HELP...Thin coat on head

[Roxi Ree]

Roxi is now 5 mos. old and is now 1 lb 13 oz. I took her to the groomer for the first time and he said that her coat is really thin especially on the top of her head. I can't get any kind of bow to stay in. I am currently feeding her ProPac Puppy (that's what they sent home with me). They also sent home Avoderm Puppy, but she won't eat it. What am I doing wrong? I don't really want to feed her people food, so can anyone recommend a high quality hard dog food to feed her? Is there anything else I can do to improve her coat?

[AlicetheYorkie]

Hopefully a pro groomer or breeder here will post too, but here's my two cents

Go to www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ for a list of premium dog foods. If you're trying to work on the hair coat, look for one that is a little higher in omega 3 and fish oils, maybe even go with a food that has salmon as the main protien source, just make sure it's an "all life stages" food since you have a puppy. Most high quality dogs foods will have enough for the average dog in it though.

can you post a close up pic of your puppy? I doubt the hair is "too" thin unless something is going on like allergies or a deficency in something, but you most likely would have picked up on it yourself. My Alice has a coat more on the "thin" side and yes, the hair on top of her head is more thin and hard to keep a top knot in at this point.

[Roxi Ree]

Thanks for the website referral. I've talked to my vet and she just said that it looks thin because Roxi is turning silver so that makes it look thin. We go back in about 3 weeks. She had alot more hair on her when I got her, so I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I'm also going to talk to the people I got her from for suggestions from them... I'll take her with me so they can look at her. I've attached a bigger picture of her from 2 days ago.

Thanks again.

[Presto]

In terms of the food, i will recommend wellness. Presto's coat has been nice and shiney. Can it be the grooming products you are using? Which shampoo,conditioner do you use?

[jencar98]

Some yorkies do just have thinner coats than others. Being that she is 5-6 months old, it's possible she has lost her puppy coat now and what you're left with will be just a naturally thinner coated yorkie. You can try changing to a better quality food, adding supplements, experimenting with different shampoos, etc., but if she is one of those yorkies with thinner coats, it's not likely to increase substantially her amount of hair.

My Ruby has a fragile silk coat that is very thin, it breaks easily. I've tried numerous supplements, feed great quality food, use wonderful shampoo/conditioners and nothing seems to make much of a difference. I've resorted to using very small, lightweight bows for, when I really want her to wear a bow.

[AlicetheYorkie]

Ahh, she has such a sweet face and her little paws on the edge of the bag very cute. Her hair looks similar to Alice's as far as thickness. Like was said, she probably just seems to have less hair now because her puppy coat is growing out. Also, what are you using to groom her at home? Some brushes can cause hair breakage just like with people. I only use a stainless straight comb on Alice's hair and only very little comes out in the comb when she's a tiny bit knotted.

[Roxi Ree]

Originally Posted by AlicetheYorkie

Ahh, she has such a sweet face and her little paws on the edge of the bag very cute. Her hair looks similar to Alice's as far as thickness. Like was said, she probably just seems to have less hair now because her puppy coat is growing out. Also, what are you using to groom her at home? Some brushes can cause hair breakage just like with people. I only use a stainless straight comb on Alice's hair and only very little comes out in the comb when she's a tiny bit knotted.

Thanks. I also use a stainless straight comb on Roxi. I haven't given her a real bath yet at home. We brought her home in January and she was so tiny. My vet suggested using waterless shampoos or shampoo wipes until it got warmer. I do have shampoo and conditioner that was sent home with Roxi. What's a good bathing schedule for Yorkies? Every week, every 2 weeks, once a month? Just wondering. Thanks for all the suggestions from everyone.

[Darlene68]

My Bailey who is two has a thinner coat, his hair breaks easily so I ended up cutting his coat short, he is still cute as a button though! Your little one is adorable I bath my boys once a week, especially in the summer months they need to be freshened up weekly, winter I can go a couple days longer.

[Presto]

I agree weekly in summer and every 2-3 weeks in winter is good. Make sure to use a good quality shampoo and conditioner since her coat is so fragile. I tried a bunch with presto and finally settled on Pet Silk!

[AlicetheYorkie]

I bathe Alice usually once a week, she's a parti and mostly white though so I think probably if she wasn't I'd go every 2 weeks unless she got grimy. It's super important to use a really good conditioner with bathing that often though. I use Pet Silk right now too and I also use their Silk Serum after her bath before I dry her which works really well to make her hair more smooth, soft and shiney.

[Presto]

You can also try the pet silk coat oil. I think it is much lighter in consistency. I am offering sale price on the serum 11.6 oz bottle in case anyone is interested!

[Roxi Ree]

I'll have to check on what shampoo and conditioner they sent home with Roxi. So do most of you agree that bathing weekly isn't too drying for their skin? I'm a new Yorkie mom, so I don't know a whole lot except for what I read. I do feel better a little better knowing that other of these little ones have thinner hair too. One other question, how do you know if the hair is silky or cotton? I've had a few people come up and say that Roxi is a silky, but how do I really know? Just curious. Thanks everyone

[BlueBelle]

One of mine has thin hair. Her hair seems to be thicker since I ditched the topknot do in favor of the "visor" and it made her look even cuter.