why is my gorgeous female looking shabby? - Page 1

She is a beautiful plush coat. She whelped her first litter in August at 4 years of age and while I understand females can look shabby at this time, she maintained her looks while pregnant and  while pups were weaned.  She started looking shabby about 3 1/2 months after birth.  Her tail is 1/2 its size. She is losing a ton of fur.  We live in Canada. It has been cold for a month and a half.  Usually at this time of year she is thick and ready for winter.

She is fed a high quality dog food, gets liver and eggs added occasionally.

We have had this dog since she was an eight week old puppy.  She has an undercoat. We know her shedding pattern. This is not a regular shed.

We will be taking her to the vet but want to know if anybody has seen this or know what it is?

 Have her thyroid function checked for sure by your vet as soon as possible.

thank you we have an appt booked and will mention this

Possibly the stress of having pups and the timing sounds about right for her to come back in to heat. My females blow coat bad about a month before their season starts. Let us know how it turns out.

her cycles have been regular.   one in winter time..and one in summer . she has  never blowen her coat before a cycle... is your experience that  this happens only after a litter or before any cycle?

I have a female that looks the same...she also had a litter September 27....she does this once a year if bred....it's a combination of hormones with coming in season soon and the toll the puppies take on them....she will get her coat back after her heat cycle.  Go ahead and get her thyroid checked...I'm sure she's fine...I've done the same thing and took Keely for a complete check-up...all was 100%.....let us know! 

our girl lost condition BIG TIME after her first litter i would speak too your vet .

we gave our girl salmon oil daily, an egg twice a week, and she had a couple of  vit B shots 4 weeks apart, a general multi vit  and that did the trick :) 

oatmeal shampoo is good for the skin and coat as well as Mink oil (I use both when coat is poor) and a good brush once a week with a slicker brush.

all that said, nothing like a good diet and some TLC 

this makes me feel a little better.. we will take her to the vet and l will post their answer... I turn to this database as german shepherd owners know their dogs.. compared to how many Shepherds are seen by my vet??

thank you for your reply.. it is appreciated.

I still look like hell and my last kid was 6 years ago.......what is my excuse LMAO

All bitches totally blow their coats a month or 2 before their season... their skin gets dry, they itch and they lose their hair in clumps.. even the closest coated dog sheds enough to make at least one dog if not more...

It is totally normal for them to also look like crap after a litter.... their bodies have undergone a tremendous workout and is in the process of recharging and replenishing..... the timing maybe a little different for each one... I remember looking at a picture of our first girl (back in the late 80's, been at this a long long time) about 8 weeks after her first litter.. her beautiful black and rich tan was a muted gray and washed out beige in all the photos.. just in time for folks to be looking at pups and wondering what the heck happened to Mom!!

My current girl is due to come into heat early February and has pretty much blown everything except the really coarse guard hairs.. she looks like Wiley Coyote or Scrat from Ice Age.... 

I'm sure your girl is gearing up for her next heat cycle... she may need some extra boost if the pups took a lot  out of her although I've never had that experience.....