Hi I was wanting some advice. My westie Mumford is 6 months and he has been doing great. We got him from a reputable breeder, we were able to see both parents. We have been feeding him Autarky puppy feed and mince which is what the breeder was feeding him. However his hair on his legs has started to thin and there are some bald patches also his coat seem thinner. He seems well and active but his coat is not as fluffy. Any ideas. Thanks Joanne

Anyone?

Could it be him losing his puppy hair?  Don't know much about Westies sorry.

Westies can suffer from allergies and be prone to skin issues. Have you spoken to the breeder or asked your vet?

This has recently happened to my ten year old st poodle..we tested her  for low thyroid and she was very definitely hypothyroid.  She also had many other symptoms.....low energy,skin darkening,hair loss,eye discharge,weight gain...the hair loss was subtle to start,then I saw bald areas on the front,on the elbow and general thinning on the back...the blood test wasn't too expensive and perhaps is an idea for you to try  .At least hypothyroid could be ruled out.

Yes. It may be a health problem but have you changed your flooring or cleaning products?  One of mine was allergic to the glue.  Saying that though how about what you are using to wash and brush him.

I'd look first at possible allergens as has been said - food, cleaning products (including laundry), maybe even environmental outdoors but that one's harder to pin down.

Then thyroid, although unlikely at only 6 months old - but certainly not impossible.

It could possibly be a form of alopecia too - not sure what westies are prone to specifically beyond bad skin, but some types of alopecia can start early.  My dobe boy has had it from day dot, his is a hereditary type called colour mutant alopecia - not something seen in westies, it's to do with the dilute genes that cause fawn or blue coats in dobes (mine's a fawn), also seen in weims, and blue dogs of some other breeds IIRC.  So he won't have that, but just to give you an idea of the sort of thing that could be happening.

I thought thyroid at first but due to age wondered if it could just be coat change.  Have you had your pup handstripped yet?

Really think you should take this pup to the vet for a professional opinion it could be something or nothing but you need to know.