Hi Shannon
My female dog died recently of liver cancer - and now about a month later my other female Shar Pei is losing all her hair. Is it because of the loss of her best friend or can it be something else?
At A Loss
Dear At A Loss
In extreme situations of stress a dog may possibly show chronic hair loss, but this is very rarely seen. I cannot find any literature on stress induced hair loss in the absence of underlying skin irritations and I have never seen such a case myself.
When exposed to sudden stress, a dog may enter a period of telogen (shedding of hair) that results in acute shedding. This is often evident in unsocialised dogs being injured and taken to the vet etc. However, after the initial acute telogen phase the dog appears to regain a normal cycle immediately and there is no noticeable baldness. In effect it appears that hairs that were due to shed in any case are shed simultaneously.
Chronic hair loss, which shows a patchy or bald coat, is almost always caused by an underlying physical factor - get your dog to a vet to ascertain the reason for the hair loss. Thinking that the hair loss might be attributed to grief or depression is delaying possibly urgent medical treatment.
Notwithstanding this advice I have included some information on the hair of dogs. I am not a vet, so the information below is from The University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine.
The hair of dogs goes through three phases:
" Anagen - This is the growth phase and the hair will reach the end of anagen once its genetically predetermined length is reached (the predominant anagen cycle in people is very similar to that of dogs such as poodles, which require regular trimming). In people the hair follicle spends most of the time in anagen. This phase can last years, depending on the ultimate length of one's hair as determined by one's genes.
" Catagen - It then passes through a transient catagen phase as it proceeds to enter the resting phase.
" Telogen - Once the hair enters this phase, a new anagen hair starts growing and the telogen hair is shed.
Most dogs have what has been termed, a telogen-predominant cycle. The anagen phase is short, long enough to achieve the genetically desired length of coat. Therefore, the anagen phase lasts probably anywhere from one month to a year or more. The hair then cycles into telogen and remains there for a prolonged period of time. This hair is tightly bound within the follicle and will not readily fall out or be pulled out.
In the Nordic breeds, it is thought that the telogen phase may last for years. Replacing an entire dense coat yearly is very energy-dependent. At some point the telogen hair falls out and is replaced by a newly developing anagen hair; thus the cycle continues. The trigger for the telogen hair to fall out and a new hair to grow is not known at this time.
Best wishes
Shannon
