In this article, we will answer the following question: Why is my Yorkie shedding? We will discuss seven main causes of hair loss in dogs, and give you some simple tips for it.
Why is my Yorkie shedding?
In most cases, your Yorkie is shedding because it is a natural process. All dogs lose hair, except for a few cases such as the Poodle or the Bedlington Terrier.
The hair shedding process is part of the normal cycle of hair growth, season, and loss within the hair follicle. This shedding usually coincides with the seasonal changes, spring and autumn, there is a hair loss and new hair comes out again, ready for the next season.
The problem begins when this hair loss is continuous throughout the year and worsens if the dog lives with its owners inside the house or the apartment.
7+ reasons why your Yorkie is shedding
Let’s explore the main reasons why a Yorkie is shedding and what to do about it.
- Your Yorkie is molting: Molting in Yorkies usually occurs twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. As soon as winter arrives, its coat gets thicker, while before summer it gets lighter. The dog adapts its coat according to the seasons, so in this case, don’t worry
- Your Yorkie has certain vitamin deficiencies: A balanced and quality diet is essential to maintain your dog in good health. If the latter is deficient in vitamins B and E, this could explain his hair loss.
Dietary supplements are available, but you can also sprinkle your dog’s food with just a teaspoon of brewer’s yeast each day. In any case, it is better to seek advice from your veterinarian.
- Your dog is stressed: Anxiety can be the cause of hair loss. If you’ve recently moved or a new item has entered the family, it may have upset your dog. Give him time to get used to his new surroundings and try to distract him from his stress by taking him out and playing with him.
- Your Yorkie is sick: Several diseases can cause significant hair loss, but parasitic diseases are most often involved: dermatitis, demodectic mange, scabies, leishmaniasis, or even ringworm are due to mites, fungi, or parasites and cause inflammation.
- Your dog is allergic: If your dog suffers from an allergy, whether it is of food origin, due to fleas, to a cleaning product, to pollen or even to dust, this will cause him not only to scratch but also to lose hair.
- You wash your Yorkie’s hair too often: Dog hair is not meant to be cleaned too often. Generally, a brushstroke is enough to remove all the small dirt accumulated during the day. If you bathe your pooch every week, it will damage the condition of his coat and cause hair loss.
- Your dog has hormonal disorders: If you have a female dog and she is pregnant, it is quite normal for her to lose hair. In fact, hormones regulate hair growth. Thus, hormonal imbalances such as hypothyroidism, especially in older dogs, can also cause hair loss.
It is important to differentiate this exaggerated but “normal” fall from those associated with skin diseases or hormonal problems. In exaggerated hair loss, there are no manifestations of the disease.
The hair falls out and grows back and on the dog’s coat, we did not notice any hairless areas, redness, or scabs. The solution to this problem is usually difficult because it is not due to a particular cause that we can correct.
You have to brush the dog often with a brush or card that pulls out this dead hair, baths with a moisturizing shampoo, vitamin supplements with omega 3 and omega 6, change to a suitable diet, and try to give the dog a thermal change according to the season of the year in which it lives, this because if in summer or winter it always has the same temperature in the house, the dog will shed the same hair all year round.
There are other situations in which the dog can also lose hair. After childbirth and lactation, it is common for females to suffer an exaggerated hair loss and the coat of the bitch is almost hairless and the skin is visible. This loss is temporary and when the stress of lactation and childbirth has passed, the hair grows normally again.
In these cases, we must provide an adequate diet and vitamin complexes rich in omega 3 and omega 6 such as fish oil.
Allergies also cause exaggerated shedding of the skin but will always be associated with reddening of the skin, erythema, scabs, and exaggerated scratching. We must also check that our animal does not have fleas or ticks, which is also a frequent cause of itching.
A poor diet or a chronic digestive process, which prevents the correct absorption of nutrients, causes the dog’s coat to not present the normal shine, and the hairs are easily detached or easily broken. We must check if the food our dog eats is adequate and if the quality is correct, the cheapest is not always the right one, even if they have the same percentages of protein or fiber as the expensive one.
The difference is in the quality of the components that are used in its manufacture, that there are differences of $30 or $40 in a bag of feed should make us suspect that quality is being cut at some point.
Hormonal imbalances are also usually the cause of hair loss, hypothyroidism and Cushing’s syndrome are hormonal diseases that cause hair loss on the flanks, neck, and abdomen, and that leave bald areas on the skin, there is no itching but the skin is usually thin, fragile and oily. It will also be accompanied by weight gain, lethargy, increased consumption of water and food, increased amount of urine, etc.
What is abnormal hair loss in dogs?
The loss of hair must become alarming when the coat falls off in tufts and the dog presents skin symptoms such as depilations, alopecia areata, inflammation, redness, scabs, suppurations … These disorders can have many causes.
Hard to detect with the naked eye, it is important to consult the veterinarian as soon as possible for a diagnosis because hair and skin diseases are likely to degenerate quickly without appropriate treatment.
What can be the causes of hair loss in dogs?
Alopecia is the generic term for abnormal or excessive hair loss in dogs. Many causes can be at the origin of this disorder, including of course the presence of external parasites such as fleas or scabies.
We also gather ringworm, caused by mycosis, which is generally accompanied by scabs and more or less localized inflammation. There are other more specific affections of the skin and hair such as canine demodicosis or dermatitis, which cause local or diffuse depilations and a strong skin odor.
All these symptoms, whatever the pathology in question, are accompanied in the majority of cases by compulsive scratching and licking, reflecting the animal’s discomfort, pain, and itching.
On the other hand, the stress caused by a change of environment for example, or a diet too low in protein can make the hair dull and fragile, causing it to fall. There are also cases of allergies responsible for skin lesions such as an allergy to flea saliva.
Some tips to reduce hair loss in dogs
Even if your dog does not have a skin condition, it is possible that he will lose a lot of hair if his fur is weakened, especially due to an inadequate diet or vitamin and mineral deficiencies. We can then turn to kibbles richer in protein, fish-based products being particularly effective for the health and beauty of the coat.
Natural food supplements such as salmon oil and brewer’s yeast, to be mixed directly into the ration also have very good results. They can also be found in chewable tablet form, as well as veterinary supplements rich in vitamins and omega 3 and 6. For dogs susceptible to skin diseases, hypoallergenic grain-free kibbles are often recommended.
Finally, regular grooming with a suitable comb and frequent antiparasitic treatment help to fight against hair loss and itching.
Conclusions
It is important to know how to maintain special care with a dog of the coat such as the Yorkshire Terrier since it is usually very difficult, therefore the brushing you should give it will depend on how long it has, so starting you can do it alternating between days.
How is this? One day you brush it and the other you don’t and so on so that you can see how you keep it in perfect order and without any knots, always keeping it impeccable so it doesn’t look sloppy or tangled.
Brushing, in addition to everything, has to be meticulous and calm so that he does not feel run over or, failing that, you can throw or hurt him, so try to keep him calm, without jumping or moving from the place chosen for this routine.
As it should be noted, due to the amount of hair that Yorkshire Terrier dogs present, the possibility of eliminating parasites such as ticks, fleas, lice, or others that threaten both the skin and coat of the dog and the health of the dog must be taken into account. they.
Therefore it is important that you buy a quality element to eliminate or to avoid the annoying parasites that usually enter this type of coat since many times it will not have any respite and it can present skin problems, so you must attend to this from the beginning when he’s a puppy.
If you are concerned that your Yorkie is shed excessively, it is no harm to consult a vet and ask for guidance in taking care of a Yorkie’s coat.
If you have any questions about the content, please let us know!
FAQ on Why is my Yorkie shedding?
Will my Yorkie’s hair get thicker?
If your Yorkie is a puppy, its hair will get thicker with growth. Most of the time, the thickness of a Yorkie’s hair depends on genetics, but you also have to give special attention to how you take care of it.
Should I cut the hair around my Yorkies’ eyes?
You should cut the hair around your Yorkie’s eyes, as it is very important to provide the dog with good vision. For this reason, it is necessary to trim the hair that falls or grows over the eyes.
Are Yorkies low maintenance?
Yorkies are not low maintenance, on the contrary. This breed is a barker, it can be difficult to train and needs regular exercise. Besides, a Yorkie’s hair needs to be groomed very often, combed every day.
What are the colors of Yorkies?
The coat of pure Yorkshire terriers is black and tan at birth. As the dog matures, its color usually changes to steely blue and tan. This should not be a silvery blue or mixed with fawn, tan or black hairs.
References
Yorkieadvice.com
Petsworld.in
Animalwised.com
