>From:    Jason Poole <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Hair Loss.....Please Help....
>...I have always noticed that his stomach has had less hair on it then the
>rest of his body.  Is this normal?  I just noticed yesterday that his tail
>is going bald He also has some tiny black spots in that area... Nothing else
>has changed that would cause stress in his life.  What, if any, tests should
>I have run on him.  Is this something that I need to be extremely worried
>about?  Do I need to take him to the vet immediately?
 
Jason,
 
We have a silver mitt named Alfalfa, who is now about 2.5 years old.  In
early fall this year, Al started losing hair around his shoulders, upper
back, and on his belly.  By late fall, his fur was really getting sparse and
I could see pink skin showing through on his shoulders and belly.  I was
really worried, and took him to my vet to have him checked out.  The vet
found nothjing wrong with him, and said it was probably part of his seasonal
coat change.  Well, Al now has now grown a thick coat of winter fur!
 
This hasn't happened with any of our sables (we have five sables!), so I
wonder if it could be something in the genetics of silver mitts?  This is
just speculation on my part, however, and I'd recommend taking Sammy to your
vet for a good check-up.  I hope it's just a seasonal hair loss as it was
with our Al.  Good luck!
 
Nancy
<[log in to unmask]>
[Posted in FML issue 2121]