I have two 6 yr old black labs, brothers from same litter. One has epilepsy and arthritis. He has a monthly cartrophen injection, daily metacam, pexion, flexadin, glucosamine and turmeric. He wears a bioflow collar. Over the past eight months, the fur on his body has changed from black to chocolate/gingery and the texture has become rougher, it is no longer silky smooth. His head fur has remained black. He is becoming more lethargic and has lost his spark, except for when there is any chance of food, when he is very energetic! Our vet is at loss as to the cause, says maybe genetics or he maybe ill, although blood tests are showing nothing abnormal. The colour change is really noticeable and many comment on how different he looks now. His brother remains black, silky and extremely fit. Does anyone have the same experience of change of fur colour or any suggestions of what could be causing this? Any ideas to follow up will be gratefully received. It’s worrying not knowing what is the cause is.
It could be something as simple as a dietary deficiency such as copper, a side effect of long term medication, or simply that he is moulting or spending time in the sunshine. Does your vet do regular blood tests?
Thank you for your thoughts. He doesn’t have regular blood tests, has them when there appears to something wrong with him, which have all come back unremarkable. We walk twice a day in the fields, so he does spend quite a lot of time outside, but it’s never caused his fur to change colour. How do you go about seeing if he is copper deficient, further blood tests??
