Why did my dogs whiskers turn white

The word vibrissae comes from the. Imagine drinking a lot of milk or the natural color of bones both sources of calcium.

Lets begin by giving these whiskers their proper name.

Why did my dogs whiskers turn white. A dogs hair turns white when his body stops forming melanin. Melanin is the pigment that colors hair and without it hair is white. Just as it is with humans aging is the most common cause of white hair in dogs.

It is a normal and natural process and is not a cause for concern. Border Collie age 12 years. Color black and whitehis name is Mikey.

He began turning gray around his muzzle at age 10. Thats 70 years old compared to a human. You will notice other indications of aging when your dog begins to slow down in life.

He will sleep more and probably develope arthritis especially in his hip area of his back legs. My dog has black whiskers on one side and white whiskers on the other side of her face. Dogs muzzles and heads start getting gray as they get older too.

Our dog friend Salem lived to be 15 and by the time she died the black fur on her head and neck had gone almost completely white. So Lori we dont think you have to worry about your cats occasional white hairs. Its par for the course for animals and humans to go a bit gray as they age.

Lets begin by giving these whiskers their proper name. The thick whiskers that you see on the sides of your dogs muzzle above their eyes on their chin and on their upper lip are scientifically named vibrissae. The word vibrissae comes from the.

White dogs with tearing problems tend to develop a rust-colored stain beneath their eyes because the tears wet the hair and encourage the growth of a red-tinted yeast. As the yeast infection grows the color darkens to a more burgundy or brownish color. That is a lot of color change.

Many dogs do gray early in the muzzle area but with this much pigment change it might be due to a hormonal issue a nutritional problem or an autoimmune disease. Vitiligo can cause loss of pigment. Dogs with vitiligo can develop patches of white hair or white hairs scattered in the hair coat.

Artificial coloring in your pups food can transfer to his hair as he eats leaving him with a strained ring around the mouth. Minerals and other impurities in his drinking water can also leave stains behind and encourage growth of the already-present bacteria and yeast. I too have a solid black cat.

Cats all shed their whiskers from time to time just like the rest of their fur. Whiskers are nothing more than sensitized hair shafts that actually connect to the muscle around the muzzle and eye brow area. When they get ready to shed a whisker they often turn white.

Whiskers Relay Your Pups Emotions. Apart from the practicality of these sensors they also alert us and other dogs when Fido feels threatened. When your pooch is relaxed his whiskers are also in a relaxed laid back position.

However if he senses impending danger his whiskers will angle forward in the direction of the threat. Why Does My Cat Have One White Whisker. It is possible that the melanocytes for that particular hair follicle are inactive or turned off for some reason or there is a possibility that there are just no melanocytes in that hair follicle therefore the hair cant express the color the rest of the hair follicles exhibit resulting in a white hairwhisker.

When this chemical is exposed to light it breaks down and loses its colour and turns white. The amount of bones eaten by your dog will not change the nature of this chemical but it could result in the excess calcium changing the colour of the poo when it is passed. The chemical will still break down and turn the rest of the poo white.

Why are my dogs white paws turning red. White dog fur turns red due to staining. The staining can occur on any color fur but is most noticeable on white dogs.

The main cause of this reddish discoloring is thought to be prophyrin a protein found in body fluids such as tears and saliva. Genetics plays a large roll in the graying process of your dog as certain breeds or lineages have a predisposition for graying earlier than others. Its also a lot easier to notice a gray muzzle on a dog with darker hair than say a West Highland white terrier.

Dogs that have reached their senior years may benefit from switching to a senior dog food. It is possible that the melanocytes for that particular hair follicle are inactive or turned off for some reason or there is a possibility that there are just no melanocytes in that hair follicle therefore the hair cant express the color the rest of the hair follicles exhibit resulting in a white hairwhisker. Some anecdotal evidence suggests that cutting whiskers may lead to confusion or decreased spatial awareness.

So err on the side of caution and leave them alone. Vibrissae are shed normally like other types of hair says Dr. And if you already did some whisker grooming the good news is that they do grow back.

With each tap the eye on the same side of the face will blink protectively and the dog will tend to turn his head away from the side tapped. Dogs whose vibrissae have been removed seem more. The most common reason for a dogs poop to be white is too much calcium in their diet.

Imagine drinking a lot of milk or the natural color of bones both sources of calcium.