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My boy "Sam" has some health issues.

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166 views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  dogma13  
#1 ·
He is 5 months old. Problems include:

*diarrhea, loose/watery stools after being given hamburger grease in his dry food as a treat the past two nights

*he is a very young solid black GSD, but every now and then he gets a few gray hairs on the back of his ears: I was at first plucking them out with tweezers, then I was cutting them off with micro scissors but next I will try just touching up those ugly light hairs with black dog dye by OPAWZ

* hair loss around his eyes: he is scheduled to see the vet the first week of October, vet thinks it might be mites

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*ear tips curving backward: I plan to use moleskin per this video to straighten them out as follows:

<iframe width="673" height="505" src="
" title="How to apply moleskin padding to a German shepherd&#39;s ear" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Please chime in to tell us what you think! :unsure:
 
#2 ·
Welcome! The only real problem is the hair loss,which will be addressed soon by your vet.The white hairs and ears are normal occurrences, and avoid feeding him grease in large quantities. My dogs like burger grease as well,but only get a scant tablespoon sprinkled on their kibble. I keep it refrigerated and they enjoy it for a few days.
 
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#3 ·
I have some OPAWZ black dog hair dye on order. I will see how well it works for minor white hair touch-ups. It is supposed to last up to 6 months per application. That stuff was over $30 with shipping. I find those couple white hairs an eyesore over an otherwise perfectly black fur coat. My former black Labrador retrievers never had a single white hair in their youth. Sam has gladly outgrown the brown fur he had earlier on near the base of his ears.
 
#4 ·
You’re dyeing your dog’s coat???!?

That’s wild.
 
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#6 ·
No, I'm just going to dye two or three hairs on the back of his left ear only with a small hobby brush or even a toothpick to cover these few offending white hairs up. In the bright sunlight, these white hairs still stick out with a sore thumb. I will mix a single drop or two of each two-part dog hair dye formula by OPAWZ. This stuff is quite expensive so I will use it sparingly to touch up random gray hairs. Sam has no other white hairs anywhere on his coat at only age 5 months. When I bought an all-black German Shepherd puppy, I was not anticipating any white hairs that young. I've known all along, old all-black dogs, including black Labs, get gray on the muzzle. Think of it as "touch-up paint" for one's dog.
 
#5 ·
What are you going to do when around his muzzle starts getting white dye that also? It usually starts to happen around the 2-year mark with some being sooner. It is a natural occurrence in Shepherds.
Any dog will get diarrhea with grease so you might want to limit how much he gets. He's only 5 months give his ears time to develop correctly instead of trying to manipulate them.
 
#7 ·
His ears are standing nicely, but the ear tips are curling back instead of pointing straight up. He has bull-horn curves in his ear tips.

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Here is what people do to bent Doberman ear tips to manipulate them into desired form. My veterinarian gave me the OK to do this as long as I monitor for infection, discharge, rash, etc.. His ears will be thoroughly cleaned with alcohol/vinegar solution before the Torbot surgical cement and custom-cut moleskin ear forms are applied tot he inner ears. Plastic nasal strips will reinforce the whole deal.

<iframe width="898" height="505" src="
" title="The EASY fix for Doberman ear tips! How and When to use to correct curling ear tips." frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
#9 · (Edited)
I just spent $55 at amazon.com in products to post his ear tips. I am completely dissatisfied with the appearance of his ears.

-surgical scissors
-smith & nephew uni-solve adhesive remover
-moleskin padding
-plastic nasal strips
-Torbot surgical cement

I'm still awaiting the shipment of the adhesive remover before I start the project. My dog is my hobby. My mother spent countless hours fussing over her Doberman's cropped, posted and taped ears. I inherited my fussiness from my mother. I have a dog fussy gene in me.
 
#12 ·
None of the things you mentioned are health issues, with the possible exception of hair loss around the eyes that could be demodex. Feeding him hamburger grease could certainly cause an issue such as pancreatitis, which can be serious. You didn't mention how much you gave him but since he's already gotten diarrhea from it, I'd stop that immediately and limit fatty foods in his diet in general. It takes less to mess up the digestive system with a puppy than a fully mature adult, although some adult dogs will be more sensitive to fatty foods than others.

At 5 months old he's likely teething so you have no idea how his ears will turn out once he's done. It's much too soon to worry about it and as someone else pointed out messing with his ears right now could cause problems with their normal development. There is no downside to waiting at least a month or two.

I'm sure you're the only one who'll notice those two or three white hairs on the back of his ear but if you insist on obsessing over them, you do you. Since he doesn't yet have his full adult coat, don't be surprised if he ends up with more. Dying them seems like an extreme reaction. Another option is to just get used to the way your puppy looks and love him regardless of his lack of perfection, as you perceive it. I hope you're spending as much time and energy training him and doing fun activities together.
 
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#13 ·
You seem to be obsessing over things that don't matter at all right now.
At that age who knows how the adult coat will develop. The ears do not assume their final shape until the skull finishes growing and the skin is fully spread over it.
Your pup is very much a work in progress right now. Spend your time bonding and teaching it things.
 
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