What Causes the Color Change in My Dog’s Fur?

by Ronel Forbes

June 16, 2023

The majority of color changes are natural consequences of development, but some can indicate underlying diseases that may need to be treated.

You’ve definitely seen some pretty astonishing changes in the growth and development of your dog if you’ve raised them from pups to adulthood. The color of your dog’s fur changing is one typical change that can be perplexing.

No, we’re not referring to the Skittles rainbow or chameleon green, but a number of things might cause significant alterations in your dog’s fur color. While most color changes are a normal part of aging, others can indicate a disease process at play that may need to be treated.

Fur Color Change as a Result of Surgery or Injury

Trauma or surgery is a further potential factor in color change. Dogs’ regrown fur is frequently darker than its original color when they recover from a skin wound. Melanin rushes to the area to mend and replace the damaged tissue, which causes this to happen.

Fur in the affected area becomes hyperpigmented as a consequence. Be aware that this kind of hyperpigmentation only affects the injured area and not the animal’s entire coat.

Dog groomers frequently advise their clients that consistent grooming might cause a shift in pigmentation that will alter your pet’s coat over time. This can happen when a dog is clipped or has their coat shaved.

Fur Color Change Due to Illness

Additionally, several diseases might alter the color of your dog’s coat.

Hormonal issues

Color changes may result from hormonal abnormalities such as hypothyroidism (when the thyroid gland malfunctions or underperforms). Lethargy, a decreased appetite, brittle fur, skin infections or irritations, and a slower heart rate are further symptoms of hypothyroidism. Consult your veterinarian if you think your pet might have thyroid illness. They can do a thyroid hormone check on your pet and, if necessary, provide appropriate medical care.

Vitiligo

White or unpigmented patches on your dog’s fur, especially evident around the head, face, and ears, maybe a sign of the skin condition vitiligo. The disorder vitiligo causes the melanin-containing cells to die off, cresting the patches of unpigmented fur, but its causes are yet unknown.

Cancer

Additionally, some tumors might cause color changes in your dog’s fur. Although skin cancer in dogs is relatively rare, it can affect the coloring of their fur, either making it darker or lighter. Consult your veterinarian for a diagnosis if you believe your pet may have skin cancer.

Due to staining, fur color changes

Some color changes are caused by staining rather than changes in the cells that contain melanin. For instance, tear staining can happen when tear ducts leak down your pet’s face and leave a rust-colored deposit next to the nose.

Porphyrins, a class of naturally occurring compounds, are what generate the red staining. These porphyrins, which come from the regular breakdown of red blood cells, are generally eliminated through tears, saliva, and urine. The porphyrins are then released along your dog’s nose by a small or irregular duct, and when they are exposed to light, the iron atoms become visible as red or rust-colored stains.

Growing Older

It turns out that dogs age as well, and when they do, their fur changes in a similar way to how it does with humans.

Dogs may not develop white hair to the same amount as people, but as they age, it’s common to notice some graying of the muzzle. It is consequently rather typical for a dog’s highly pigmented coat to become lighter as it ages, particularly around the muzzle.

Due to the fact that producing pigment requires a significant amount of energy, as dogs get older, their bodies shift their attention to caring for other, more pressing demands, which results in the loss of pigmentation in their coats.

Nothing should cause concern as long as there is no itchiness, redness, or offensive odors.

Impact of Shaving

A dog’s coat may become softer and more susceptible to color changes after shaving. After repeated haircuts, generally lighter tones are visible.

Because clipping alters the texture and color of a dog’s new coat as it grows in, some groomers have begun attaching a disclaimer to their invoices to warn clients of potential coat color changes.

What causes the coat to change color? When you shave a dog’s coat too short, more than just the color may change; instead, the top coat may be removed, revealing the undercoat, which may be a different color from the top coat.

This may make it look as though the coat’s color has changed.

Sunlight

According to veterinarian Dr. Christian, Rover’s hair may bleach slightly over the summer months, much like people’s hair tends to do so.

UV (ultraviolet) rays are to blame for this. Basically speaking, UV rays cause the pigments in the dog’s hair shafts to break down. More specifically, UV rays cause the dog’s coat pigments, eumelanin and pheomelanin, to oxidize, making them unstable and dissolving them into smaller molecules.

The dog’s fur will often become lighter or faded in color as a result of this process, which is referred to as photodegradation.

The length and intensity of sun exposure, the dog’s genetics, and other factors will all have an impact on how much the coat color changes. Some dog breeds are more vulnerable to the effects of sun exposure than others.

Trauma

According to veterinarian Dr. Loretta, harm to a dog’s hair follicles as a result of a prior injury can also result in changes to a dog’s coat color. The hair may consequently get darker in color in areas of prior damage, such as a surgical incision site, a clipper burn, or even a hot spot.

According to Sandy Blackburn in the book “The Everything Dog Grooming Book,” this happens because melanin-containing cells rush to the wound site as a result of the inflammatory process, darkening the skin and hair.

This darkening of a dog’s skin and fur is referred to as “post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.”

Depending on the severity of the damage and the genetic makeup of the particular dog, color changes brought on by an injury could be either transient or permanent.

Please read: HOW CAN I EXERCISE MY DOG IN A SMALL AREA?

Conclusion

As can be seen, there are numerous potential causes for dogs’ fur to change color. Consult your veterinarian if you are unsure or if your dog exhibits symptoms of a condition, such as persistent scratching, hair loss, or the presence of sores.

For complicated instances, a recommendation to a board-certified veterinary dermatologist may prove fruitful.

Use pet insurance to protect your dog’s future from unanticipated events.