Your Dog’s Prematurely Gray Coat Might Be A Serious Red Flag About His Health

In dogs and in humans, hair goes gray for the same physiological reason.

Essentially, the cells that create brown or blonde or red hair color start to slack off, and eventually die.

Your body still produces the hair, but it stops getting pigment, because the pigment-producing cells are no longer working.

That means that over time the color will grow out of the hair and will be replaced with colorless hair instead. This is true in humans, and it's true in dogs too.

The most obvious explanation for the graying process is age.

Dogs, just like their people, get gray as they get older. Unlike humans, they don't tend to get gray across their whole coat.

Instead, they tend to go gray first around their muzzles and faces, and acquire salt-and-pepper strands in the hair.

If your dog seems young to be graying, it's possible that you have a case of hypothyroidism.

With hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland is underperforming. Dogs with hypothyroidism might experience weight gain or skin problems, and they may have black patches of skin.

A sluggish thyroid can also impact hair follicles and block the pigment needed for a bright coat.

If you get your dog treated for the thyroid condition, the graying should reverse itself.

Your dog might go gray in response to something in his environment.

For example, dogs in sunny climes may actually get bleached from the sun, which is technically not graying at all. In this case, fur is naturally bleached by contact with the sun and may appear white or gray.

Meanwhile, dogs may also acquire gray patches through other environmental factors.

An injury to the skin, for example, may damage hair follicles and make the hair grow back gray.

Some dogs are simply designed to go gray early.

Just like some people have snow-white hair before age thirty — and are perfectly healthy — some dogs are just genetically predisposed towards graying.

Some dogs are gray from the time that they are puppies and just get more silvery with age. It's totally natural, and it's especially common in a few breeds.

Schnauzers, for example, have distinctive gray beards, and greyhounds and Weimaraners are naturally gray. Black dogs may also show gray earlier than lighter dogs.

Scientists still aren't sure that stress causes graying, but a few studies seem to point to a definite link.

Dogs who exhibit anxiousness and excitability are more likely to go gray early.

It's possible that anxiety and stress send some kind of chemical signal that tells the pigment-producing cells to stop working.

So if your dog is going gray and seems young, check to see if there's anything in his environment that's freaking him out, like a new sibling or a new home.

You may also want to contact your vet about medications to help stabilize his mood.

In some rare cases, going gray can be a sign that your dog has liver or kidney disease.

Some pups might experience premature graying if their kidneys and livers aren't processing out toxins quickly enough.

If you fix the underlying medical problem, the graying should reverse itself. It's important to give your dog regular screenings.

If your dog is graying, the best things to do is just embrace the change. So what if your puppy looks older than her years? She's just wise and distinguished.

However, if you suspect there's a medical cause, call your vet straight away.

Dogs should get screened at least once annually for medical problems, including issues that may cause premature graying.

If you notice sudden graying, schedule a physical to get your pooch checked out.

Did you know the details of dogs going gray? Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to SHARE with fellow dog owners!