Colour change

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

My Apricot Toy Poodle always had pinkish skin on his underbelly and elsewhere. I was concerned when his underbelly seemed a little inflamed and put cream on it.  It is not irritated now and it looks fine except it is now a brownish color. He does not scratch or seem uncomfortable about that area at all but it is not the pinkish color it used to be.  This happened a month or two ago. I am also concerned that the skin/hair on his back has turned a dark brown color whereas before it was pinkish it is really noticeable and spoils the look of his coat.  Can you tell me what is wrong please.

ANSWER: Hello Marilyn,
You didn't say how old your dog is, but he could be going through his coat change.  Puppies will start to get their adult coat around 9-11 months of age, and sometimes they will also start to change colors depending on what color they are suppose to be.  In other words, sometimes a Brown puppy will start to lighten and when they get their adult coat, will be a softer shade of Brown.  Silver dogs will go from Black to Silver as they age and sometimes Champagne colored dogs will lose the black tint on their back, ears and down their legs.  
Apricots are also suppose to have some black spotting on their skin according to the AKC standard, and your dog may just be getting his in.  You can read about this at this website.
http://www.le-poodles-guide.com/poodle-colors.html

Sometimes when a dog gets a skin injury, the skin will turn a different color and will gradually change color over time.  

Also, if you use tap water instead of filtered or mineral free water, this can cause staining on the face and eyes because of the minerals in the water that combine with the chemicals in the dogs body and make the stains.  If you use regular water, try switching to mineral-free water instead for a couple of weeks to see if this helps any.  

I hope this has helped you some.  If you have other questions about this, or other Poodle questions in general, please feel free to ask.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My poodle is 7 years old and has remained the same lovely Apricot/Beige colour throughout his life.  This has happened in the last month or so - no skin problems at all. Any idea????

Answer
Hello again Marilyn,
I wrote to a lady who specializes in Apricots to see if she has heard of this in her Poodles.  I will get back to you as soon as I hear back from her.  You can send me a pic of her to my e-mail at MsTopkdog@yahoo.com and I will take a look at it if you would like me to.

Thanks again, and I will talk to you soon,
Kim