Expert: Jannie Balliett - 2/15/2010

Question
Hi Jannie.  I have an almost 3 year old female brindle boxer dog. She had an absolutely gorgeous coat until about 6 months ago.  I have gone through a series of cross-country moves, and since our moves she has been losing more and more fur.  What can I do to combat this and get a nice healthy coat again?

Answer
It could be a few possibilities.

1) Stress due to traveling which causes insecurities

2) Mange that has been picked up while traveling

3) Diet and/or allergies, whether diet or environmental

I recommend you take her to a vet for a skin scraping to check for manage. There are many different types of mange and parasites. They can lower the immune system which can cause other more serious health issues.

Her diet should be a natural dog food without additives and without corn and without glutens. Boxers are prone to allergies with those ingredients.

Stress can cause all kinds of problems, and traveling a lot is stressful on a dog. Relocation of homes is stressful and causes insecurities.

Please take her to the vet first to have her skin tested, and get back to me for further evaluation(s).