Clipper Alopecia

I have a 3 year old Corgi, and as most of you know it gets pretty hot in Texas during the summer months. I thought it would be a good idea to get her a summer hair cut... well I didn't realizing that some dogs are not meant to be clipped. Rue has patches of hair on her back and neck that are not growing back. I looked this up on the internet and found the term Clipper Alopecia, it looks very similar to the patches on Rue's back and neck. Has anyone every had this issue? I would really like to hear your story...
Thanks

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Comment by Beth on October 24, 2009 at 7:01pm: P.S. You may want to repost this in "Corgi Health" as the blogs fall off the front screen very quickly, especially on weekends when people are doing things with their poochies!

Comment by Beth on October 24, 2009 at 6:59pm: Rachel, it may be that the coat will come back eventually, it might just take a while. Double-coated breeds don't have coats that are constantly in a growth cycle. The undercoat blows in the summer and then late in the fall it starts growing back in. My male, Jack, has absolutely no undercoat from June/July through most of October, and the active growth stage of undercoat stops much sooner than the shed. The guard hairs grow on an even slower schedule. The double-coated dogs shed guard hairs lightly all year, with a heavy shed once or twice a year. Intact females are a bit different as sheds are affected by heat cycles and whelping/ weaning.

Unfortunately you have learned the hard way that double-coated breeds should never be shaved except for medical reasons! Be patient and you may get coat back but it may take a couple years to come back to how it was. In the meantime, you may need to invest in doggie sunblock and keep her out of direct contact with afternoon sun or heavy rain as she's lost her natural protections.

I hope it all grows back! That far south, her undercoat may not start growing back til early winter. Not sure about the guard hairs, but again I understand they are on a much longer growth cycle.

Comment by christy fry on October 24, 2009 at 6:11pm: I've never heard of clipper alopecia however did have an older dog(bless his soul) who did suffer from alopecia he was very spotty by the time he passed. He was on salmon oil and we'd rub lotion(the sensitive kind no dye's/perfume) on his bald spots as they tended to have dry skin. I wish you luck in geting this resolved though =)