Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hair shaft breakage on back of German shepherd dogs and recovery
By Tieghi, Chiara et al.·Published in The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne·2003·Centro Medico Veterinario, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Medullary trichomalacia in 6 German shepherd dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Six German Shepherds were noticed to have patches of broken hair on their backs. A closer look at their hair showed some unusual changes, but the dogs were otherwise healthy and showed no signs of illness. Fortunately, most of these dogs recovered on their own without any treatment, although some might experience the issue again in the future.
People also search for: German Shepherd hair loss · dog hair shaft problems · why is my dog losing hair · dog broken hair treatment · German Shepherd skin issues
Abstract
Medullary trichomalacia is the name proposed for a hair shaft abnormality that was recognized in 6 German shepherd dogs. Affected dogs had multifocal areas of broken hairs, especially on the dorsolateral trunk. Microscopic examination of hair shafts revealed focal areas of loss of architecture, swelling, and apparent softening of the medulla, followed by longitudinal (length-wise) splitting and breakage of the hair shaft. No cause could be found. Affected dogs were otherwise healthy, and apparent spontaneous recovery was the usual outcome. Relapses may occur.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12650041/