no undercoat?

[FinnMan]

I recently rescued a cairn. I have had cairn's before, and I this new guy's coat is funny.

He doesn't seem to have an undercoat. His hair is long, and it is on the soft side.

I have been stripping it out because it is really long, and it just seems thin. I am worried that if I strip out all the dead stuff that he won't have any hair left!

I know it isn't normal to not have an undercoat, but can anyone explain why this might be the case?

Will it grow in?

On a related note, his back side was really matted, and so I made the mistake of cutting out lots of matts, so he looks kind of naked

on the back side.

What should I do for the little guy?

By the way, he is about 10 months old.

[sanford]

Wish I knew enough to help you, but all I can say is he just looks so sweet and adorable! I can see why you want to do the best for him. Wishing the best for you both!

[dianer]

We rescued a cairn that has a coat like what you described. I've been stripping a little at a time, because he's so timid and freaked out all the time. His coat is beginning to come in coarser and a lovely red, so I'm just going to keep up what I'm doing.

[FinnMan]

Thanks for the responses!

Dianer, how old is your rescue dog?

How long is it taking for the coat to come in after you strip?

thanks again

[kjwarnold]

I'm waiting to hear some responses on the no undercoat question. Kirby (1 yr. old) has a great outer coat but he doesn't have any undercoat to speak of. I think that's why the heat affects his so much -- he doesn't have any insulation! I'm hoping he grows some before winter so he doesn't freeze. I asked the vet about it and he said Kirby is in great condition; he said Kirby is "too busy" right now to grow an undercoat. He said give it a couple of months and then see what's going on. Our breeder says he's probably just going through a stage. His sister has a funky coat right now, too. So, I guess I'll just wait and see for now, but I am curious what others have to say.

[Nikki]

When Angel was about 1yr her hair was being kinda funky...But we stripped most of her hair and it can back much healthier. Angel's hair is thinner than was it suppose to be ( it doenst have much volume) but it much more course and wirey than scottys hair. Scotty has softer full hair...lots of body to it. But the soft hair doesnt seem to bother him when its cold and snowy. I usually have to chase him down to get him to come inside.

Finnman I hope you don't mind if I post the pics you sent me in the email

here the pic of finn's hair

finnman

[FinnMan]

Thanks for your help Nicole, and I'm glad you posted the pics!

[avlsarah]

Cairn hair really seems to elude me.

I noticed several weeks ago that my Maxwell has no undercoat on his belly - he looks just like the last picture from the link, though his hair is much shorter. I wondered if this could be due to his laying in his crate, whether it hadn't grown in or if it was maybe weather related. It seems it was, at one point, there.... Just today I noticed that he has no undercoat on his legs as well. The hair on his legs is softer than the rest of his body - which is quite coarse, though very short - and, while there are a few stray hairs beneath the longer layers it's mostly just skin.

I haven't really been sure what to do with him. He must have been stripped by the breeder before I got him - he was almost 4mo. of age then (he's almost 8mo now) and though his hair was a bit longer it was still VERY coarse and short, much different than photos I've seen of other puppies. I put a good amount of effort into stripping out the longer hairs from his coat when he was younger and have been dutifully waiting 2-3mo. now for his coat to grow out. But I can't tell that it has grown at all. In some places, such as around his ears, some hair has grown and this is very thin and soft.

I feel similar to you, FinnMan, in that if I continue to strip - I try every 2-3 week to go through and get the hairs that stand out above the rest - then I'll have a pretty patchy / bald puppy soon. I'm certain I've not been removing too much, its just that nothing new is coming in.

Elusive, puzzling hair.

[Kramersmom]

All I can add to this is that Finn is sure a cutie! Finn is precious

[FinnMan]

Thanks Alvsasarah...it helps to know that other cairns are having similar hair issues. Perhaps we just need to give them more time to mature (???)

Thanks Kramersmom

Finn is a great dog. He is sweet and loves to snuggle. He loves people and other animals. He loves to play. And he is a cutie! I feel very lucky to be able to share in this little guy's life.

I love your quote from Cheryl Zuccaro...so well said.

[Shazza]

Finnman,

Would it hurt to maybe just give Finn a good brushing every week with the half Listerine/half water mixture in a spray bottle? Make sure to come his fur in the opposite direction that it grows. Our Cairn groomer/breeder taught us this and it helps with the "doggy smell" too.

Maybe that would help with the lack of an undercoat and maybe even stimulate the skin and fur. I've never seen that before, both of ours has plenty of undercoat, so I've never dealt with the issue before.

He sure is a cutie though!

[Hawkeye]

Bailey too does not have much of an undercoat and his outer coat is coarse on his back and softer on his legs and stomach. When I strip him, I am careful not to pull too much so that his skin is not exposed. His coat has a couple of different lengths growing in from being stripped just no undercoat. Bailey is approaching 2 yrs and can't say that I've seen much change in his coat in the past year.

[ShaabaMcShaabsons]

Hey Finnman! My puppy's coat is just like yours, except it's not quite as long (mine is a few months younger than yours). I've been puzzled as well. I stripped off all of his "puppy coat" when he was about 16 weeks, and he had this patchy area where you could see straight to the skin for about a month. His outer coat has grown over that, but still no undercoat to speak of. I've just been waiting for him to mature, I think I read somewhere that a soft coat may take two years of good maintenance to transform, so maybe we just got one of those? Haha...

Wait, I just reread the last post and I see that Hawkeye's baby's coat hasn't changed...okay, so give it three to four years?

[jimnconnie]

Genetics no doubt is a large factor in the quality of both undercoat & top coat. Our Bailey (6yrs) & Sophie (3yrs, 4mos.) are from the same breeder, and even share some ancestors in their pedigrees, but their coats are quite different. While Bailey has what I consider a heavy undercoat, Sophie's is quite thin. As for their outer coats, Bailey's is nice and thick, while Sophie's consists of hair that is coarser, but it is not as dense, or thick, as Bailey's. Sophie's outer coat doesn't grow as fast as Bailey's, and she is much easier for me to hand strip than Bailey. I take Bailey to the breeder/groomer about 4 times a year, while I can maintain Sophie's coat and only have to take her to be groomed twice a year.

Jim

[dianer]

Sorry I just found your questions today. Leo turned 4 in April. We got him in May. The hair that is coming in is about a half inch long. I met a guy

that has a cairn with a soft coat here that just tells people she's half yorkie when they comment on her coat. She isn't really. If it turns out Leo is just a big softy I will probably shave him during Summer. Between our heat and the burrs it would be easier for me. I'd prefer it to come in coarse, I think it provides more protection for them.

[FinnMan]

It is nice to know that there are other pups out there with coats just like Finn's. Perhaps in a year or two (or three or four?) he'll grow an undercoat. He is from the south, and now he lives with me in the north, so maybe our cold winters will put a thicker undercoat on him.

[cupcake]

We have also rescued Toby and his coat was in a bad condition when we got him (7 weeks ago today).He hasn't got the same coat as Lucy, there seems to be no soft undercoat and his previous" owners" had just hacked at his coat leaving it very uneven.AS I write this Toby is at the groomers who says he will have to be clipped rather than hand-stripped to try and get his coat into a reasonable shape .I can't wait to go and fetch him back(Bless Him) Will post( before& after) Pics of him