Siberian Husky Coat Changing

[huskymom]

I have a 3 yr old black/white husky that is getting rust tinges to his fur. He has had blood work and urinalysis done and everything is normal. He also had skin biopsies done and they are normal as well. The specialist said to put him on Zinpro (canine zinc supplement) to see if that helps.

Has anyone else experienced this or have any other suggestions?

[chihuahuagrandma]

Not knowing very much at all regarding your breed, but, most of the long hair outside dogs grow a winter coat, and its just about now that coat starts to drop off and the ends of the fur coat look like a reddish color on the tips...and the coat is starting over and by Sept all the reddish ends are gone, and back in Oct the coat starts to look full and by Dec the coat is thick again...
Thats the only knowledge I have, my extended family has a Ranch w/working dogs,they spend a lot of time outside, and even though they get in house during the severe weather times, the coats are right now today, half of the ends are reddish brown...
I also, have an outside cat, whos got long hair, and the cat right now, has little less than 1/4 of the reddish brown tinge on the ends left to go...
I have inside Chihuahua's but they do not have these coat changes...
Like I said, I am not that knowledgeable in this area...just my interpretations from my pets....even horses go thru this..
Welcome to the dog forum, keep us posted on your findings or outcomes.

[Jaybay]

This reminds me a lot of what Dalmations get: Dal Crud or more formally, Red Hair Syndrome.  In Dals, it's more related to allergies and lack of a certain amino (tryosine?) in the diet.  It can occur in any dog, but is particularly noticeable in the bright white of a Dal's coat.  If I remember correctly, once the pigmentation change happens, it's permanent.  It's not something life threatening, but can be disastrous for show dogs when the coloring doesn't conform to the breed standard.  You might ask your veterinarian about Red Hair Syndrome and see what he says.

[huskymom]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I look for this post and couldn't find it so just posted a new one today. Sorry about that....you don't need to reply again.

This is my third siberian husky and I have never had this problem before. The rust colour started showing up when he was almost two years old.....he's three now.

We do have well water and it has been tested and there is nothing that points to anything that would cause this.

I guess I should just be happy that he is a healthy boy but I'm the type of person that always likes to have an answer for everything.  :)

Thanks again for your replies.

[justTess]

My Siberian Husky's coat also changed color and length this summer.    He was originally rust.  Then when he blew his coat he started to have a more black tinge.  He also looks a lot less fluffy.  

[jakesbride110]

My 5 and a half/ 6 month old White shepherd husky mix started shedding his winter coat last month. I noticed this month although he's been solid white ever since we got him except for the blonde on the back of his ears he has gotten a few rust colored spots on his back. I just noticed them last week and I suspect that they are normal. He goes to the vet for checkups regularly and was just at the vet for not eating recently and given some antibiotics and a put on a canned diet just incase something was wrong. Since your vet has checked him recently and shows no sign of anything wrong I'm sure he's ok. The only thing that Da Vinci has been doing differently since we got him is swimming in our pond. He loves water and since he's going on 6 months now it's his first real summer. The water might have something to do with it. Other than that we nor is he doing anything different than usual. I hope that helps. =) Let us know if anything changes!

[lonewolf07]

I've had Siberian huskies for years  = )

Our three yr old female is also black and white but has always had what I called "a bit of blonde" in her coat.  Is the rust color your dog has something new?  Have you ever seen anything before that looked like blonde or rust in his hair?

I don't pretend to be an expert - I'm not - but huskies are unlike most other breeds which is what makes them so special.  Our husky didn't shed her winter coat like she usually does.  According to the vet, that was because of changes in the weather - hot then cold then hot then cold.  We brushed her a lot and now can notice the blonde/rust coloring in her hair more prominently than before.  She was just at the vet's for her checkup and she was fine.  If your vet hasn't found anything wrong with your "boy" he could be showing his "adult" coat even though he is three years old.

The only other thing I can think of is that he might be allergic to his dog shampoo or if you live in an area where water contains chemicals (chlorine, fluoride) he might also be effected by that.

I hope he is alright.  Other folks in the Dog Community might have suggestions as well.

Please let us know how he is doing.

lonewolf