is it normal for a shi-poo to have lumps of fur?

by Xin
(Philippines)

my pups are about 2 months old. their mother died when they were a week old so i've been feeding them milk. didn't have any problems til recently when one of them started to have lumps of fur. i bathe them at least thrice a week.

when i noticed the tangled masses of hair or lumps, i started combing them. the problem is, when i comb, the lumps get removed leaving my pup with a lot less hair. the shocking part is, the combing didn't pluck the hair.

it seems the lumps are hairs that have fallen off and got tangled with the rest. help please.



Hi Xin
It sounds as though your pups fur is getting matted and tangled, and when you comb them the hair around them is breaking and they come off.

Shih Tzus have long, dense double coats while Poodles coats are curly and harsh, the combination could be making your pups hair require a lot of grooming. Bathing them three times a week is too much, it's likely to cause dry itchy skin and dry, brittle hair - contributing to the problem.

Bathing them once a month is more than enough. Check out my Bathing A Puppy page for more information and advice on this.

If you notice bald patches or areas where there is no hair, or if your pups develop a rash or skin irritation, take them to your veterinarian to make sure that there's no underlying skin issue such as allergies, or Puppy Hair Loss page to find out more.

I doubt that you need to worry about this too much right now, just be sure to bathe them less and groom them daily to keep their coats tangle free. If you have any other worries though, talk to your vet about this he should be able to take a look at them and give you advice.

Best of luck with your puppies.