Big pieces of Chloe's coat falling out-Please respond
 

Chloe just made 4 months old yesterday. And within the last few weeks, I have been noticed big strands of her hair all over the house. Could that be that her puppy coat is starting to fall out and her adult coat will soon replace it? Please respond. I posted this before and not a single soul responded. I am a little worried. I don't want a bald yorkie.

I wish I had an answer for you. I do remember when Simon was a baby he lost some hair but not big clumps. Is she acting okay?

If your dog is loosing clumps of hair, it could be Sarcoptic mange.

Sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies, is caused by a microscopic mite. The female mite causes the characteristic intense itching as they burrow under the skin to lay their eggs. The eggs hatch in a few days, develop into adults, and begin laying their own eggs in less than three weeks.

Dogs with scabies dig and bite at themselves with great ferocity. Their skin reacts with oozing sores, and secondary infection may set in, requiring treatment with an antibiotic in addition to treatment for the mites. Unfortunately, the sarcoptic mange mite can be difficult to find in skin scrapings, and unless the veterinarian parts the hair and carefully examines the bare skin for the characteristic pin-point bite marks, diagnosis is difficult. Furthermore, the presence of a secondary skin infection can hamper the search for the mite bite marks.

Telltale signs of sarcoptic mange are crusty ear tips, fierce itching, and hair loss, particularly on the ears, elbows, legs, and face in the early stages. Later on, the hair loss spreads throughout the body.

Sarcoptic mange is contagious to canines and humans. If the dogs share sleeping places or if the infected dog sleeps on beds or furniture, everyone will begin scratching. It is not unheard of for the family dog to infest the kids, the kids to infest their playmates, and the playmates to infest their pets and parents with scabies. Fortunately scabies in humans is self-limiting, that is the mite can burrow under the skin and cause itching, but cannot complete its life cycle on humans and dies within a few weeks.

Veterinarians now use Ivermectin in two doses, two weeks apart, to kill the mites. They may also prescribe steroids for short-term use to relieve the itching until the mites begin to die off and give the dog some relief. Itching usually begins to subside within a few days of the first dose of Ivermectin.

Canine skin damaged by sarcoptic mange and secondary skin infections can take weeks or months to recover, depending on the scope of the problems. Frequent medicated baths may be necessary to soothe irritated skin.

Mange damage can mimic that caused by other skin conditions, including autoimmune diseases, bacterial infections secondary to flea allergies, and contact dermatitis, making it impossible for the pet owner to diagnose with any success. If your dog suffers from irritated, itchy skin, make an appointment with the veterinarian. Early diagnosis of any of these problems will give you a head start on a cure and will be less uncomfortable for the dog and your wallet.

Source(s):
google

Kimberly,
That was a very good explanation. I had a dog that had it. It is terrible.

I would have her checked for mange mites too. Chachi had that and lost alot of hair. My vet said they can get it when their immune system is down. They just do a skin scrape to check for it.

Well, she is going to the vet in another week and half for her rabies shot. I can't bring her to the vet until my parents come home. I don't have any extra money to pay for it, plus my work schedule does not give me any time to bring her to the vet. Yes, she is acting just fine. Playful and a bundle of energy. I don't see any scratching. And I don't see any fleas on her. I don't see any patches of her skin either. But, just finding strands of her hair all over the house. We always wash her bedding. She sleeps in her kennel at night, but we have a large pillow in there so she can be more comfortable.

Just called the vet. And she said it is probably just her shedding her coat for the summer. And that it is common. She said to check for any red lesions on her skin. Chloe has none. In another week and a half she is going to the vet for her rabies shot, so I am going to have them check her out.

Its not common for yorkies to shed their coat like other dogs. My dogs have never shed except Chachi when he had the mange problem.

Yorkies do not shed their coats for the summer! They are non shedding dogs!

Here's a good link about hair loss causes. I agree with the previous posts Yorkies don't shed.

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/hairloss.htm

Cajungal --

QUOTE: Please respond. I posted this before and not a single soul responded.

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Several people did respond to your previous post - I responded to it myself.

I hope some of the responses to this new post will be helpful. And, I'm sorry about the problems you are having with your new little pup. I'm sure they are causing you a lot of concern.

Good luck -- Carol Jean

My pup was losing TONS of hair (i posted about it when it happened) in little clumps. THey still look attached to eachother at the root- (hard to explain) soon after these clumps began to fall out I noticed a bump on his neck- then it started to puss and I brought him into the vet. Unfortunately the vet I look him to was a dimwad (sorry about the language... but she was so unorganized and mean to Oliver. She just wasn't a very kind lady and didn't even know what was wrong with him...... anyways) so she did a skin scrape and some other tests and couldnt' figure out what was wrong with him. She did give us somethign to stop the itch and got him started on flea and tick meds.
Maybe take him in- he has been doing SO much better- no fur loss or bumps (ew)! GOOOD LUCK!

I agree that Yorkies don't shed. I had a Poodlepom, a Bichon, and now my Yorkie -- and I never found a hair in my house from any one of these three dogs --- thank God! I would be buried in hair!

CajunGal -- I think I asked in your other post - you had your other Yorkie for a long time - did she ever shed?

Carol Jean

I know that Yorkies are not suppose to shed, but Millie shed so badly that I had clumps of hair on the comb every time I combed her. Her hair got very thin and sparse, I was so worried I posted a thread on here about her hair thinning. This happen when she was 4 to 5 months old. Now, her hair is growing back and its a completely different coat. As a puppy she had a coarse and dry coat, now its so soft and silky, all that puppy hair fell out. To tell you the truth, it was worth the all the worrying I did.. :)

I gave Chloe a bath today and she was not too happy about it. I had to hold her with all my might because she kept trying to jump out of the tub. She cried and cried after. She hates her bath! Then, I tried brushing her hair. I had to struggle with her for over 15 minutes! She hates getting her hair brushed and would keep still. She was full of knots! I really need an extra person to hold her down but I had nobody else to help me today. I think that is why some of her hair was falling out. She was so knotty! I don't think I still got all the knots out but it was not from a lack of trying!