Veterinary Dermatology 2004, 15, 25 30

Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

An analysis of canine hair re-growth after clipping for

a surgical procedure
SANDRA F. DIAZ*, SHEILA M. F. TORRES*, ROBERT W. DUNSTAN and
CHALER MPOL LEKCHAROENSUK*
*Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota,
Saint Paul, MN, USA,
Pfizer Global Research and Development, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
(Received 15 April 2003; accepted 22 July 2003)

Abstract Hair growth and replacement have been studied extensively in humans, sheep and laboratory rodents,
but in dogs and other mammalian species few studies have been published. The objectives of this study were:
(1) to determine the time required for the hair to re-grow in dogs after clipping for a surgical procedure; (2) to define
whether the season of the year influenced the period of time required for re-growth and; (3) to determine if season
might influence the telogen: anagen ratio. Eleven Labrador retrievers were recruited during spring, 10 during summer, six during autumn and 10 during winter. Hairs re-grew to their preclipped length in 14.6 weeks, 14.5 weeks,
13.6 weeks and 15.4 weeks when shaved in the spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. The differences
in these values were not significant suggesting that season has no effect on the rate of hair re-growth in Labrador
retrievers housed indoors (P = 0.12). The mean values for the telogen: anagen ratio in each season were: 5.2
(spring), 6.1 (summer), 9.5 (autumn), and 5.3 (winter). The differences in these values also were not significant
(P = 0.89). The percentage of hairs in telogen was over 80% in all four seasons.
Keywords: anagen, canine, hair cycle, hair growth, photoperiod, season, telogen, temperature.

INTRODUCTION
After completion of morphogenesis, the hair follicles
enter a continuous cycle of growth (anagen), regression
(catagen), and quiescence (telogen), followed by shedding of the hair (exogen) and the formation of a new
anagen follicle.1 In the follicles of sheep, canine breeds
that need clipping, such as poodles, and the human
scalp, the anagen stage of the hair cycle predominates;
however, this is unusual for most mammalian species in
which a telogen stage predominates.1,2,3
The hair cycle is controlled by complex interactions
between endogenous and exogenous factors. Endogenous factors include cytokines and growth regulators,
which have a local effect, and hormones, which have a
systemic effect.4 Important exogenous factors include
photoperiod and temperature. These environmentalrelated factors control the secretion of melatonin and
prolactin, which directly influences the cyclical activity
of the hair follicles observed throughout the year.510 It
is also believed that photoperiod, with some participation of temperature, can indirectly influence the hair

This study was funded by the Small Companion Animal Grant,

College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota.
Correspondence: Dr Sheila M. F. Torres, Department of Small
Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University
or Minnesota, C339 Veterinary Hospitals, 1352 Boyd Avenue, St.
Paul, MN 55108, USA. E-mail: torre009@umn.edu
2004 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology

cycle by acting on the hypothalamus-hypophysis axis

and affecting the secretion of steroid and thyroid hormones known to influence the hair cycle activity in
humans and animals.11,12
Hair growth and replacement have been studied
extensively in humans, sheep and laboratory rodents,
but few studies have been published in other mammalian
species. Factors thought to affect hair growth and replacement in dogs and cats are environmental changes, age,
sex hormones, region of the body and breed.3,1319
The dogs hair coat is of great esthetic importance to
most dog owners, and any site where the hair coat is
thinned or absent can be a cause of concern and distress to them. This is especially true when the absence
of hair is due to failure of hair to re-grow after a site has
been clipped for a surgical procedure. It is estimated
that the average time required for canine hair to regrow post clipping ranges from 3 to 4 months for
short-coat breeds and as long as 18 months for longcoat breeds.20 In some cases, it may take years for hair
to re-grow after clipping for surgical or other procedures. This condition is called post-clipping alopecia
and the current knowledge regarding this phenomenon
is speculative and anecdotal. This is largely because little is know about the process of canine hair re-growth.
A first step in understanding post-clipping alopecia is
to have an estimate of the time required for the hair to
re-grow when post-clipping alopecia does not occur.
The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine
the time required for the hair to re-grow after clipping
25

26

S. F. Diaz et al.

for a surgical procedure; (2) to define whether the season of the year influenced the period of time required
for re-growth and; (3) to determine if season affected
the telogen: anagen ratio.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Dogs
Privately owned Labrador retrievers, scheduled for
cruciate ligament repair at the Veterinary Teaching
Hospital of the University of Minnesota were included
in the study. A group of dogs was recruited in each of
the four seasons. The decision to recruit only Labrador
retriever dogs undergoing the same type of surgery
eliminated any possible effects that breed and site of
the body clipped had on the time required for the hair
to re-grow. In addition, to minimize the influence of
reproductive hormones on hair re-growth, all dogs
were either spayed females (18 dogs) or castrated males
(19 dogs). Their ages ranged from 2 to 8 years.
The inclusion criterion was that all dogs had no history or clinical signs of systemic disease at the time of
surgery, with the exception of the ruptured cruciate
ligament. A thorough physical examination, complete
blood cell count (CBC) and chemistry profile were
performed on all dogs before surgery to evaluate their
health status. In addition, serum total thyroxine (TT4)
concentration was measured on each dog to assess thyroid function because delay in hair re-growth post clipping can be the only clinical sign of hypothyroidism.21
Serum TT4 concentration was the selected test because
all dogs were in good condition and were not taking
any medications known to affect thyroid function tests
at the time of inclusion in the study. Nevertheless, if
TT4 values were below the reference range further testing was to be performed. Dogs were not allowed to participate in the study if they had a history or clinical
signs of dermatological disorders, or if they were
receiving medications that could potentially affect hair
growth. These included progestins, oestrogen, androgens, melatonin, glucocorticoids and -thyroxine. In
addition, all dogs were required to be maintained on
their nutritionally balanced commercial diet for at least
6 months prior to surgery and for the duration of the
study. The study was reviewed, approved and overseen
by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
of the University of Minnesota. Informed consent was
a requirement for study participation.
Unit area trichogram
To determine the telogen: anagen ratio, hair samples
were collected from the same approximate location on
the upper lateral thigh, just after induction of anaesthesia and before surgical preparation (clipping and
scrubbing). The left or right thigh was sampled
depending on the leg in which surgery was performed.
Samples were collected from the group of dogs enrolled
during each season of the year using the unit area trichogram method.2224 Briefly, a 4-mm-diameter area

was marked with a ball-point pen, through a template

containing a precision-drilled hole. All hairs within
and on the scribed line were epilated with a forceps in
the direction of the hair growth. The collected hairs
were aligned on a 10-mm wide, double-sided adhesive
tape mounted on a microscope slide. Hairs were examined microscopically at low magnification (4). The
characteristic morphological features of the hair root
identifying each stage of the hair cycle were recorded.
The hairs were classified as anagen or telogen, and the
telogen: anagen ratio was calculated for the group of
dogs enrolled in each season of the year.2224 The catagen stage is rarely found in the trichogram due to its
very short duration. In addition, catagen roots look
similar to ones in telogen. Therefore, the rare catagen
hairs were included in the telogen counts.24
Follow-up of hair re-growth
Ten hair shafts initially plucked for the unit area trichogram were measured from tip to root. The average hair
length was considered as the original length for the site
that was followed up after clipping (lateral thigh). The
follow-up of hair growth after clipping was conducted
as follows: the owners were called every 14 days after
the hair was clipped and asked if a thin layer of hair
was present. When this stage was reached, the owner
was requested to send to the investigator, every
2 weeks, hairs plucked from the clipped area. Owners
were taught how to pluck hairs on the day that the animals were discharged as follows: a group of hairs were
to be firmly grasped with the finger tips, then plucked
in the direction of the hair growth using a rapid movement to avoid breakage of the hair shaft. The average
length of the hair shafts from the clipped area mailed
by the owners were determined each time and compared with the average length recorded before clipping.
When the hairs from the clipped area reached the original length, one of the investigators (SD) examined the
dog to ensure that the hair coat had re-grown completely. The time required for the hair to re-grow after
clipping was recorded in weeks for each season of the
year.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
One-way analysis of variance (), was used to
compare the time required for the hair to re-grow and
the hair telogen: anagen ratio among the four seasons
of the year. Differences were considered statistically
significant at P 0.05. Analysis was carried out using
Microsoft Excel for Windows 2.0.

RESULTS
Animals
Thirty-seven Labrador retriever dogs were included in
the study. All dogs were considered to be in good
health based on unremarkable findings on physical

2004 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology, Veterinary Dermatology, 15, 25 30

Analysis of canine hair re-growth

examination, CBC and chemistry profile. Additionally,
TT4 concentrations were within the normal ranges for
our laboratory in all dogs. Eleven dogs were recruited
during the spring period (15 April to 15 May), 10 during
the summer period (15 July to 15 August), six during
the autumn period (15 October to 15 November) and
10 during the winter period (15 January to 15 February).
All dogs spent at least 90% of their time indoors.
Time required for hair re-growth
The time required for the hair to re-grow to its original
length in the 37 dogs included in the study ranged from
10 to 20 weeks (mean: 14.7; SD: 2.9). It took an average
of 14.6 weeks for the hair to re-grow in spring (range:
1218; SD: 2.3), 14.5 weeks in summer (range: 1020;
SD: 3.6), 13.6 weeks in autumn (range: 1216; SD: 1.9)
and 15.4 weeks in winter (range: 1418; SD: 1.6). No
significant seasonal impact on the time for hair regrowth to occur was noted (P = 0.12).
Telogen: anagen ratio
The mean telogen: anagen ratio was 5.2 in the spring,
6.1 in the summer, 9.5 in the autumn and 5.3 in the winter. No significant differences were found among the
seasons (P = 0.89). The percentage of hairs in telogen
was over 80% in all four seasons: 83.8% in the spring,
86.0% in the summer, 90.5% in the autumn and 84.2%
in the winter. The average number of hairs plucked
from the 4-mm-diameter area for the 37 dogs included
in the study was 132 hairs.

DISCUSSION
It has been stated that it takes 34 months for the hair
to re-grow after clipping in dogs with short coats,20 but
there has been no scientific investigation to support
this statement. The results of our study corroborate
this information, showing an average of 3.7 months for
the hair of Labrador retrievers to re-grow after clipping
in different seasons throughout the year.
Seasonal changes in hair coat have been described in
several species.1215,17,2528 The length of photoperiod
appears to be the predominant factor regulating seasonal variations in coat growth through the influence
of plasma prolactin concentrations mediated by melatonin signals from the pineal gland. In winter, when
days are short, melatonin levels in the pineal gland
increase, resulting in lower prolactin levels and the
growth of winter pelage. As the day length increases in
spring, this situation reverses, leading to a spring
shed.9,29 In addition to the dominant effect of photoperiods, ambient temperature also modulates these
seasonal changes. For example, in goats maintained
under the same photoperiod, modification of the environmental temperature either delayed the development of a summer coat, when the animals were
maintained under low temperatures, or produced a
premature molting of the winter coat when kept under
high temperatures.9

27

The mechanism of action of melatonin and prolactin

in modulating hair growth is not fully understood.
However, prolactin has been found to have an inhibitory effect on murine and Cashmere goat hair
cycle.30,31 Recent studies showing the presence of prolactin receptors on dermal papilla and outer root
sheath suggest a direct action of prolactin on hair
follicles.3032 On the other hand, the effect of melatonin
appears to be indirect through the regulation of prolactin secretion by the pituitary gland.6,8,33
Little information exists on the effect of seasonal
changes on canine hair growth. Al-Bagdadi and
collaborators15 observed a faster rate of hair growth
during the winter, corroborating findings observed in
cats.13,28 On the other hand, Butler and Wright17 and
Gunaratnam and Wilkinson18 have shown a faster hair
growth rate in summer and minimum hair follicle
activity during the winter. Similar to our study, these
investigations were conducted in regions of the world
with high latitude and marked temperature variations
among the seasons.13,15,17,18,28 However, we did not
observe significant differences in the time required for
the hair to re-grow when clipping was performed during different seasons of the year. The lack of effect of
seasonal changes in hair growth could be explained, at
least in part, to the housing conditions of our dogs.
Previous studies have been conducted with dogs
housed outside and, therefore, exposed to marked seasonal changes in temperature and photoperiod. In contrast, the dogs in our study were housed predominantly
indoors and spent 90% or more of their days inside
their houses. In this case, the total number of natural or
artificial hours of light to which the dogs were exposed
during 24 h probably did not vary substantially
throughout the year. According to the owners, the dogs
in the study were exposed to approximately 16 h of
light and 8 h of darkness. In addition, because of the
extreme temperature variation observed in the Upper
Midwest (average temperature in summer 29.2 C and
in winter minus 14.5 C) (The National Climate Data
Center. November 15, 2002; http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/
ao/ncdc.html accessed November 2002), the temperature was controlled artificially in the environments where
these dogs resided. Temperature fluctuations reported
to affect hair growth have ranged from 8 to 10 C.5,11,18
The highest variation in temperature throughout the
year inside the houses of the dogs in our study was
5.6 C and, in most of them, the environmental temperature varied by 1 to 3 C. As a result, the animals in
this study were not exposed to large seasonal variations
in ambient temperature except for brief periods when
they were let outside. Therefore, it is likely that the modest
variations in the proportion of hours of light vs. hours
of dark and the mild changes in ambient temperature
during the different seasons were not sufficient to
affect the time required for hair re-growth on the dogs
in our study. Additionally, it can be hypothesized that
local factors such as inflammatory cytokines and/or
growth regulators released at the surgical site stimulated
the hair re-growth post clipping and neutralized any

2004 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology, Veterinary Dermatology, 15, 2530

28

S. F. Diaz et al.

effect that season variations of photoperiod and/or

temperature had on the hair re-growth.
Hair growth and replacement in dogs have been
shown to occur in a mosaic pattern, with adjacent hairs
in different stages of the hair cycle at any time.16 However, this pattern can fluctuate seasonally. Two peaks of
maximum activity, one in winter and one in summer,
with a high percentage of hairs in the anagen phase,
were observed in beagle dogs.15 Seasonal variations in
the proportion of hairs in anagen and telogen have also
been described in cats,13,14 ferrets34 goats34 and humans.12
In contrast to the findings reported by Al Bagdadi and
collaborators we did not find a significant difference in
the telogen: anagen ratio among the four seasons.15,16
As mentioned before, one possible explanation for these
findings is that the dogs in the different groups were not
exposed to marked changes in daylight length or temperature throughout the year as they were housed indoors.
In this study, we observed that the majority of hairs
of the Labrador retriever dogs were in telogen, corroborating previous reports stating that Labrador retrievers have a telogen predominant hair cycle.3,35 However,
we found proportionally more hairs in telogen (at least
80%) compared to the previous investigators (approximately 50%). It is difficult to critically discuss the differences among the studies because no information
was provided on the previous reports regarding the
number of Labrador retrievers sampled, the sex of the
dogs, the area of the body and the time of the year that
samples were collected. Nevertheless, this discrepancy
can be partially explained by the use of different techniques to assess the phases of the hair cycle (histology
vs. trichogram). Another, less likely explanation, would
be an underestimation of anagen counts due to the
breakage of anagen hair shafts above the root during plucking.36 In this study, an average of 10.4%
plucked hairs had broken-off roots and these hairs
were not included in the data analysis because their
phases can not be determined for certain. Nevertheless,
even if these hairs were included in the anagen count,
the percentage of telogen hairs would not have changed
significantly.
The proportion of hairs in telogen and anagen did
not differ significantly among the seasons in our study.
However, variations among seasons would be expected
if the dogs were housed outside and exposed to the
marked differences in temperature and photoperiod
present in the climate conditions of the Midwest of the
United States.
To avoid interference of factors, other than season,
we only included neutered Labrador retrievers and the
same area of the body (lateral thigh) was clipped on all
animals. However, future research needs to be conducted to investigate if breed, sex hormones and body
location have any influence on the rate of hair regrowth post clipping which may help us better understand the pathogenesis of post clipping alopecia and
other hair re-growth disorders in dogs.
In summary, the results of our study showed that it
took an average of 14.7 weeks for the hair to re-grow

independent of the season in which the hair was

clipped in a population of Labrador retrievers housed
predominantly indoors and living in the climatic conditions of the Midwest of the United States. In addition, the telogen: anagen ratio was not significantly
different among the four seasons and the telogen phase
predominated.

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Rsum Ltude de la croissance et du cycle pilaires a t ralise avec prcision chez lhomme, le mouton et les
rongeurs de laboratoire, mais peu dtudes ont t publies chez le chien ou dautres espces de mammifres. Les
buts de cette tude taient: 1) de dterminer la dure requise pour obtenir une repousse pilaire aprs tonte 2) de
dfinir si la saison de lanne influence le temps de repousse et 3) de dterminer si la saison influence le ratio
tlogne: anagne. Onze Labrador retrievers ont t recruts pendant le printemps, 10 pendant lt, 6 pendant
lautomne et 10 pendant lhiver. Les poils ont repouss en moyenne aprs 14.6 semaines, 14.5 semaines, 13.6
semaines et 15.4 semaines pour chacune de ces saisons respectivement. Les diffrences observes ntaient pas
significatives, ce qui suggre que la saison na pas dimpact sur la pousse des poils pour les Labrador retrievers
vivant en intrieur (P = 0.12). Les valeurs moyennes du rapport tlogne/anagne taient: 5.2 (printemps), 6.1
(t), 9.5 (automne), et 5.3 (hiver). Ces diffrences ne sont pas significatives (P = 0.89). Le pourcentage de poils
en tlogne tait suprieur 80% quelle que soit la saison.
Resumen El crecimiento y sustitucin del pelo ha sido estudiado ampliamente en humanos, ovejas y roedores
de laboratorio, pero se han publicado pocos estudios sobre perros y otros mamferos. Los objetivos de este estudio
fueron: 1) determinar el tiempo necesario en el perro para que el pelo vuelva a crecer despus de ser rasurado
para ciruga; 2) definir si la estacin del ao influye sobre el tiempo requerido para volver a crecer y; 3) determinar
si la estacin puede influir el ndice telogen: anagen. Once Labrador retrievers fueron integrados en el proyecto
durante la primavera, 10 durante el verano, 6 durante el otoo y 10 durante el invierno. El pelo recobr la longitud
de antes del rasurado en 14.6 semanas, 14.5 semanas, 13.6 semanas y 15.4 semanas cuando el rasurado se realiz
en primavera, verano, otoo o invierno, respectivamente. Las diferencias en estos valores no fueron significativas,
sugiriendo que la estacin no afecta el ritmo de recrecimiento del pelo en Labrador retrievers que viven dentro
de casa (P = 0.12). Los valores medios del ndice telogen: anagen en cada estacin fueron: 5.2 (primavera), 6.1
(verano), 9.5 (otoo), y 5.3 (invierno). Las diferencias en estos valores tampoco fueron significativas (P = 0.89).
El porcentaje de pelos en telogen se encontraba por encima del 80% en las cuatro estaciones.
Zusammenfassung Haarwachstum und wechsel sind bei Menschen, Schafen und Labornagetieren intensiv
untersucht worden, bei Hunden und anderen Sugetierarten jedoch sind nur wenige Studien verffentlicht
2004 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology, Veterinary Dermatology, 15, 2530

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S. F. Diaz et al.
worden. Ziel dieser Studie ist es: 1.) zu bestimmen, wie viel Zeit fr das Nachwachsen von Haare nach Scheren
fr einen operativen Eingriff notwendig ist, 2.) zu ergrnden, ob die Jahreszeit den Zeitraum, der fr das Nachwachsen ntig ist, beeinflusst, 3.) zu bestimmen, ob die Jahreszeit das telogen:anagen-Verhltnis beeinflussen
kann. Elf Labrador-Retriever wurden whrend des Frhlings, 10 whrend des Sommers, 6 im Herbst und 10 im
Winter rekrutiert. Haare wuchsen wieder nach 14,6 Wochen, 14,5 Wochen, 13,6 Wochen und 15,4 Wochen, nachdem sie im Frhling, Sommer, Herbst beziehungsweise Winter geschoren wurden. Die Unterschiede bei diesen
Werten waren nicht signifikant, was ein Hinweis darauf ist, dass die Jahreszeit keinen Einfluss auf die Rate des
Nachwachsens bei Labrador-Retrievern, die im Haus gehalten werden, hat (P = 0.12). Die Durchschnittswerte
fr das telogen:anagen-Verhltnis in den einzelnen Jahreszeiten waren: 5.2 (Frhling), 6.1 (Sommer), 9.5
(Herbst), und 5.3 (Winter). Die Unterschiede bei diesen Werten waren nicht signifikant (P = 0.89). Der Anteil
der telogenen Haare war in allen vier Jahreszeiten ber 80%.

2004 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology, Veterinary Dermatology, 15, 25 30