Strange Hair Growing In On 3 Yr Old GD Back

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I don't know where to post this discussion...either here or in the Medical Group.  Gracie Doodle is a 3 yr. old Goldendoodle (F1) and has never had a skin issue at all.  She is a very soft wavy fleece but not thick.  If you push back her hair it is very easy to view her skin.  She has just finished having two surgeries for fox tail removal and was on an antibiotic for 12 days.  That is the only change in her life.  No food changes...nothing.  Within the last week these two areas on her back right on her spin have showed up.  It is almost like she is trying to become a Rhodesian Ridgeback!!  The hair is very course, tight, laying very flat and short.  One is larger than the other.  They are 2/3 back on her back.  Any clues or ideas as to what this is and what I can expect to have happen? 

[Leah Smith]

So I have the same thing happening to my two year old F1b Apricot Mini Riley ...corse darker, shorter hair spots (2) on his back One larger, one smaller..they just kind of appeared? They don't seem to bother him, Did anyone ever get an answer on what this might be.  Riley is very soft and fleece like - these patches lay more flat and are darker redish brown?/ Just curious if after time they changed or grew out?  thank you, Leah

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Those photos are of my Gracie Doodle the first time it happened.  They are exactly as you described Leah.  They sort of went away but this summer they came back only much more dominant and there are 5 or more of them.  They do lay down flatter and are much coarser but as her hair grows they have also.  Now they are adding a wave patter to their growth.  I'm afraid this time they are there to stay.  Here is a picture of how Gracie looks from a distance.  I still don't have any answers and I don't think I believe the "injury fur" theory any longer.  Gracie seems to have the same type coat a Riley and she is now 4 1/2 years old. 

 

[Christine & Camus]

I know that for some it seems to be a reaction to some type of insult to the skin, even a bug bite.  Just a thought, but could it be similar to what happens to human's skin, where years after the insult, be it a bruise, the sun, or whatever, a discoloration appears?

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

It is interesting how it is all on the spine area.  The first time I noticed it was a few weeks after she had been to the Dog Ranch where she stays when we travel.  She is free to roam, swim and play though Gracie is more of a people dog than a dog's dog.  But she will play with certain dogs so I imagined she was romping and rolling on the ground and rolled over branches and small rocks since she is on 4 acres of mountain terrain in Alpine.  I would think this would cause bruises.  But, she has gone there probably 15 times and both have appeared during summer visits.  Gracie is a very skinny boney girl under all that hair!  It's a mystery for sure!

[Lorraine Bromley]

Thanks for asking this question. Neely had a little red area just below the neck on the back that I always said if he was an ornament I could hang him from this curl. He is cream with apricot undertones and his father was an apricot poodle his mom a red retriever. Then it seemed to disappear like someone had cut it out! I blamed the kids! Never went bald just the base grew in thick and shorter and changed from red to cream like the rest of him. But now he has a spot on the lower back hip area that is coming in thick dark red in a clump, it is noticeable now because it is shorter than the rest of his hair so almost looks like a hollow. These other explanations are interesting.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

It will be interesting to see if on Gracie Doodle they go away again.  This time she has a lot more than before.  I keep looking at the root area to see if it is coming in lighter but it doesn't seem to be.  This time it is really dark red and because I have let her get a bit longer it is now getting a wave in it and standing up but it is still really coarse hair unlike the rest of her hair.  I am grooming her this afternoon and taking her a bit shorter since we are headed up to to the mountains and tick country and I don't want to deal with long Doodle hair!

[Lauren & Ankur Pandya]

Hello,

Any recent replies and /or newer posts about this?  We are currently experience this with our 4yr old MGD (F1).  He has 3 spots on his back/spine that are changing different color and texture.  

[Bonnie and Kona]

This happens to our black doodle when there is any kind of "injury". If he has a small lipoma aspirated the hair grows in darker but eventually returns to the original color.

[Nancy & Echo]

Some humans have their hair color and texture totally change after they've had chemotherapy, such as straight to curly, fine to coarse, color change.  (Not that any of the dogs mentioned have had chemotherapy.)

My mini ALD Echo developed an orange stripe down her back when she was about 6 months old.

[Joan Bollaert]

I had a coat "issue" after a groomer shaved my Labradoodle instead of clipping nicely.  Millie was a solid dark  beautiful chocolate fudge color before she was shaved and it grew back completely fudge with salt sprinkled in with it..  (white).  A completely different texture as well.  It used to be soft loopy waves and it's now course and a bit curlier.  I was so upset at first and it still bothers me that she was shaved for no reason and I ended up with a completely different looking dog when grown out.  She's still a sweetie though...that remained the same. :)

[Bonnie and Kona]

Hi Joan, What age was your dog when she was shaved? What you are describing sounds very much like what happens when a doodle goes from a puppy coat to the adult coat. I had a pitch black puppy who became “pewter” colored because of the silver hairs in his coat when he went through the coat change. His soft waves became coarser curls also. Shaving should have no effect on the color or texture of the hair anymore than it does when a little boy gets a buzz haircut and then it grows out.

[Joan Bollaert]

Hi..  Millie was 2 1/2 or 3 when this happened.