You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

If your pet ever goes into your veterinary practice for an operation you may notice that one or more of it's legs has had a patch of hair clipped off it. 

There are several reasons why your veterinarian may clip some hair off one (or occasionally more than one) of your pet's legs.

The most frequent reason is so that the skin can be cleaned and prepared for an intravenous injection. Clipping the hair makes the blood vessel easier to see and feel, as well as allowing proper cleaning of the skin.

Many of the drugs used to induce anaesthesia are given by intravenous injection - and most often this is into the cephalic vein which runs down the front of the  foreleg.  This vein is also commonly used for the administration of other substances - including fluid therapy.

The hair grows back eventually - usually over an 8-12 week period, but this does vary depending upon the stage of growth that your pet's coat is in. Just occasionally the hair will grow back in a different colour to the surrounding hair. This looks a bit unsightly but it is of no clinical importance to your pet.

Very occasionally, the hair does not grow back soon after clipping. This is called "post-clipping alopecia" and has been reported to occur most frequently in certain breeds including Alaskan Malamutes, Chow Chows, Keeshonds, Samoyeds and Siberian Huskies. Fortunately the hair growth usually starts again after 6-12 months.

Updated October 2013