Dog’s hair loss is big worry

Q My eight-year-old German shepherd male has always tended to shed hair, but it seems much more than usual at the moment. Should we talk to our vet? A

All dogs shed hair, some more than others, and German shepherds are known to shed a lot with their very thick coats.

In the wild, dogs shed hair especially in the spring and autumn. This is controlled by day length, which influences the natural hair cycle of growing and resting phases.

Growing hair pushes out hairs in the resting phase. In spring, this results in the winter coat being replaced by a lighter summer one. In autumn, the reverse applies, as the winter coat replaces the summer one.

In domestic dogs that are not kept outside, and therefore less subject to the influence of day length, shedding occurs all year round and may not be particularly noticeable.

In some breeds, like yours, it is more obvious in spring and autumn, occasionally causing worry. In most cases, it is nothing to worry about and you can minimise the problem by regular weekly grooming all year round.

A poor diet could contribute to the problem, and there are some hormonal issues that will force large numbers of hairs into the resting phase.

These will usually result in areas of baldness, which can be generalised.

Diseases such as Cushing’s, hypothyroidism and, rarely, testicle tumours, are some examples. Just to be sure, I would check with your vet.

Q Our two Maine Coon cats caught cat flu in September last year, and were treated successfully by our vet. One has had a watery eye for the last nine months, but is otherwise in good health. Our vet and a specialist have not found anything detrimental. Should we still worry? A

There are aspects of your cat’s case that make me less inclined to worry. I would expect any serious problems to have been picked up by your own vet, with the additional expertise of the ophthalmic specialist. The fact that they both have found nothing detrimental is very encouraging.

Another reason not to worry is that there has been no deterioration over a nine-month period, which I doubt would be the case for anything serious.

That said, if you haven’t visited your vet recently, now would be a good time for a routine follow-up to ease your worries.

You could ask your vet whether she thinks that the weepy eye could be left over from the cat flu. There are two viruses particularly associated – feline herpes and feline calici.

Although cats generally recover well from the herpes virus, carrier status is common with intermittent virus shedding. Sometimes the shedding is accompanied by mild symptoms.

The virus can be detected by PCR testing but will be negative if the cat is not shedding at the time the sample is taken.

Observation may be the best option for now with periodic veterinary check-ups.