Hi my friend owns a flatcoat retriever.  In january this year at 17 months she had her spayed.  Shorltly after she started dropping her coat, as this could be hormonal and normal we put it down to that.  It grew back a bit and now she is dropping it again.  she also has really dry skin and it is itchy.  She is taking her to the vet but i thought i would run it by you.  none of the other dogs in the house have the problem, she has not changed her diet for months and has used the same shampoo to bath her in since she was a pup.  We have ruled out fleas went through them all the other day?  could she need a supplement? Any advice would be gratefully received

My sisters spayed boxer bitch started to loose her coat in a large patch on her side, along with itching feet and itching face, bless her she was scratching herself raw on her face She had many tests at the vets to rule out all sorts of skin complaints which all came back clear. It was only when the vet put the dog on an exclusion diet that any improvment happened. A few food stuffs have now been blamed (can't remember which), but since keeping these out of her diet her coat has grown back and the itching gone, it did take a few motnhs to find the culprits but now she has all of her fur back
There are so many possible causes though, it's really a matter of the vets ruling things out untill the cause is found (unless they know what it is in the first place).

After spaying a coated breed (short coated ones too I suppose) have hormonal moult very similar to that after a bitch has reared her litter.  This can be so extreme as to worry the owner but perfectly normal.

This is why it takes nearly 6 months for a bitch in my breed to be really showable after a litter.  Also the reason I spay mine three months after they have a litter so that the moult is over and done with.

google: "hormonal imbalance in bitches" the first thing thats mentioned is hair loss

> google: "hormonal imbalance in bitches" the first thing thats mentioned is hair loss

uh-mm neutering causes an imbalance in hormones, a sudden removal of the female ones, so coat loss after spaying is normal, it will come back, but is likely to be thicker in under coat and less silky than it was and probably become harder to groom.

sorry, missed the bit about it growing back
:-S

Thanks for all your replies.  I have passed the advice on.