EXCESSIVE SHEDDING

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

In August Haley received (1) a steroid injection and a week of antibiotics. (2) He also wore a collar of shame for several weeks to keep him from irritating the spot. (3) He started his first bag of Acana Meadowland late July or early August. He previously ate Acana Wild Prairie.
In September he started shedding excessively. I found little clumps of hair around the house.  He has lost the undercoat on his back. I had no problem finding his skin to apply Frontline yesterday. Could any of the above including possible stress from #2 have caused this excessive shedding? Will he get the undercoat back on his back?

He is going to the vet today for something else and I will ask her about the shedding too.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The hair loss may be from the steroid injection. Hair loss and breakage is a known side effect of steroids, and the injectable forms are many times stronger than oral prednisone. In the future, I'd ask my vet for the tablets, given on a tapered dose. They may take a day or two longer to start giving relief, but it's better in terms of side effects, and that advice comes from JD's dermatologist, who has told me never to let anyone give him a steroid injection except in an emergency. 

If the steroids were given for allergy itching, that may account for some of the hair loss as well.

I do think the hair will grow back. You can try giving him fish oil or evening primrose oil supplements if he's not already getting them. 

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

Thanks Karen. The injection was given for what appeared to be a hot spot. It got worse so I took Haley back to the vet. After closer inspection she found a sebaceous cyst; aspirated (?) it and prescribed the antibiotics.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Hope Mr. Haley gets his beautiful hair back before winter! :(

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

Thanks Ricki. So do I.

[Stella]

There are other causes of hair loss also - thyroid disorder is one. One of my doodles has Seasonal Alopecia - the hair on his back and flanks falls out every winter. It begins mid-October and gets worse through the winter, then improves through early summer and his coat is full again by September. Every year I hope it isn't going to happen again, but it does :(

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

Haley saw his vet yesterday for something unrelated and, like Karen, she thinks it was a side effect of the steroid injection. BTW, the excessive shedding has stopped and he is back to being just a shedding doodle.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

That's great news Anne. Glad things are getting back to normal! :)

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

I hope handsome Mr. Haley will be doing better quickly.  

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

Thanks Linda.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Poor Mr. Haley.  Our Springer turned out to be reactive to steroids (given because he was having skin coat issues). The steroids caused more hair loss.  One of his issues was infected hair follicles (just throwing that out, not that I think Haley has this) and he needed a different antibiotic and for a longer period. His coat grew back.   Our lab mix lost his coat as you describe and it turned out that he had a thyroid problem. If you do get Haley's thyroid checked, be sure to have the full panel done.

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

Thanks for the information Nancy.