My Cocker has bold patches

[Biffdog4]

My 6 year old working Cocker  has some bold patches on his back and his fur is different colour he doesn't itch  it and it's not sore ,the rest of his fur is in a very good condition , does anyone have any ideas ?

[vixen]

What colour is your dog?
I ask as my Marley (was solid black) started to develop red/brown patches in her coat and she has 2 bald patches on her tail.  She was diagnosed as having an under active thyroid which is being treated (medication for life) but it has not stopped the changes in her coat as they have got worse.  The texture of her coat has also changed from being silky to being more bristly.  I am not suggesting your dog has a problem with their thyroid just relating what happened to Marley.  She is 12 next month and people who haven’t seen her for a while are shocked at the change in her coat.  I ‘think’ it is genetic as father was a red and her litter sister Stevie who is a blue roan is also developing brown/red patches on the black parts of her coat.  Stevie is also going bald in exactly the same area of her tail as Marley did too.  Years ago I had a black cat and he went brown/red too.

[Biffdog4]

Thanks for your reply ,my dog Biffy is a chocolate brown his fur is very soft and shiny around his head ,ears,neck,legs and he has good fur down the middle of his back  and then either side of it is course and patchy other wise he seems in good health

[rubyduby]

be aware that colour change and hair loss can be a symptom of hypothyroidism, common in dogs especially spaniels an even more common in spaniels over the age of 6, may not be, but many(most) vet overlook this despite it being responsible for many problems such as weight gain, anxiety, lack of energy, hair loss,, ear/skin infections etc etc, I might add that many dogs will have only the odd symptom not nes all of them, my dog was just lethargic...and she is now on thyroid tablets