Siberian Husky Coat Problems

[rainbow]

I posted a thread a while ago about Logan's fur and how the guard hairs are turning a rust colour in places and he does not shed his undercoat fully.

He has all the symptoms of follicular dysplasia but the skin biopsies came back negative. He also had a full blood panel done, thyroid panel and urinalysis and I was told he is a very healthy three year old. I know I should be happy about that but there has to be a reason why his coat is like this.

Does anyone have any ideas?

[hazelrunpack]

Maybe he's got a dietary imbalance? But if it is, I don't have any suggestions as to what it might be... Not much help, rainbow!

But I hope it's just a temporary thing and is fur gets back to normal quickly...

Just a thought--we used to see rust color on our lab and on our blue setters when they licked excessively--it faded and discolored the hair and actually made it look coarse. Is Logan licking a lot lately?

[luckypenny]

I was thinking about you and Logan today, Rainbow. I managed to get off work while it was still daylight outside and sat on the deck while the dogs played in the yard when I noticed that the fur on Ava's tail and rump also turned a rust color . I called a friend with tonnes of different breed experience and she mentionned that it was most likely due to sun exposure. Since this is the first Spring/Summer we've had Ava, I wouldn't know if this color change in her coat is usual for her (must make mental note to get in touch with Canine14 to ask ). Although she sheds minimally, she hasn't shed her undercoat yet either (neither has Lucky for that matter ). When exactly did the color of Logan's coat begin to change? Does the idea of stronger sun exposure make sense to you?

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by luckypenny

I was thinking about you and Logan today, Rainbow. I managed to get off work while it was still daylight outside and sat on the deck while the dogs played in the yard when I noticed that the fur on Ava's tail and rump also turned a rust color . I called a friend with tonnes of different breed experience and she mentionned that it was most likely due to sun exposure. Since this is the first Spring/Summer we've had Ava, I wouldn't know if this color change in her coat is usual for her (must make mental note to get in touch with Canine14 to ask ). Although she sheds minimally, she hasn't shed her undercoat yet either (neither has Lucky for that matter ). When exactly did the color of Logan's coat begin to change? Does the idea of stronger sun exposure make sense to you?

Logan does spend alot of time outside.....he'd stay out all night if I let him. One of our previous huskies was black/white and he preferred outside as well but his coat never turned rust in places at all. Also, his coat was smooth and soft whereas Logan's is very harsh and the guard hairs seem to stand up and he has never shed properly.

[jiorji]

could it be just a sun issue?

[rainbow]

If it was a sun issue wouldn't the rust tinge go away in the winter?

[rainbow]

Nope....Logan has never been a licker. Sibes are known to have zinc deficiency problems although nothing showed on all his tests. We are going to try him on zinc supplements for a couple of weeks anyway to see if it helps.