# School me on spay coat and blowout



## AGirlNamedScout (Apr 3, 2018)

Scout is 18 months old and 1 week out since spay. I'd never heard of spay coat until AFTER her procedure. Yesterday I noticed 2 cotton candy texture wads of hair. I snipped them out. She wore her cone to bed, but was also able to lick the site as there was some dried blood. I'm wondering if the wads were from wet hair vs cone or if it is actually what I've heard referred to as spay coat?
Second question is about blowout. How long does this usually last? Is it usually just a once per year thing? I guess since she was still getting her big girl coat last summer it wasn't as noticeable? I'm vacuuming twice a day and still can't stay on top of all of the hair!

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## Jmcarp83 (May 4, 2018)

Mine is only 13 months old but I have a golden puppy coming off the dog by daily brushing and vacuuming each week. We have not experienced spay coat since we are still not there.


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

If she was just spayed then it's too soon for the spay coat.


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## AGirlNamedScout (Apr 3, 2018)

Jmcarp83 said:


> Mine is only 13 months old but I have a golden puppy coming off the dog by daily brushing and vacuuming each week. We have not experienced spay coat since we are still not there.


 Yeah, we laugh at how many "dogs worth" of hair we get when brushing! I need to get a new brush, I've worn out the cheap one I have. I can easily get 6 or 7 brush fulls off of her per day. 
@4goldengirls Thanks, I didn't think so.
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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Spay coat will become apparent over the next year or two, more apparent in darker coats. You will probably notice it on her flanks - it is soft, cottony, tufty fur that looks messy and that you can't remove with a normal brushing. You either have to get a special grooming tool or just very patiently pick it out. Some dogs get more than other dogs. 



Your spayed female likely won't blow her coat in the traditional way - the spaying changes that, and it's the fur that isn't getting blown that causes spay coat. (Though, my last spayed female did blow her coat once or twice - it was CRAZY the amount of fur that came out of her). She lost her entire undercoat - she looked boney with just a thin top coat for a couple of months before it grew back in.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

many dogs will shed (blow) their coat after being put under for surgery. 

I would describe spay coat as the undercoat grows longer than the outer coat giving the dog a soft fuzzy appearance.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

The wads of fuzz - I'm wondering if she had a hotspot or skin infection going on because of the blood??? 

Or oh! I just realized you were talking about incision area from the spay. Gotcha. 

*** I agree with Swampy re shedding related to anesthesia.


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

So boys can have spay coat too, and Rocket used to have these ugly wispy spots on his knees, back of the neck, shoulders, and front legs. I would just pluck them out by hand because no brush could hold them. BUT, over the last year of him eating Pro Plan instead of TOTW, I've noticed that the spay coat is reduced, and almost completely gone from the back of his neck. It took quite a while for all of it to go away, but it hasn't really grown back after me plucking it out since the food switch. 

I've also heard that the degree of spay coat is genetic. But honestly, unless the entire coat gets like that, it's really not that big of a deal and lots of dogs don't even get it.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

You can get a "rake" from Chewy.com or tractor supply that doesn't damage the coat but will remove all the undercoat (does not cut anything). Do this outside as it will be a ton of fuzz. We do this daily and get at least a cockers worth of hair  Blowing out with the blow drier helps but nothing gets this under coat out like a rake, think is was like $6.00


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## Otter (Feb 23, 2011)

Pebbles has spay coat. At least that is what a knowledgeable Golden person told me it is when I asked why her coat is always a mess now, is always all poofy, and doesn't lay nice and straight. Picture of her from last night below. Not a great picture though.

Pebbles used to have a beautiful coat. At about 5 years of age she was spayed. Within a year or so her coat started to go "poof" big time. She has so much coat now too. Kinda funny at times. Her butt feathers and tail sometimes look like she stuck her finger (toe?) into a light socket.

We have to keep her trimmed up - it's her weekend for a bath and trimming. don't tell her though...


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## AGirlNamedScout (Apr 3, 2018)

Otter said:


> Pebbles has spay coat. At least that is what a knowledgeable Golden person told me it is when I asked why her coat is always a mess now, is always all poofy, and doesn't lay nice and straight. Picture of her from last night below. Not a great picture though.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow, what a ton of coat! So, I have decided the fuzzy balls of hair must've been due to the edge of her cone balling up loose hair that was wet from licking. I'm guessing the enormous amount she was shedding was not related to the spay, as it actually started a week or so prior. Over the weekend I was able to cut down on vacuuming up hair to just once per day. 
Ready for Wednesday to come and go so we can get back into our normal routine of walks and taking her places. I've never had a dog with such desire to go places.
Thanks for all of the replies! Love this place and all of the knowledge/experience that is shared!

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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Here is what spay coat looks like on my dog. On the side of her flank, you can see the slightly lighter fuzz, and then down at the bottom of her leg, on the front, you can see it very clearly. It just tends to look messy if you don't keep it under control.


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## Shenya (Jan 11, 2019)

Otter said:


> Pebbles has spay coat. At least that is what a knowledgeable Golden person told me it is when I asked why her coat is always a mess now, is always all poofy, and doesn't lay nice and straight. Picture of her from last night below. Not a great picture though.
> 
> Pebbles used to have a beautiful coat. At about 5 years of age she was spayed. Within a year or so her coat started to go "poof" big time. She has so much coat now too. Kinda funny at times. Her butt feathers and tail sometimes look like she stuck her finger (toe?) into a light socket.
> 
> We have to keep her trimmed up - it's her weekend for a bath and trimming. don't tell her though...
















Was this a recent development? Mine is 9M old and not fixed yet and his coat looks like this although I blow dry and brush him....it looks like a mess, especially with that ridge of fur on his upper back which makes him look like he is wearing a collar


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

Shenya said:


> Was this a recent development? Mine is 9M old and not fixed yet and his coat looks like this although I blow dry and brush him....it looks like a mess, especially with that ridge of fur on his upper back which makes him look like he is wearing a collar


Your boy just has crazy puppy fur. It will settle down if you continue to blow dry and brush regularly. Blow drying backwards can make that worse, so make sure you always blow down the back instead of up. The flip side is that IMO back-blowing (or blowing backwards) gets more loose undercoat out. He looks to just have a lot of coat naturally. My neutered boy has wispies almost identical to @SweetGirl 's dog, but has a lot more natural coat like your boy does.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

My spaniel mix has really obvious spay coat on the side of her back legs. I've tried to strip this out periodically, but I think it actually grows back with more of it afterwards. 
(Excuse her feet please, it's past time to trim).


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## Otter (Feb 23, 2011)

Shenya said:


> Was this a recent development?


No. Not recent. She was spayed about 2 years ago. Sometime after that she started to get all 'poofy'. 
I'm past due in bathing and grooming her in that picture.


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## 153330 (Dec 29, 2016)

So... What is the scientific evidence for 'spay' or 'neuter' coat?
Is it really related to the date of surgical operations and potential changes to a dogs hormones (different hormones for male and female animals) depending on their age? 
...Or is it just a normal part of dog aging, possibly with a genetic component?
Is a full coat with no fluffies 'normal' for a golden retriever, or do a few individuals just have great hair?!
Is there any actual scientific research on this topic out there?
Thanks,
H.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

HollyB said:


> So... What is the scientific evidence for 'spay' or 'neuter' coat?
> Is it really related to the date of surgical operations and potential changes to a dogs hormones (different hormones for male and female animals) depending on their age?
> ...Or is it just a normal part of dog aging, possibly with a genetic component?
> Is a full coat with no fluffies 'normal' for a golden retriever, or do a few individuals just have great hair?!
> ...



I haven't looked for scientific research on it. What I have been told is that it is related to the change in hormones. The dog no longer has cycles and normally coat blowing is related to hormones (for example, most female dogs blow their coats insanely after weaning their puppies). So females who no longer are cycling after spay don't blow their coats twice a year, and so the "spay coat" is the fur that should be blown out but doesn't get forced out. That's my understanding anyway.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

My girl has spay coat. I have found that a Mars Coat king works wonders to get it out. A little more expensive but it's the most useful tool I own for the job! She had a beautiful coat....I still regret having her spayed when I did.


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## 153330 (Dec 29, 2016)

So do we really know if a soft and fuzzy undercoat that doesn't have the hard longer guard hairs over it is related to spay/neuter at all?
Maybe it's age?
Or hormones (and male and female sex hormones decline with age)?
Or a genetic predisposition?
Or central heating?
Or living near a windmill?
Or a dietary deficiency (or excess)?
I know I've seen it also in Spaniels - could it be related to gun dog or sports dog breeds?
Or dogs who swim?
I'd really like to know what breeders who stay in touch with their puppy owners say - but they might not want to say the puppies of their show champions don't naturally have super fantastic coats...
I'd just really like to know the truth - does spaying or neutering affect a goldens coat or not? I'm not convinced it does. I suspect it's correlation not causation. Does anyone have any evidence either way?
Thanks, H.


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## JulesAK (Jun 6, 2010)

HollyB said:


> So do we really know if a soft and fuzzy undercoat that doesn't have the hard longer guard hairs over it is related to spay/neuter at all?
> Maybe it's age?
> Or hormones (and male and female sex hormones decline with age)?
> Or a genetic predisposition?
> ...


I have wondered many of the same questions with what my girls coat will look like. I am especially interested from a genetic side. For the most part, do they kind of fall in line with their parents? Maggie has a lovely coat and I am very interested in how it will change. Most of the puppies we have seen around her age have more coarse fur, and quite a few more curly. For now, she seems to be right in line with what I see of her parents. I know every dog is individual but I think there are generalizations that can be made.


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## Goldens&Friesians (May 31, 2014)

I think there may be a genetic component to it, but spaying/neutering dogs definitely changes their coats. My girl was spayed in an emergency surgery due to pyometra at age 2 1/2. She gets slight spay coat on her hind legs and back of her neck, but I keep it stripped out so you never really see it. My old golden was spayed at 6 months, lived to 15 1/2 years and never had spay coat. I've groomed a number of goldens-none of which were particularly well-bred-and all of whom were spayed/neutered, and the majority had at least minimal spay coat that I would hand strip. There is one particular neutered male who sticks out in my mind as having the most spay coat I'd ever seen on a golden; I've attached a before and after photo of hand stripping his hind leg. Even if a spayed/neutered dog doesn't get spay coat per say, it usually lengthens and thickens. Some neutered males get quite a mane and need to be thinned out to avoid hot spots and other skin irritations from forming. My girl's coat has definitely gotten longer since she was spayed; I don't think its any thicker though, she's always had a really nice coat, but she comes from a good conformation breeder. And it doesn't just happen with goldens-its all breeds. Someone with a Samoyed was complaining about how she wished she would've known about oss before she got her girl spayed because her coat is now so thick that it is extremely difficult to groom. Sammies have much thicker coats than goldens to begin with though. Basically, know that spaying/neutering will probably alter the coat, but to what extent, who can tell? My guess is that a well-bred dog will be less likely to have truly bad coat even if it is spayed/neutered.


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## JulesAK (Jun 6, 2010)

Goldens&Friesians said:


> I think there may be a genetic component to it, but spaying/neutering dogs definitely changes their coats. My girl was spayed in an emergency surgery due to pyometra at age 2 1/2. She gets slight spay coat on her hind legs and back of her neck, but I keep it stripped out so you never really see it. My old golden was spayed at 6 months, lived to 15 1/2 years and never had spay coat. I've groomed a number of goldens-none of which were particularly well-bred-and all of whom were spayed/neutered, and the majority had at least minimal spay coat that I would hand strip. There is one particular neutered male who sticks out in my mind as having the most spay coat I'd ever seen on a golden; I've attached a before and after photo of hand stripping his hind leg. Even if a spayed/neutered dog doesn't get spay coat per say, it usually lengthens and thickens. Some neutered males get quite a mane and need to be thinned out to avoid hot spots and other skin irritations from forming. My girl's coat has definitely gotten longer since she was spayed; I don't think its any thicker though, she's always had a really nice coat, but she comes from a good conformation breeder. And it doesn't just happen with goldens-its all breeds. Someone with a Samoyed was complaining about how she wished she would've known about oss before she got her girl spayed because her coat is now so thick that it is extremely difficult to groom. Sammies have much thicker coats than goldens to begin with though. Basically, know that spaying/neutering will probably alter the coat, but to what extent, who can tell? My guess is that a well-bred dog will be less likely to have truly bad coat even if it is spayed/neutered.


Thanks for your perspective., I bet you see a lot of different coat types. My Papillon, who is now almost 13, had beautiful silky fur that used to be easy to brush and laid fairly flat. He was neutered early on by the breeder, before she would even let him go at almost 4 months old. Just in the last couple years, his coat exploded! I get asked if he is part pomeranian now. You can kind of see in this picture. I would say his coat has probably tripled in thickness. Sorry, can't get the pic to turn right,.

Jules


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## Laurie Garcia (Sep 21, 2019)

Our Golden weaned her fourth litter in July and is scheduled to be spayed this week. She was on a breeding contract, and the breeder suggested waiting till after another heat cycle in order to get her coat back. The vet disagrees. Any experience? She blew her coat last month, but it is coming back.


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## coffenut (Jan 3, 2012)

Káva has a spay coat. I call her ... "poofy" .... The fur on the legs is incredibly soft ... and it mats .... and it picks up everything, does not drop mud, and creates incredibly snowballs when playing in the snow ..... OTH, it's wonderful to to rest your cheek on when you are using your dog as a headrest.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

I'm at work, so I can't really share it now. On Winx's K9data page is the last picture of her with a pre-spay coat. That beautiful coat now has lots of little fuzzies that mat horribly. I keep the hair on her belly really short now and use the coat king on the areas you can see. It really turned up the maintenance on my "wash and wear" dog.


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