest shaved for a thoracentesis (his lungs collapsed) He passed 364 days later at 13yrs 3 months of age from cancer and his hair never grew back except for some peach fuzz. Thyroid fine, tried supplements etc.

Thanks for taking him on bobinyelm. My current girl turns 12 1/2 this month and she had lived 8 years of her life outside before I got her and loves her new life.

Like you said they do acclimate


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## bobinyelm (Mar 27, 2015)

A follow-Up to anyone of followed this thread. To recap, I managed to shave some places on his back down to the skin (essentially) and the hair/fur would not grow back at all, even after 4 months. We'd adopted Rusty after his neglect and abandonment, but his curly fur was terribly matted and couldn't be untangled, so we "shaved" him down to where the fur was smooth and straight, with the few bald-spots mentioned above. 

I bought a pound of "Solid Gold Seameal" from Amazon after reading glowing reports about it, with one chap saying it would grow hair on a bowling ball.

It was depressing to see those bald spots for 5 months with no progress at all. The 5 months includes the time before we got the Seameal, and until we started to see progress.

We used the stuff more-or-less as directed- one teaspoon thoroughly mixed in his morning meal, and for 10 weeks we saw NO difference at all.

Suddenly, with maybe 10% of the pound left, his fur suddenly grew back in the period of about 3 weeks, and the ugly bare, discolored areas are invisible now, with the fur perfectly matching the surrounding coat.

I can't say the supplement did it for sure, but his fur is back, and we're not asking questions.

Solid Gold Seameal certainly worth a try if you have a hair-growing problem in my book!


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