puppy with thin hair

Question
Our 13 week old bichon has very thick hair on her legs, top of her head and ears.  Her back and tail are so thin we can see alot of pink.  She has a bald spot on the top of her snout and her face is thin as well.  She just does not have the typical puff ball look. After calling the breeder she has asked us to keep her for 3 weeks to see if we notice an improvement.  She says she will take her back after that time if we are still not happy, and has other puppies.  We really like her but after talking to a groomer and her first vet visit it doesn't seem to be normal.  Any suggestions? I don't feel we should be having to deal with health issues right away if possible.

Answer
HI I am unsure what you expect at 13 weeks, the powder puff look will not become so until at least 8 months, the coat has to be supported by the undercoat which wont grown until the dog reaches puberty after 6 months, many dont grow a real coat until they are over 2 . Diet has a lot to do with a poor coat as do mites, lack of vitamins etc. I would start by using a good source of fatty acids and omega 3.6.9 in her diet daily. Fish as a protein is better than meat, veggies will support her immune system and apple with support her bowels.
Ask the vet to do a FBC and see if she has a normal range thyroid, liver, kidney, pancreas, also did the vet check for a heart murmur all of these would give a really thin coat.
Personally I dont think there is much wrong with her except her diet.
She needs 4 meals per \day every day until she is 6 months old.
If you want to see how we feed our pups, adults oldies then log into
www.eurobichons.com
its a friendly site that I run and there you can see videos of birth to adult of every litter. shows you the many stages these dogs go through.

Good luck