September 23, 2022
My female German Shepherd is blowing her coat, how long until it will grow back?
Full Question:
Hi Cindy, my 1st DDR sable GSD: She’s now 16 mo, is undergoing her 3rd heat and seems to be blowing her coat in stages. My earlier 3 working line shepherds were West German & all were b & t with stock coats. This little female has had a very thick undercoat. Now it’s all gone & the outer guard hairs are being shed. Please can you give me some idea of how the coat comes back … how long it takes? She currently looks like a coyote! Thanks so much as always! 
Cindy's Answer:
Good morning,
The way dogs blow their coats seems to vary a lot between individuals so I'm not sure how her coat will come back or when. I've had dogs that look absolutely naked a couple of times a year and others that never do. It might not hurt to run a blood panel on her along with a thyroid test, just to make sure she doesn't have something weird going on there. For a 16-month-old dog to already be on her 3rd heat seems a bit unusual. Many of my GSDs don't even have their first heat until well past a year old.
I'd also evaluate her diet as that plays a role in coat too.
The way dogs blow their coats seems to vary a lot between individuals so I'm not sure how her coat will come back or when. I've had dogs that look absolutely naked a couple of times a year and others that never do. It might not hurt to run a blood panel on her along with a thyroid test, just to make sure she doesn't have something weird going on there. For a 16-month-old dog to already be on her 3rd heat seems a bit unusual. Many of my GSDs don't even have their first heat until well past a year old.
I'd also evaluate her diet as that plays a role in coat too.
User Response:
Thanks so much, Cindy. Just saw your answer. This puppy is a dead ringer for your demo dog Meru, but she's really small. Weighs just 50 lbs. I just got in touch with her breeder who says her dogs start blowing their coats 6 weeks before heat starts. I'll get her thyroid checked when I get back to the States. (I live in a remote location out of the US for part of the year.) Thanks again!
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