A few days ago, I rescued a 12 week old black lab puppy from a family going through hard times. She has at least one cowlick at the base of her tail and possibly another near her shoulders (not between shoulders and neck, the tail side of her shoulders). I'll look in the morning to be more clear. I was googling around to see if this might be related to her puppy coat. I've had a purebred black lab before when I was younger (about twenty years ago) but didn't raise her from a puppy. While I was searching, I found this site: http://www.bulldogsworld.com/breeding/spinal-nerve-muscle-conditions-and-spina-bifida , which seems to indicate that a cowlick in that section of her back signals spinal/nerve damage unless I'm reading it wrong. Can someone explain to me whether that site is an over-reaction to a possibly common hair malfunction (I've got multiple cowlicks on my head, for example, that makes "grooming" somewhat a pain haha)? Or do I need to take her to the vet? Or should I hunker in for the long haul of impending doom in 3-7 years? If her spine is a ticking time bomb should I be careful how I exercise her or start with supplements? She doesn't have any of the bladder/stool problems mentioned on that site, but she's just a baby so I don't know. Thanks for any help or info. (This may be a double post. My first attempt to post this question seemed to have disappeared).
Hi and welcome to the forum Is there any chance you could post a photo? I wouldn't be thinking the worst at this stage. I'd guess that many things can cause a cowlick. Regardless, it's a good idea to take her to the vet for a health check anyway. Do you know if she's been wormed or started her course of vaccinations?
Thank you for your response. The information I received seems unlikely so I am now going forward as if our pup has had nothing. The mother in the family explained to me that she was born on Feb 20. That she saw the mother and father and they were both pure labs and healthy. When I got home my wife asked me where the vaccination paperwork was so I texted the family and the mother responded that she had purchased and administered her 5 in1 shots herself. I brought her home on Wednesday. And the basic story goes that I was browsing craigslist for remodeling stuff and came across a post for an emergency rehoming of a lab pup. When I called I was told they had purchased her from a breeder (backyard breeder I'm certain) and had fell on hard times, had lost their home and were living in an RV, and were moving back east (in the US, I'm in California) to be with her husband's mother who had fallen ill. They asked me for $150 dollars, which I didn't object to and didn't even try to negotiate because it seemed hard enough on the whole family along with their 4 year old son to be losing their puppy and everything else she was explaining to me. I keep calling her our puppy because her name was Belle but that's not something that is resonating with my wife and me so we're working through some alternatives. When I got her home she had about three ticks on her that I could find and I washed her. I wonder if she had been kept outside their RV, but I don't know. Today I was adding the weeks and it doesn't seem like she could have given her all three shots unless she basically gave them too early, right on the day, and possibly the last one the day before I rescued her. I'm assuming she either gave one shot or none, but I don't know why she would lie. It seems more likely that she gave one and thought it sufficient or perhaps gave them too quickly or it's also entirely possible I have no idea what I'm talking about and everything was done fine! That last option is the least likely in my opinion so I plan on starting her shots on Tuesday when the humane society opens again. We had already set her for spay, chip, and rabies at 4 months (earliest they told me I could come in for the spay). I'm fairly certain I've done pretty much everything wrong except for her training. I've had her since Wednesday and have her potty trained for poo and peeing has only been 5 accidents total. She's already learned sit, down, and give paw, and fetch. Stay is a work in progress. She seems very bright but I'm biased (not just with her, but also given that my last dog twenty years ago was a black lab, as well!) See if this picture comes through good enough for you: Not even sure if cowlick is the right description. It's almost like a tuft of long hair or as if she's got a patch of dirty fur...but a washing didn't clear it up.
Oh, they gave me that dog food in the picture. It's junk from Walmart and not formulated for puppies. I have puppy formula Taste of the Wild en route. Should be here today or tomorrow. I've fed my cat his formula for years. He's a little over ten and not particularly thrilled about the whole sequence of events!
She looks lovely Seems like some tufty fur to me - I would personally not worry. But mention it to the vet when you go. I'd work on the assumption that she has not been wormed or vaccinated. Best to be safe It sounds like you're doing a great job and have made excellent progress with training. Your puppy is lucky to have such a caring new home. Life has definitely taken a turn for the better!
Yes! Tufty fur is a better description than a cowlick. She had dandruff and was itchy but I've been giving her portions of coconut oil and also rubbing it into her skin. Seems to be in much better shape now. I wondered if her dry skin could be responsible for her tufty fur or if it was genetic (or possibly a puppy thing). I've honestly not seen anything like it on a dog before, which is why I got so alarmed after reading that link I posted. It's quite strange. Or maybe it's strange that I haven't ever seen a patch like that on a dog. It just strikes me every time I look at her. In any case, I'm a professor and school is out Tuesday and my wife is finishing her grad program next week. We'll all be off for the summer and this is looking to be a really formative one for the three of us! Thank you for the quick responses, advice, and compliments. Glad to be a member here, too.
Sounds like you're trying to do all the right things and that's the most important. I can't comment on the tufty bit since I have no experience, but as Rachael (Oberon) has said, it's worth mentioning it to the vet since you're going anyway. I've heard that salmon oil is better for dermatological issues than coconut oil, so it might be worth seeing if you can get hold of some of that. I've just bought some for Willow, my little black girl, who has slightly flaky skin. It might be worth you getting your hands on a copy of The Happy Puppy Handbook, which is an absolutely excellent resource for new puppy owners. It's available from Amazon. It sounds like your new pup has fallen on her feet with her new owners
Hello and welcome...just wanted to say Hi. I will have to wait until I'm on my laptop to see your picture better but it sounds like your have things in hand. It could be the cheap food hasn't been the best for your pups skin and the new food will make a difference Wishing you luck...sounds like you are set for a fun summer. jac.
Welcome to the Forum. As others have said check the tufty fur with the vet and in the meantime try not to worry too much particularly when diagnosing from google. We all have a tendency to find the worst case scenario. Don't forget to introduce the new food over a week to ensure that you don't have any tummy problems. I'm sure your cat will come round to the new family member, my 2 cats weren't impressed when we brought Juno into the house but they're all fine together now.
Sorry for not posting an update. I took her in to the vet and the visit went well. We simply started her on a new regiment of shots to ensure she's current. Vet said he thought the tufty fur signified either a skin irritation or infestation...both of which he said I seemed to have cleared up already. Now, a week later, and after feeding her much better food than her previous family gave me and rubbing coconut oil on her fur, her coat is much glossier, much more like my previous labs' coats, and she's also gained about 4 pounds since I received her (she came to me at 17 and is now around 20+ at 14 weeks old). The tufty fur patch seems to have subsided but still possibly visible. I haven't been paying much attention to it because whatever it is or was it doesn't seem significant.
Great to hear that there's no cause for worry I was also going to say that the fur near the tail can be a bit wavy just because their tails are mobile and that can lead to a little ripple in the fur. So don't worry if it never sits down completely (my dog's doesn't)
