Thinning hair help!

[Dana]

Hi everyone! I’m a new member to Doodle Kisses and have some concerns about my 13 month old Goldendoodle. Starting at 10 months he started to shed like crazy! In the last 3 months his plush leg hair has been disappearing and he’s left with hair that’s maybe 1/2 inch long. It’s disappearing from the front of his legs and thinning at the back and feet. His hair is still very thick on his neck, chest, head and tail. I’ll attach some photos of Blue. He is an intact male, 13 months old. His diet hasn’t changed. He eats Fromm large breed puppy food. No change in appetite or behaviour. Just last Friday I started him on Dr.Maggies skin and coat as suggested by a friend. 

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[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thinning hair and hair loss has absolutely nothing at all to do with food unless a dog is eating garbage, an inadequate diet that doesn't provide all the nutrients he needs, and he has a severe nutritional deficiency. Fromm is a great brand and all of their formulas provide everything a dog needs. This is not from food, and this Dr. Maggie's product isn't going to do a thing to help.

There are a number of diseases and conditions for which hair loss is a symptom. Please have your vet look at your dog. 

[Dana]

Yes we have an appointment with our vet tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for your feedback.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Please let us know what the vet says. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And Dr. Maggie's product isn;t even a good Omega 3 supplement. It's full of olive oil (Omega 9, useless) and flaxseed oil (dogs can't convert plant based forms of Omega 3), neither of which can be utilized by a dog or do any good for their coats and skin. 

[Dana]

I’ll post tomorrow about what the vet says. This is my first dog so I want to make sure I’m doing everything possible to keep him as healthy as possible. What would you recommend as far as an omega 3 supplement or would you say anything at all? 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The only Omega 3 supplements that are of any benefit to dogs are pure fish oil; DHA and EPA are the only forms of Omega 3 that are good for skin and coat, among other things, and they are only found in fish. There are all kinds of good fish oil products for dogs on the market. You might ask your vet for a recommendation. 

Fish oil can make dogs coats shinier, and they can help with dry or itchy skin. But all the fish oil in the world isn't going to stop hair thinning or loss. 

[Dana]

Thank you for the information! I’ll be sure to bring up all my questions to the vet. Hopefully I’ll have some answers tomorrow. 

[Kate C Pappas]

Hey Karen: What fish oil supplement do you recommend. Just curious. Thanks.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You know, it's been 16 months since Jack died and I can't remember the name of the one I was using, but it was from my vet and I believe it was Norwegian fish oil. I'll have to ask for the name again. 
But I know there are several good ones. I think you want it from wild caught fish. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Has he been licking his legs? 

[Dana]

No he hasn’t been licking them that I know of and my husband hasn’t noticed that either. Worst case scenario is that he has some sort of allergy or something but is there any way it might be something simple? My husband and I were going over all sorts of possibilities last night. He absolutely loves running around in the deep snow in our backyard? Would that be rubbing the long hair off his legs? Might be a stretch and I hope that’s not a stupid question. We do live in Canada and have a lot of snow. Maybe he’s stressed when we leave home for work?  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Allergies would mean intense ithcing and licking; hair loss from allergies is almost always caused by the dog biting, licking and scratching because of the intense itching. Itching is the primary symptom of an allergy of any kind in dogs. And it would include the feet, more than any other part. So I don't think that's it. 

I also don't think it's from running in the snow, because it would be on other parts of the body as well. Unless he's been trying to remove snow balls from his front legs by biting and licking them, which you haven't seen.