Dogster

Help with my Bichon

Sweet Lyla

Barked: Tue Apr 29, '08 5:56am PST


	Hi I am new to this group and I am in need of some advice from fellow Bichon Lovers. I have a 21 week old purebreed Bichon Frise. I recently started noticing rapid spots of gray showing up on her skin. She has them around her anus and private area, some on her legs and belly, also on her ears and hind spot. I took her to the vet to make sure it was nothing serious like a skin infection and they informed me that it is normal color pigment and told me it will be there forever. I was on the understanding that bichon's dont have spots? Can someone please help me solve this mystery! Thank you

What can I get- into today?

Barked: Sat Aug 2, '08 4:23pm PST


	Hi, I just joined, did you find out what this was? Halfpint is 2 and never had that. He has red place's where he likes to itch alot, but doctor said that was normal. Good luck and let us know.

"Don't bite the- hand that feeds- you."

Barked: Wed Aug 13, '08 2:32pm PST


	Hello, Bichons have naturally thick coats around their heads,back, and hindquarters. You may be suprised to find out that your dog probably has these spots everywhere.

You can never be- too cute!

Barked: Fri Nov 21, '08 6:33am PST


	Hi! We're new to Dogster. I had the same concerns as you, but after doing alot of asking around and reading up, I found out that this is pretty common. Even in purebreds, there will be some pigment that comes through and it gets darker as they age. Buttons is 4 and I started noticing it when she was about 1 1/2 . It doesn't matter unless you want to show her, that's where every little detail matters. One show person pointed out that because Buttons paws pads were not completely black, that would be something a judge would rule against. We had no plans of showing her, so none of that mattered to us. We keep her groomed in a "puppy or teddy bear" cut. Which is about an inch on her body, but longer on her head. The longer the fur gets, the less noticable her spots are. We just think of it as how some people have freckles, and some don't! -Cheryl

Agility Diva!

Barked: Tue Dec 23, '08 4:00pm PST


	Hi! I'm new here, but not new to bichons. Those spots are called "cow spots". They are on most well bred bichons! They are an indicator of good breeding. Your bichon's thick, fluffy hair will hide them unless you cut it very short. Some bichons have gray or apricot colored hair where some of those spots are. My Mattie has pure white hair, but has cow spots all over her body! She also has black eye "halos", the dark rim around the eyes. It makes her eyes look huge. My Sassy, who is 7 months has the darker skin (the color of the cow spots) over most of her body. She is not pure white and has apricot ears and a few very light apricot spots on her back. She has pink/white halos around her eyes. As you learn more about your bichon, you will find that there is a special language attached to specifics about them, just as there is with any breed. A good forum to help you learn a lot more is: http://bichon.ca/forum/index.php There are a lot of very knowledgeable and helpful bichon owners on this forum (not connected with Dogster). Enjoy your bichon. You have picked the best breed in the whole world! MaryEllen