Causes of Unusual Coat Loss: Also, Can Early Training Cause Lameness? (Veterinary Clinic‪)‬

Q (Question): My 13-month-old American water spaniel lives outdoors, and by the end of last winter--the most severe Virginia has seen in years--she had an incredibly thick coat of about three inches. We cut her hair to about an inch at the beginning of this summer, which was also the most severe Virginia has seen in years, with numerous days over 100 degrees in the month of June alone, and almost all over 90 degrees. Every day was blazingly hot. Her coat is now extremely thin, to the point of being threadbare on her chest, throat and shoulders. We brush her regularly, and there seems to be no end in sight to her shedding. I am concerned because I have never seen any dog lose hair to this extent.