Hi everyone, I have a two and a half year old bitch that was mated quite recently. We had a slip mating and a proper mating the next day.,however she was not in whelp. She is not overweight and in good health. During her season her coat on her back got thinner and very sparse, not like a moult, just hair thinning. Although, the coat on her back has now returned, she is left with a patch on each side, about 3 ins long by 1 inch wide, and it is like soft black leather. I feel this may be a hormone problem. Has anyone had any experience of this condition? Must it be a veterinary job with blood tests etc, or is there anything I can give her.Someone did mention to me it could be a thyroid problem, but I dont feel it is. She is not hyper active nor sluggish, and her weight is normal. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Hi Phil! One of my terriers (Penny) lost all the hair on her ears at one stage which felt and looked very leathery. The vet didnt really know what it was (yes it was William!) But eventually it gre back and it hasnt happened since! I thought it was hormonal too!

i owned a bitch that had symtoms like it--it was thyroid, is your dog a heat seeker- thats the first thing i noticed about her,-shed always lie up a radiator or over an underground pipe- her appetite was poor-although thats not always the way, they can be pig greedy, i also had major problems with her ears- until it was diagnosed-thyroid can cause infertility, she was also very sensitive, as ive heard others say about dogs with this problem, she tended to get a very dry coat but it often smelt. ---is any of that any help-----you've probably picked the last bit of brain i had----

Hi Phil - you could always try the homeopathic "road", www.ainsworths.com , could well be worth a try. But a blood test would be a sensible start I should think, so you can know if there is a prob there. Do let us know how it goes.

Phillippa.
I could be thyroid you know, in the early stages as my friends dog was. They noticed nothing different about him except his coat on his flanks was thinning. The other thing is, an under active thyroid can apparantly affect fertility.
Hope she is ok
Dawn B

Thanks everyone, well we shall try all suggested avenues then, I will let you know what if any the results of tests are, thanks again.