My bitch had puppies the middle of April everything fine with that, the pups all gone to new homes but noticed this past week her coat seems to have gone a bit greasy down the middle of her back and she seems to be bit itchy.
I did have her groomed last week the groomer hasn't used anything different on her, she hasn't got fleas so I thought it could be her hormones as her skin darker too.
I have read In the Book of the Bitch that some bitches have problems due to hormones.

Well about now it should all fall out until she is practically bald.

thats what has happened to my bitch!  She had a litter in March and now looks like a terrible mess! basically BALD! it is hard taking her out for her walks as people ever stare at her or ask whether she is ill!
Poor girl, its a good job us humans don't go BALD after having children! :D :D

Well a lot of people do lose an unusual amount of hair after giving birth. :)

It's well-known that women lose more hair than usual after birth. :) Actually it's because they lose less hair than usual during pregnancy, then quickly revert to their non-pregnant amount.

I expect that bitches loose most of tehri coats, especially in coated breeds is because ti takes a beating during rearing puppies.

Usually when they grow it back it is lovley.

well i must have been every luck beacuse wispa my fcr 12 weeks after birth she would go back inthe ring again and gollie the swd the same,
weather it they are on a high protien diet with good oil.or the evening primrose oil fish oil,

when the girl are due in season two months before they may shedd a little coat but they can still go in the ring.

Her coat has thinned but not excessive, it's the greasy coat that worries me more than anything as my breed are renowned for skin problems. As aI said she has a greasy strak all the way down her back and is quite itchy.
I hope it's just her hormones and not the onset of a skin condition, she never had any problems before her pregnancy with skin disorders.
How long do you think it takes to get back to normal I have never bred a litter before so am quite new to this.

Your breed mentor ought to be able to advise as this is very much a breed specific thing, and there can also be variations in families within a breed.

In my breed a bitch wouldn't have enough coat to show her until 4 months at least after a litter, and won't look anything like her best until they are 6 months and she will have had her next season.

My bitch (Beardie) lost a lot of hair from her tail after her litter  her coat actually came on beautifully after  I gave her SA37 with her meals .
You can get it from www.hyperdrug.co.uk

her skin darker too

Her skin should be normally dark - blue/black.  A greasy stripe down the back is a common problem, normally with soft coated Westies. :(
Is your bitch clipped ?

Hi Val,
Her skin is normally dark but it is a little darker than it was before her litter.
She never had a problem with greasy stripe and yes she is clipped as she isn't a show dog.
What's your advise?
I will contact the breeder but don't really like to bother her (although she is really good and doesn't mind)
Do you have Westie's?

Hi, I would guess that her skin is darker and her coat greasier due to it being so soon after having and feeding the pups. With coat loss the hair folicles will be producing more oil and the skin's pigment can change also. Like with women having babies, losing teeth, hair, having dark lines down their tummy's, they also can get very greasy hair. It takes a lot out of them having a litter. I have just had a litter (small breed) 7 weeks ago and the mum's coat has already got very thin, greasier and some of her pigmentaion has got darker. Hope this helps, good luck.

Thank You for that,
I thought it was probably due to having puppies as she has never suffered from any problems with her skin or coat before.
She has also been spayed so probably a lot of body changes happening for her at the moment.
How long do you predict it will be before her greasy coat improves?

Spaying can affect the hair and skin quite dramaticaly through the change of hormones (think of an adolescent teenager with greasy hair and spots!!!), being a dog groomer I see lots of changes to the skin and coat after spaying, I would advise not to bath too frequently to let the natural oils settle down, as for the pigmentation I would only worry if there are any dramatic changes other than just darkening, like if they are itchy, bleed, get larger or raised. I would guess the greasy coat should improve as her body gets used to the changes in a couple of months or so, and the hair has finished growing back, her hormones must be all over the place from having a litter and being spayed. Kate