SearchDoberman Puppy changing color?
Hi on behalf of my puppy and I! New to the forum and thought I could get some insight from some fellow, more knowledgeable dobie owners :)
A little bit of background info: My puppy Apollo is 5 months old. He is a red doberman and he is in good health. Loves to play, run around and of course EAT! He's got great temperament and is very smart and obedient.
Anyways, I'm currently living in what would be considered a third world country and unfortunately there aren't ANY responsible breeders as we would come to know in the US or Canada. I know because I searched everywhere and came up short. I even asked the local FCI member association if there was someone who they recommended and they referred me to, according to them, the only Dobie breeder in the country. After a quick chat I realized he was pretty much a BYB like everyone else.
Enter Apollo. Got him from someone that I am acquainted with, and he only had 1 puppy left (nobody wanted him) and as soon as I met him I knew he was perfect for us. So I realize that he's probably not a well bred dog considering everything stated.
Hear comes the actual question: I've noticed he's been changing colour for about a month now. At first it was really faint on the back of his ears, back neck, shoulderblades and hips. He was a dark brown (red) when we got him as a puppy at 10 weeks but know the hair is turning like a dirty blonde color. It's also more pronounced and widespread. Ill try to get some pics up on my gallery in a few minutes. On the top of his head it's not so much "blond" as it is more of a rust color, kind of like his normal rust markings.
Has anyone else experienced this? I've read everything from sun bleaching to hair loss exposing his lower coat to puppy-to-adult coat change. It seems to be very symmetrical on the withers and hips so i really doubt it's sunbleaching but what could it be? Will this go away as he grows older and into his adult coat? Is it possible it's an indicator of a health issue that needs to be checked out? Sorry about the long post but I thought it was relevant info. Thanks again everyone and ohhh....you all have beautiful Dobies!
I was unaware that red was considered a recessive colour. Im waiting for an answer from the person we got him from as to what colour his parents were.
I uploaded some pictures on my gallery, maybe it'll help. In the pictures the colour actually seems to resemble a light brown, or similar to his tan markings due to the flash but in normal sunlight/artificial light it's clearly a different colour more closely resembling a "dirty blonde". So you think he'll change the rest of his coat to this colour and is this a health issue?
He does seem to be shedding alot recently but I don't know what percentage of this issue is related to normal seasonal shedding (or coat change)? Thanks alot for your answer!
Hi there and welcome to the forum.. Your avatar is hard to see and I can't tell how Aragon really looks.. it could be him changing from puppy fur to adult.. it could be too much sun..hard to say at this point
It's hard to give you sound advice without more information.. so for now, welcome to the forum and please update us on his heritage, and what you're feeding him..
What country are you living in? Maybe enviornmental.. we live in Mexico and so I totally understand how difficult it is for really quality pet care..
Good luck and please stay with us and update..
Kate and Sofia
I would be interested to see some pictures! My girl is a red, and in the summer her fur did lighten somewhat but not to the extend of what you are describing. She did get 2 rust coloured patches of "highlights" on either side of her face, but they're almost gone now. It could be an aging thing like Kate said, or it might be a result of poor breeding.
I'd guess that it's either sun bleaching or diet related. Some foods are just not very agreeable with the red coats.
Reds are recessive to black. However, I've done one red to red breeding, and their coats are VERY, VERY dark red.
Hey everyone, thanks for the answers. I uploaded pictures in my gallery so that you can see what I'm talking about.
Once again, could it really be sunlight if it's perfectly symmetrical on both sides of his body? Seems a little improbable to me. Also, if it's the food why would this occur? In other words, what would be the medical condition that would cause the coat colour to change in response to the food products? He's not eating good quality food by any means (eg. by US standards) but it's actually the best that exists here and his digestive system seems to agree with it.
If anyone is interested the brand is called Pedigree Puppy Whole Balance kibble....don't think they sell that specific formula in the US or Canada.
Hi Argon 18, can you look indivually at a hair to see if it is lighter? The fur does seem to be less on those patches, maybe he is shedding if its very hot. I remember Q doing a big shed at puppy stage? I'm sure it couldnt be the sun unless your dog is put into a place where there is only partly shade available. Hope you find the answer...ps i did see pics of a seal recently that was ginger and blue eyed :)
http://www.seattle-attorney.com/storm/sup.htmlI am not a doctor or a vet, but maybe CDA? Check out this website to learn about CDA.
Sorry that looks all funny, I have been typing on a tablet, and it is not so easy.
Has your dog been on any medications? Some medications, such as ketoconazole can cause depigmentation of the skin and coat as can hypothyriodism. Also sometimes when there is a change in the sex hormones at the onset of puberty it can cause a change in coat sometimes affecting color, noted especially in poorly bred specimens or those not receiving proper nutrition, so reiterating what others have said it could also be a nutritional deficiency. Sun bleaching is common on the face, back, and back of the neck and thighs and can be symetrical, so once again as others have said it could also be sun bleaching.
Hope this helps and I hope you keep us posted :)
Sorry hadn't got back until now, really busy with the holiday season!
But thanks for the new answers everyone. It's opened my eyes to some other possible causes of this issue. He hasn't been on any medication at all and I've reduced the amount of time that he can spend in the sun. I don't know if it's enough though as it's always hot and sunny here.
With regards to a nutritional defficiency, I am looking into importing a higher quality kibble from a neighbouring country as well as supplementing with "actual" food (of course, closely monitored by me). I have a sneaking suspicion that higher grade foods will improve this condition. I'm also giving him 1000 mg of salmon oil with his food twice a day every day and a 400 ui capsule of vitamin e every 3 days.
I've already asked our vet how much it would be to check his thyroid for any anomalies that may be present and I was told it would be $90 USD. Now, I don't know how "complete" the panel is (what specific hormones are tested etc.) or how accurate the results would be....again, I'm a bit cautious probably due to my worries about the quality in a third world country. It also seems like it is common practice to send thyroid panels to MSU from all over the US, so that adds to my level of distrust in local methods (when compared). Alas, I guess even a inferior quality test is better than no test.
His shedding has also reduced significantly recently. I'm more confident it's nothing too serious after all the answers so I guess only time will tell, I'll have to update yall how things go in the near future.
Well thanks again and Happy New Year everyone! Stay safe!
That looks similar to my GSD mix when she was younger. She was completely black before her haunches faded to white and the area around her shoulders started to fade to a red-ish color. I think for my case it's just the mix she is.
Good luck with your boy!
Photo Gallery
Kayenne and TiaPet Profiles
It could be the sun, or it could more than likely be two recessive colours bred together (red on red). Puppies usually become lighter as they age, because they're loosing their thick, cuddly puppy fur.
Could you maybe ask the friend you got him from, what colour his parents were? Really, the only colour that should be bred to the same colour is a black and tan. Red and red, fawn and fawn, blue and blue, albino and albino...All make for crappy fur. Some make for more problematic problems.