hair falling out

Question
hello, i have a 2 year old female boxer. my husband and i just noticed that her hair is falling out. not in big chunks but in small patches on her body and along her spine it looks extremely thin. she just recently had a litter off puppies 7 weeks ago. we started her on liver 2x a day because of pale gums last week.
why do you think her hair is falling out? could the liver or puppies have anything to do with it? i have 2 other boxers and there coats are fine.

Answer
After having puppies, mama dogs can "blow their coats" is what it's called. A hormonal change causes it.

Boxers usually don't however. If that is truly what it is.

To be sure, please take her to her vet. She should have a post-whelping up anyway.

Some breeds, usually long haired breeds, "blow their coats" after whelping puppies.

I would take her to your vet to be sure, and he/she will probably do a skin scraping to test and be sure it isn't a mange, etc.

Be sure to feed her a high protein puppy chow now, and once a day if possible add a raw egg, buy some canine replacement milk (Hartz makes it and it's powder that you mix with water, and can usually find it at your grocery store) and feed her that, also, buy a baby Pediolyte (genric brand is fine) no flavor- the clear one, and add it to her water.

This is healthy for nursing puppies and helping her gain her weight back.

Do not bathe her with a flea shampoo, but bathe her in Dawn dish soap and dry her well. Do not let her back with puppies until she is completely dry.

This will help to replenish her hair too.

Be sure to call you vet and rule out any mange or mites, though.