Why might an old dog get white hair?
Hair turns white (or gray) when it loses pigment, or melanin, a substance responsible for giving your skin and hair color, among its other jobs.
When a dog ages, his body produces less of an enzyme called MSR, which is in charge of neutralizing hydrogen peroxide. It’s a normal phenomenon and is associated with the natural wear and tear that cells suffer over the years, but the body continues to generate hydrogen peroxide as a metabolic byproduct.
And what does that have to do with white hairs? Effectively, hydrogen peroxide inhibits the action of the melanin-producing enzyme. That is, when dogs get older, their high concentration of hydrogen peroxide does not allow their bodies to continue producing melanin.
With the absence of melanin, hair loses its original color and turns white or gray. In healthy people and animals, this process is gradual and just part of the natural aging process.
Age is one of the most common reasons for pets going gray. This is a very similar process to the one we see in humans as we age. However, unlike humans, dogs don’t tend to go gray throughout their entire coat. The majority of graying will happen around the muzzle and face. Graying usually starts with a salt-and-pepper look in dogs.
There are a few health issues that might cause your dog to start graying. One of these conditions is hypothyroidism. Dogs with hypothyroidism have underperforming thyroid glands. Hypothyroidism also causes a variety of other symptoms including weight gain and skin problems. Getting your dog proper treatment for hypothyroidism should reverse the graying of the fur.
Have you started to notice that your dog’s fur is turning white or gray? While it can be shocking to suddenly realize your pet’s fur has changed color, there might not be anything wrong with your beloved dog. AVES is here to tell you about the reasons your dog’s fur might be turning a white or gray color.
Stress and anxiety could also be potential causes for your dog’s hair turning white. While the reason is unknown, it is possible that stress somehow causes the body to stop producing pigment in the same manner as it used to. If you are unsure of whether or not stress or anxiety are causing problems for your pet, you can speak to your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist to what you can do to reduce the stress in your dog’s life.
Sometimes, the reason your dog’s fur is turning white is a condition call vitiligo. Vitiligo is a rare skin condition that can cause pigment loss in certain patches of skin and fur. While the causes of vitiligo are unknown, many scientists believe that the condition is hereditary. However, it is clear that vitiligo occurs when something happens to the melanin-producing cells in your dog’s body.
It’s important to be aware of people trying to pedal remedies and supplements to remove stains on fur. Very often, these people will be selling you products that won’t work and care should be taken before using these – and any other – supplements.
By and large, the way dogs do this is to lick the affect area. This means they are depositing a lot of saliva on different areas of fur around their body. Saliva which if not cleaned up and left to accumulate can result in staining.
There are a few veterinary prescription diets (hydrolyzed protein diets), where the protein is broken down into very small particles from which the body (theoretically) shouldn’t react.
If you’d like to try cooking for your dog, the best way to ensure that the diet is meeting all of your dogs nutritional needs is to get your recipe from a qualified nutritionist. A home-prepared diet should not be undertaken lightly and should be done by someone who will work with your dog and balance the diet to NRC recommended allowances.
For the most part, the best thing that can be done for a dog with stained fur – and to stop fur becoming stained in the first place – is to avoid allergens that may cause them irritation, feed a high quality diet and ensure they’re properly groomed.
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Gregor Mendel was an Austrian monk who, through his scientific work with pea plants, became known as the father of genetics. Mendel illustrated that genes come in pairs with one inherited from each parent. This may sound like a simple gardening experiment, but from pea plants to dogs to humans, genetics is complex.