harness rubbing -maybe ... not sure ....suggestions please

Hi -I posted before xmas about Buddy having thinning fur - it is not demodex as the vet has checked - but his thinning fur is spreading -originally it was across his chest and round his neck which coincided with his collar and his harness - so I changed the harness , to a different style and now the patches are on each of his sides which seem to be where the harness does up round his belly and moves when he walks - maybe??- so I have gone back to a martingale collar but now this seems to have started to rub his fur making it very coarse to touch round his neck.

I still need a harness as his recall is work in progress ( high Chase drive to anything that moves ) so I have to have him on a long line .. Any soft but strong harness recommendations?

I am at a loss what to try everything seems to cause an issue - could central heating /overheating cause it he is in a crate at night , with a mat in the bottom to sleep on - could he be getting too hot -he doesn't like heat at all really suffers in summer ...

- he isn't itchy as in scratching and licking he does roll on his back a lot but looks more in play than itchiness... he is raw fed and I give complete minces so he is getting the correct balance - his dad was blue , buddy is black -could it be genetic? some have said seasonal alopecia any one suffered with this anything I can do to avoid it..

he had such a glossy silky coat until a few weeks ago now he looks awful -to be fair I am probably more worried about it than him... but I would hate to think it is happening because of something I am doing or not doing ...

Any suggestions to help a steadily balding boy - the vet didn't offer any solutions as she said it wasn't demodex , he isnt red or scratching so doubted allergies .....

Hi carol is there any way you can contact the breeder and ask about health issues such as alopecia only other thing i can suggest is buying a hypoallergenic mat for the bottom of his crate or a fleece lined harness .

hi have asked the breeder - they had a litter of ten - buddy was first born - as far as they are aware only he and one other had demodex that needed treating , the dad has had slight thinning of fur due to being a blue , but only on head and ears - mother is fine and a brindle - have tried a couple of fleece harnesses but they haven't fitted him , will keep looking - even the perfect fit ones didn't fit they gave up with him LOL - might have a look at the mat though anything is worth a try don't want it getting any worse ... its just very odd ....

Aww bless his heart hope something works

I have one of these for Chaos now:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01L8BANTW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's great quality and quite soft.

Harley used to have a fleece lined harness - type in 'fleece harness' on Amazon and they come up. They're not designed for control but I really can't see how it could rub so it might be worth trying to see how Buddy's skin reacts.

thanks liz will have a look at amazon - your link looks quite good its similar to what he had before will have to check measurements - things seem to rub him where he moves on top of his shoulders and round his middle - or across his chest .. but for the cost of the one in your link could be worth a try thanks again

hi liz sorry meant to ask the one you have for chaos does it sit behind the front kegs or further up the belly - not sure where about to measure him for the girth size .. he very little legged but quite broad and squat .. but his dad was the same build so not sure his shape will change even being on a diet he weighs less but still an odd shape LOL

I'll take a photo later so you can see how it sits on him.

It's like this...





That's a size L, but Chaos is fairly big - he's 25kg and lean. If Buddy is a more staffie sized dog, you'd be better with a medium, I think, but do measure. Their measurements seemed to come out about right for us.

Ah bless ya liz a credit to the forum chaos is a brilliant model he looks very regal

He's been called many things but 'regal' isn't normally on the list!

thanks Liz that's great Chaos is lovely he is bigger than my little fella that's for sure but I think that harness might work - tried measuring him last night but he wasn't having any of it so will try again today when he has just woke up and is a bit dopey LOL

hi Liz me again... I have measured Buddy and his girth is 27 inches -that is the largest measurement of medium and the start measurement of large - do the harnesses come up tight or with a bit of movement when fully adjusted , don't want it to be lose so that it moves when he walks as it will rub without a coat under it but then if I get medium there is no room for a coat - ... aargh he is such an odd shape ....

I think (think) large should be ok, Carol. Chaos is a bit bigger than that, approx 29 inches, but his large harness isn't fitted at its smallest, there are a good 2+ inches to spare. I would also think you're less likely to get rubbing with fractionally too big than too tight.

I'm sure you'd also be able to return it if it is the wrong size, Amazon's pretty good about exchanging.

thanks Liz.. love him to bits but boy what a pain he can be LOL

Gizmo went through god knows how many harnesses before I found one that fit him without rubbing somewhere or other. Always great when a petshop owner says "he's a strange shape for a dog"
My aunt used to sew fleece onto her dog's harnesses once she found on that fit. Not got the talent myself though.

well I have ordered the harness Liz recommended lets see if it fits my odd bod ..will post a picture once I have it and we can see:)