# Poodle fur discoloration/ texture change



## ljabary0 (Aug 12, 2020)

My handsome toy poodle is 4 years old now, we have used k9 advantix topical his whole life and never has any issues. The vet office gave us effitix topical. The first time we used it no issues arose. The second time we used maybe a week or two later we noticed a small patch of hair missing and fur discoloration. We came to find that fur loss is a normal side effect and should return however we were never told that prior to giving this to him. We did get a biopsy and blood work done just Incase it was something else and maybe not the medicine. Everything came back normal the vet said most likely it is the medicine. We stopped it but my dog’s fur is growing back a different color and texture. I am so upset Becuse I was told maybe 70% could be repaired Becuse the hair follicle is damaged. I don’t know why we were not told of hair loss prior we would’ve never used this on him. Please help, can anyone offer any insight or have had a similar experience. Is it this medicine or could it have been an allergic reaction to something else which we were also told could be food or injury but they leaned more toward this medicine. I plan on taking him to a specialist but does anyone know of his coat will return soft and back to normal? Now he switched to oral ( we didn’t know about the oral option or we would’ve tried that before). Also I called the company they said that fur loss always occurs but returns normal there has never been issues with the fur coming back different in color or texture, they also said the hair follicle is not damaged Becuse if it was hair would not return period. However the vet he said it happens a lot with topical with different dogs. Please if anyone can provide any hope or insight!There was also a period where we went a while without the medicine but this occurred after teh medicine was applied. Could something have bit him or an insect? We live close to a nature area but still reside in a community.


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## SMSP (Apr 5, 2018)

It's heartbreaking reading your post. You do something, thinking your protecting your furbaby; however, something like this happens. It's frustrating you were not fully informed of the side effects upfront. I personally believe it was a side effect of the medication as opposed to something biting him. And now you're getting conflicting information regarding the potential outcome. I hope the specialist can help. Please keep us updated.


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## ljabary0 (Aug 12, 2020)

SMSP said:


> It's heartbreaking reading your post. You do something, thinking your protecting your furbaby; however, something like this happens. It's frustrating you were not fully informed of the side effects upfront. I personally believe it was a side effect of the medication as opposed to something biting him. And now you're getting conflicting information regarding the potential outcome. I hope the specialist can help. Please keep us updated.


thank you so much for your kind words! It’s heartbreaking because we have always tried to give him the best and do the best. His coat was very healthy and It’s so upsetting to know that something we thought would help did more damage than anything. There is so much on the market today that it’s baffling that they would recommend a topical that has hair loss as a big side effect, and not informing us prior is even more upsetting. I will keep you updated, please keep him in your prayers!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I don’t know if my experience with something different could give you hope of his fur returning to a more normal appearance or not. I do feel bad for you and your dog and wish you knew of this risk before you applied the treatment.

I have a silver minipoo. She got a bee sting. I was shocked and saddened to see, when I clipped her a week later, that she had a patch of alopecia where the bee had bitten her. All her light silver hair had fallen out leaving a pea size area of black skin. About a month later I realized her hair was growing in inky black. Over several months her hair slowly grew back light silver. Every time her skin is scratched by a thorn or she gets a bug bite her hair temporarily turns black. Other dogs can have this same response. 

It is possible that over time his hair may slowly grow back to the white color.


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## ljabary0 (Aug 12, 2020)

Thank you so much for your encouraging words and to offer insight on your personal experience! I really hope so! I’m so sad for him beacuse I know the area really irritated him. Now he seems fine but I tried to touch it to feel the texture and he showed Signs of discomfort. I read online about coconut oil, I don’t know if I should try it considering poodles have delicate fur that gets marred easily. I will continue research and to ask. I hope he recovers from this. Please keep him in your prayers!


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

Skylar said:


> I don’t know if my experience with something different could give you hope of his fur returning to a more normal appearance or not. I do feel bad for you and your dog and wish you knew of this risk before you applied the treatment.
> 
> I have a silver minipoo. She got a bee sting. I was shocked and saddened to see, when I clipped her a week later, that she had a patch of alopecia where the bee had bitten her. All her light silver hair had fallen out leaving a pea size area of black skin. About a month later I realized her hair was growing in inky black. Over several months her hair slowly grew back light silver. Every time her skin is scratched by a thorn or she gets a bug bite her hair temporarily turns black. Other dogs can have this same response.
> 
> It is possible that over time his hair may slowly grow back to the white color.


Skylar, has there been any change to the color of the skin? Misha had a minor ear injury that healed fine but the skin is black. I'm hoping it will eventually fade. It is under the ear where his skin is normally pink.

Also, regarding oils, my go to oil for irritation is Vitamin E oil. Oils will make the hair a little greasy but should be fine.


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## Skgust (Sep 13, 2020)

ljabary0 said:


> View attachment 468840
> View attachment 468841
> My handsome toy poodle is 4 years old now, we have used k9 advantix topical his whole life and never has any issues. The vet office gave us effitix topical. The first time we used it no issues arose. The second time we used maybe a week or two later we noticed a small patch of hair missing and fur discoloration. We came to find that fur loss is a normal side effect and should return however we were never told that prior to giving this to him. We did get a biopsy and blood work done just Incase it was something else and maybe not the medicine. Everything came back normal the vet said most likely it is the medicine. We stopped it but my dog’s fur is growing back a different color and texture. I am so upset Becuse I was told maybe 70% could be repaired Becuse the hair follicle is damaged. I don’t know why we were not told of hair loss prior we would’ve never used this on him. Please help, can anyone offer any insight or have had a similar experience. Is it this medicine or could it have been an allergic reaction to something else which we were also told could be food or injury but they leaned more toward this medicine. I plan on taking him to a specialist but does anyone know of his coat will return soft and back to normal? Now he switched to oral ( we didn’t know about the oral option or we would’ve tried that before). Also I called the company they said that fur loss always occurs but returns normal there has never been issues with the fur coming back different in color or texture, they also said the hair follicle is not damaged Becuse if it was hair would not return period. However the vet he said it happens a lot with topical with different dogs. Please if anyone can provide any hope or insight!There was also a period where we went a while without the medicine but this occurred after teh medicine was applied. Could something have bit him or an insect? We live close to a nature area but still reside in a community.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Raindrops said:


> Skylar, has there been any change to the color of the skin? Misha had a minor ear injury that healed fine but the skin is black. I'm hoping it will eventually fade. It is under the ear where his skin is normally pink.
> 
> Also, regarding oils, my go to oil for irritation is Vitamin E oil. Oils will make the hair a little greasy but should be fine.


Her skin is black and it never changed color, it remained black the whole time. It was the hair that changed. The bee sting and bug bites caused the grey to turn black temporarily then it slowly shifted back to grey again.


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## Skgust (Sep 13, 2020)

I have a 5 year old miniature Labradoodle. She is considered red, but is really very light red. We keep her cut pretty short as she hates being brushed. But she occasionally has a couple of spots on her back that never really look bald, but all of a sudden become dark red skin with tiny dark red hairs. The red hair is straight but her coat is wavy. Over time, these spots grow out to match her coat. But I would say it takes about 4 months. We have guessed that she gets a sunburn, because they always seem to start shortly after a grooming and during the hotter times and when she has been cut short again. But they don’t happen on her head where her hair is much thicker. 
And btw, we have used the chewable Nextguard for Hazel and for our previous dog and been very happy. Our previous dog got abrasions from Advantix. 
Good luck with your baby.


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## Sable (Oct 10, 2021)

ljabary0 said:


> View attachment 468840
> View attachment 468841
> My handsome toy poodle is 4 years old now, we have used k9 advantix topical his whole life and never has any issues. The vet office gave us effitix topical. The first time we used it no issues arose. The second time we used maybe a week or two later we noticed a small patch of hair missing and fur discoloration. We came to find that fur loss is a normal side effect and should return however we were never told that prior to giving this to him. We did get a biopsy and blood work done just Incase it was something else and maybe not the medicine. Everything came back normal the vet said most likely it is the medicine. We stopped it but my dog’s fur is growing back a different color and texture. I am so upset Becuse I was told maybe 70% could be repaired Becuse the hair follicle is damaged. I don’t know why we were not told of hair loss prior we would’ve never used this on him. Please help, can anyone offer any insight or have had a similar experience. Is it this medicine or could it have been an allergic reaction to something else which we were also told could be food or injury but they leaned more toward this medicine. I plan on taking him to a specialist but does anyone know of his coat will return soft and back to normal? Now he switched to oral ( we didn’t know about the oral option or we would’ve tried that before). Also I called the company they said that fur loss always occurs but returns normal there has never been issues with the fur coming back different in color or texture, they also said the hair follicle is not damaged Becuse if it was hair would not return period. However the vet he said it happens a lot with topical with different dogs. Please if anyone can provide any hope or insight!There was also a period where we went a while without the medicine but this occurred after teh medicine was applied. Could something have bit him or an insect? We live close to a nature area but still reside in a community.


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## Sable (Oct 10, 2021)

I’m new here but the same exact thing is happening to my toy poodle. I actually thought your pictures were my dog! Did you ever figure out exactly what happened? It started for Sable at 4 yrs old and her patch grew in a month. I changed nothing in her diet or meds. She has always been on Simparica and Proviable probiotics. That’s it. I took her in for bloodwork thinking it’s something with her food (which I make - Just Food For Dogs DIY) and all levels were completely normal. I’m so baffled. My previous toy poodle had discoloration too, but only 1 spot the size of a dime so I didn’t pursue. Would love any insight and help!


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

There's another recently active thread with a lot of discussion on this topic. The upshot seems to be basically a cosmetic issue probably caused by some kind of external stimuli but there are some skin conditions which can have a similar appearance. It's worthwhile to check with your vet, but so far, all testing has come up with no diagnosis requiring treatment. 









Coarse, Dark Hair Patch on Mini GoldenDoodle (Poodle...


Hello, My 2 year old mini golden doodle has recently developed a patch of coarse fur on her back. It’s darker than the rest of her fur. It doesn’t seem to cause her pain and she doesn’t appear to try to itch it. It doesn’t seem to bother her, even when I try to look at it. She has no known...




www.poodleforum.com





The discoloration happens in purebred poodles and poodle crosses.


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