Hey, just wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar. My awesome 5 year old Axl, has been 'blowing his coat' since early November. He did this 2 years ago at the same time of year so I am not alarmed but I've noticed that the new fur seems to be growing in much darker - like 2 shades or so. Is this normal and could it be related to him not getting as much exposure to the sun? Also, we have recently switched over to Blue Buffalo Wild grain free dry food along with the BB wet food he has always eaten. He had a thyroid panel done the first time he blew his coat 2 years ago when he was 3 and it came back perfectly normal.

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Axl doing what he was BORN to do...

I would celebrate it myself but I love red headed Goldens!

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I do what I like and like what I do. Yorkies- Cozy (4/1/06), Roxy & Zoey (2/11/08), Lucy (4/6/09); Golden- Buddy (4/13/09- Rescued 12/11) Maine Coon cats- Mika (1998) and Tallulah (2000)

It makes no difference to me what color my best bud is. I just want to be assured that it is not indicative of any health issue. I will be taking him to see the vet tomorrow.

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Axl doing what he was BORN to do...

Lola is a beautiful redhead! In different lights she looks lighter and others darker.... love those redheads!

I know that my golden's coat changed colour through the years in ways that I did not expect. She has a pale belly with a ginger back. Now she is 12 so I do not think that it is a health issue.
Our own hair slightly lightens up in the sun so the sun could be a factor.

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Thanks for the responses guys. I just want to be hyper vigilant in keeping an eye out for potential issues. Axl seems to be in peak physical condition (judging by the way he performs when we are doing the disc thing) after having just turned 5 on 12/16. It's just that I worry because unfortunately, sometimes you hear such horror stories of GR's going from seemingly 100% health to death's door in a very brief period of time.

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Axl doing what he was BORN to do...

I was the same I was very concerned when she hit 6 and her face turned white. I was convinced that it was a sign that we were going to lose her sooner rather than later. That was 6 years ago. He he.

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Boots color got richer red when he was about four or five, it happened so gradually over the year I barely noticed till I compared pictures. Sparkles started to get her sugar face when she turned three very early. Sometimes they just change as long as they have no other concerns I just roll with them.

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Boots, Sparkles and Tink Bridge dogs, Tuffy, Blueboy, Pudge, Maddie, Broker, Jet, Baily, and Reva

Our first golden was a redhead and he too would get darker every spring when he blew his coat. His coat was not thick so the new darker hairs showed up very strongly and for a few months he looked totally dark deep red, but as the year wained his face would lighten. He too started his sugar face about 6 yrs but the rest of his coat each spring would come in dark red. He lived to be 14 yrs. Our other goldens were more of a blonde and didn't notice near as much.

I think it is normal, but if it is time for his check-up I would speak to your Vet about it. Might be a good thing to have a blood panel run to check his thyroid and make sure everything is good. I believe panels are good each year just to have a base line to know what is normal for each dog.

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It's weird because Axl was beginning to get a touch of 'sugar face' last summer and now after his his 'coat blowing event' that seems to be completely gone and replaced with darker reddish fur. He was never blessed with a luxuriant coat like some of his golden brethren (including his 'little' brother) but these days if you look quickly, he could almost be mistaken for a dark colored yellow Lab. I have often wondered why he seems to do this only every other year and in late fall/early winter considering that the weather in New York can be very cold. In any case, he doesn't seem to mind and he actually seems to radiate heat when he snuggles up with me. Perhaps he feels like he's more aerodynamic when he's sprinting full out in pursuit of his discs. He does seem to be unusually fast for a golden and just the other day he easily out ran a very fit Lab half his age.

Below is a pic taken yesterday of Axl and his brother Angus who will be 8 months old on Jan 1. He already weighs exactly the same as Axl, 77 lbs and is massively boned.

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Axl doing what he was BORN to do...