What causes the tiny white hairs on blacks and chocolate coats? Not chest. other places.

TIA

Is it just in one place or spread out all over?

all over

zinc deficiency

Read in "Reaching for the Stars" about hailstone markings.

What is "Reaching for the stars"? Can't find.

Do a search on Amazon.com, it's by Mary Roslin Williams. GREAT book.

Is this an adult or youngster?

This first can be caused by scarring of course. If it is a few isolated hairs I may suspect that.

It can be caused by normal aging.

Now, I did have an entire litter where all the chocolates looked like someone shook salt on them. This appeared at about 12-16 weeks. Oh, the scandal it caused! Imagine my poor pup owners. Some were worse than others. A couple owners bought HAIR DYE............I told them to wait it out......... we all waited and when they blew puppy coat everything was normal. 3 of those went on to produce puppies and it did not appear. I do have a great-grandbaby of one of those dogs that is exhibiting the same phenomenon in a mild form.

The info I got is that it is a natural occurance for puppies in some lines and happens in all 3 colors occassionally, resolved by 12 months of age. I got this info from breeders of chocolates for an avg. 40 years, some of them have left us.

If you find the cure please tell ME, my hairdresser says "I am simply maturing!!!" I would love to pop a pill and make them go AWAY!!

My hairdresser did find the cure... it's liquid, mixed together, and comes in a bottle

LOL

I have had Labs and Nflds go through the "grey syndrome" I called it.
I had two litters out of the same lines (repeat breed) where, at I'd say 7 months of age, they started to grow in salt and pepper. Can't be the food since I did keep one and the rest were sold as pets. Only a few in each litter turned salt and pepper. When they shed that puppy coat, they grew the normal black coat.
Funny but I have never had it since so it had to be that certain gene pool.
The Nfld litter did the same thing, and I kept two pups that went completely grey then coats shed to bring in that normal shiny black coat.
Mystery that I never solved.