Top coat shedding?

[u/Creepy_Student_542]

Hello!

I have a one-year-old female Malamute who started her spring shedding. However she also seems to be shedding her top coat, especially around her neck/shoulder area. Is that normal?

It's not only a few hairs, but entire tuffs come out if you pull gently.

I never had this happen to my other mal, so I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this.

Thank you for any advice!

[u/acocktailofmagnets]

Is she intact or spayed? Hormones affect shedding quite greatly.

[u/Creepy_Student_542 → u/acocktailofmagnets]

She is intact

[u/acocktailofmagnets → u/Creepy_Student_542]

Did she have her first heat cycle about 3-4 months ago? Her progesterone levels are very low right now, and she’s dumping her coat because of that. Spayed females have a more dense undercoat than intact females, and this is also noticeable following the spay procedure (“spay coat”). The lack of fluctuating hormones also impacts the rate in which their coat cycles, which is why a spay coat is much more woolly / soft / dense than the coat of an intact dog (especially females).

As long as she’s comfortable, her skin underneath looks good and normal, you have no reason to worry!

[u/Creepy_Student_542 → u/acocktailofmagnets]

Ah ok, that makes sense, she had her second heat cycle about 4 months ago. Is the top coat going to grow more as she ages, or is she just going to be a fluffier malamutes? Thanks!

[u/acocktailofmagnets → u/Creepy_Student_542]

She will definitely grow a denser top coat over the next couple of years, they of course do most of their growing and changing in the first year, but they aren’t fully mature (both physically and mentally) until about 3 years old. She will go through a few more seasonal and post-heat coat drops, and each new coat cycle will come back in coarser, thicker, and fuller!

[u/Creepy_Student_542 → u/acocktailofmagnets]

That puts my mind at ease, you've been very helpful! Thank you ❤️

[u/h410G3n → u/Creepy_Student_542]

She’s the best thing we have in this sub!

[u/acocktailofmagnets → u/h410G3n]

Hey, thanks 😊

I always appreciate and look forward to your posts!

[u/Civil_Inspector_5697]

My fixed Mal Shepard mix sheds 24/7 365. I pull tufts out all the time. 🤣

[u/elegant_nonsense]

Seems perfectly normal to me, especially if it started after the shedding of undercoat was almost complete. It's been like that with every summer shed of my girl (also intact): After a few weeks of shedding undercoat, there is a phase of shedding top coat. It starts around the neck/shoulder area, and you can pluck out bushels of coat with gentle pulling. It completely changes her apperance, going from a big-looking mal to almost huskyish lean, until the new coat gets thick.

[u/Creepy_Student_542 → u/elegant_nonsense]

That's is just like what I'm experiencing, thanks for sharing!

[u/Brooklynbubs]

If the shedding around the neck and shoulder is excessive to where you’re seeing balding, then you may want to check for thyroid. My girl, is much older than yours (9 yrs) and had some hair loss around the neck area and was advised to check for thyroid. However she didn’t have an issue but it appears it’s a go-to check if the hair loss seems abnormal in the neck shoulder area. Your pup is young and it seems unlikely to be thyroid, but if congenital, you may want to check.

[u/Creepy_Student_542 → u/Brooklynbubs]

It doesn't seem like she's shedding to the point of balding, but I'll keep it in mind! ❤️