Puppy Hair Loss or Thinning

Hair Loss & Thinning in Puppies -
The "Puppy Uglies"

What are the Chihuahua Puppy Uglies?

Chihuahuas are one of the most beautiful dogs ever. So, what do people mean when they talk about the chihuahua puppy uglies?

Your chihuahua puppy is born with one coat of fluffy soft fur. The chihuahua puppy uglies is a ‘term’ that has been used to describe the transition from their baby soft fur to the more adult coat.

What do the Chihuahua Puppy Uglies look like?

At about 4-8 months your chihuahua’s fur may start to thin, fall out or shed heavily. This may be more noticeable in a long-haired chihuahua. They are also growing fast and may start to look a bit stringy and gangly. Typical teenager. But don’t worry this stage won’t last long. You also may be lucky and not go through this stage as not all chihuahuas do.

If her fur is falling out and patches of skin show, take her to the vet to check it is not something more serious.

Getting Her Adult Coat

When they are adults, about 1 years for chihuahua, they should start to think about getting a proper adult coat, which consists of 2 coats of fur. An undercoat is short and thick and the overcoat is longer, soft and fluffy and looks gorgeous. Long coat chihuahuas tend to have softer fur than their short coat chums.

But it can take a couple of years (even three) for your chihuahuas full adult coat to come through. Minnie is now 2, and clearly growing her full coat is not on her list of things to do. At the moment she looks a bit moth-eaten and patchy!

A male chihuahua has more fur than a female and a beautiful fluffy ruff around his neck. Mika is very proud of his lovely white ruff and matching tail fringing.

Will my Puppy Change color?

It is entirely possible for your chihuahua to come through a different colour when they get their full coat. It is so common that you can almost expect it. They can be lighter or darker or like Minnie a different colour. She was blue as a puppy and is now a Mocha Latte with sprinkles.

Grooming

Chihuahua coats do not require trimming as they only grow to a specific length. Although if your chi has fringing on his toes it might be a good idea to keep it cut short as they can look untidy and get dirty. Also, you might need to keep his pants trimmed, if they get too long they can get pooped on.

Looking after your chihuahua’s coat is easy. Keep him brushed regularly and washed with a dog specific shampoo. We like the Wildwash Shampoos as they smell lovely and seem to rinse out well, we also use a neem oil soap for flea control and it’s good for skin allergies.

Make sure you have a good flea busting routine, rubbing a little coconut oil into their fur will help deter fleas and ticks and make his coat shiny and soft.

Omega 3, 6, 9. This supplement plays a role in maintaining and restoring healthy skin and coat. You can try adding some to his feeding routine. Supplements are readily available from most good pet stores. Read the label.