I had Jodi at the Vet tonight as I noticed recently that the bald patches on her legs have changed colour from a pink-white to grey-black. Jodi isn’t scratching or anything and the Vet said it was unlikely to be an allergy as the skin is not tough or leathery. The Vet said it’s potentially seasonal, but hasn’t seen such a drastic change of colour in other greys she sees. She is going to talk to one of the Partners about it in more detail and refer back to her dermatology info and will phone me later this week.
Has anyone else experienced this with their hounds?
Not sure what colour Jodi is but its much more noticable in black dogs, both my girls go from a white grey colour on their tummies and any baldy bits to Jet black as the season changes, by summer they are very dark - which is nice for Nan cos she has a very white baldy bum all winter!!
Clyde has white skin in winter and grey skin in summer to match his fur, it seems to change all over his body but is more obvious on his bum, his (baldy) white belly changed to grey last year, it changed gradually down each of his sides till it eventually met in the middle of his chest/belly. It’s definitely started turning grey sooner than last year as I didn’t get Clyde till eary April and his bottom was lily white at that point and didn’t start changing for a few weeks. His bottom is currently got grey mottled spots which will eventually all meet up. At the vet’s recommendation I started Clyde on 1000mg Evening Primrose a day, this was a few weeks ago so maybe that’s why his skin has changed earlier. Also my vet said the skin changing colour can be seasonal and said that greyhounds can also get seasonal alopecia, unfortunately Clyde’s baldy bum is all year round!!!
Well the alopecia makes me feel a bit better, I thought Lewis’s baldy bum was getting more baldy and no matter how much I brush its always full. I thought this may be due to mix of seasonal and coming out of kennels.
Clyde has white skin in winter and grey skin im summer to match his fur, it seems to change all over his body but is more obvious on his bum, his (baldy) white belly changed to grey last year, it changed gradually down each of his sides till it eventually met in the middle of his chest/belly. It’s definitely started turning grey sooner than last year as I didn’t get Clyde till eary April and his bottom was lily white at that point and didn’t start changing for a few weeks. His bottom is currently got grey mottled spots which will eventually all meet up. At the vet’s recommendation I started Clyde on 1000mg Evening Primrose a day, this was a few weeks ago so maybe that’s why his skin has changed earlier. Also my vet said the skin changing colour can be seasonal and said that greyhounds can also get seasonal alopecia, unfortunately Clyde’s baldy bum is all year round!!!
Maybe Grey is this years Black
Penny loses her fur from her hind end several times a year. The vet looked into it at first, but it’s been happening for the five years we’ve had her so we just put up with it.
Thanks everyone, I feel reassured. The vet was pretty convinced this wasn’t anything bad as Jodi is not scratching / has not reacted to it. She is going to call me on Friday, but I can now report what I have found out from your replies.
Glad I found this thread. We have a fawn lurcher and have noticed exposed skin on legs etc. is turning black. She’s coming up for two and is getting more black hair in her coat but the skin change is quite dramatic; now she’s mainly fawn with black legs and black skin on her tum. Can’t decide if she’s just maturing or if black skin is sun protection. It didn’t happen last year, though. I wonder if other kinds of dogs are prone to changes in skin colour?
Coal’s baldy bum also turns from pink to grey - although he’s starting to get hair re-growth as well.
I’ve heard of other dogs getting more ‘freckles’ (grey patches on white skin) in the summer seasons. I think one of the reason’s it may seem very prevalent in Groos is that 1) they have very fine coats making the skin easier to see and 2) most of our dogs have some baldy bits which makes it more obvious. Jingle’s bum could be lime green and I’d never know (long haired Pyrenean). LOL
My old horse (who had pink skin) use to get grey skin patches as well, so this phenomenon may extend to other species as well
Clyde’s skin is now a lovely shade of grey to match his fur so he looks fab. As laura says above some get large freckles on white fur, christie now has them on her white chest/tummy. I’m sure it’s seasonal and nit something to be too concerned about, it will probably help to prevent sunburn too.
I did wonder if it was skin darkening to protect it from the sun. Maybe the lack of hair means it would be vulnerable to sunburn. Just have to see what changes the winter brings, if any!
Hi,
I have a fawn greyhound who has large areas of baldness on his bum and his skin has turned from pink to really dark grey. My vet suggested that there could be a hormone problem which if it was outside normal perametres could cause a problem with internal organs, he did a blood test and it came back that he has a hormone inbalance which is not excessive but just enough to cause hair loss and skin pigment problems. May be this is something that you could speak to your vet about.
In groos it is not uncommon for skin to change colour in season. My first boy Mason was mainly white with black patches, come summer he looked like a dalmation because of the black spots which appeared on his tummy and under his coat.
To many vets greyhounds as pets are still a new phenomenom so I would be cautious about assuming problems where there may not be any.
The hormone issue is worth bearing in mind but since there is no baldness or other sign of ill-health I will wait and see if her coat changes back in the winter and take it from there. Fingers crossed it is a seasonal thing.
