Veterinary Dermatology 2006, 17, 45 50

The impact of body site, topical melatonin and brushing on hair

regrowth after clipping normal Siberian Husky dogs

Blackwell Publishing Ltd

SANDRA F. DIAZ, SHEILA M. F. TORRES, SANDRA A. F. NOGUEIRA,

SOPHIE GILBERT and CARL R. JESSEN
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Paul,
MN, USA
(Received 9 January 2005; accepted 18 November 2005)

Abstract The aims of this study were to determine the impact of body site, vigorous brushing and topical melatonin treatment on hair regrowth after clipping normal dogs. Siberian Husky dogs were randomly assigned to
three groups of eight dogs each. All dogs had the lumbosacral region and both lateral thighs clipped. The left
thigh and lumbosacral area received no treatment and were compared in all 24 dogs. Eight dogs had the right
thigh treated with 0.1% melatonin twice daily for 2 months, and hair regrowth was compared with the left thigh.
Eight dogs had the right thigh brushed twice daily for 2 months, and hair regrowth was compared with the left
thigh. Eight dogs had neither thigh treated. Hairs were plucked before and 2 months postclipping, and the proportion of hair growth from the original length was calculated and compared as described above. Biopsy samples
were collected before and after treatment to determine if brushing induced dermal inflammation and melatonin
increased the proportion of anagen follicles. Proportionally, left thigh hairs were significantly longer compared
to lumbosacral hairs 2 months postclipping. No significant differences in hair regrowth were noted between the
nontreated thigh and the thigh treated with melatonin or brushed. No significant difference in dermal inflammation was noted before and after brushing. No significant differences were observed in the proportion of anagen
follicles before and after topical melatonin treatment. Our results showed that the hairs in the lumbosacral region
were proportionally shorter than lateral thigh hairs 2 months postclipping. Moreover, topical melatonin and
brushing had no impact on hair regrowth after clipping normal dogs.

IN TRO D U CT I ON
The delay in hair regrowth after clipping is a wellrecognized but a poorly understood condition that worries
many pet owners who take pride in their pets coat. Concerned owners frequently ask veterinarians how they can
help accelerate hair regrowth. Few studies have evaluated
factors that influence canine hair growth and those that
exist are uncontrolled and include few dogs.14
Hair growth is controlled by complex interactions
between endogenous and exogenous influences.57 It
has often been observed that hairs on the lumbosacral
region grow more slowly than hairs on the lateral thigh
when both areas are clipped for hip surgery. Troncy
et al. noticed while investigating two epidural anaesthesia protocols that 11% of the dogs included in the
study experienced a delay in hair regrowth on the lumbosacral region after clipping.8 Preliminary data from
a study conducted in Greece indicated that neither
epidural anaesthesia nor scrubbing or clipping seems
to affect hair regrowth in this area.9 These results seem
to confirm the frequent anecdotal finding that body
region has an impact on hair regrowth postclipping.
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, Saint
Paul, MN 55108, USA. E-mail: torre009@umn.edu

Skin histopathology of dogs that experience delay in

hair regrowth postclipping shows hair follicle arrest.10
An interesting and frequently observed finding in these
cases is the regrowth of tufts of hairs at the biopsy site
a few weeks after the procedure.10 This has also been
reported in follicular arrest associated with endocrine
alopecia, suggesting that local inflammation stimulates
hair regrowth.11,12 However, to our knowledge, no
controlled studies have been conducted to determine
whether induced skin inflammation stimulates hair
regrowth postclipping.
Melatonin is thought to play either a direct or an indirect role in the neuroendocrine control of moulting and
hair growth in mammals.1315 In dogs, oral melatonin
has been used to treat various forms of alopecia, such as
recurrent flank alopecia, pattern baldness and alopeciaX of the Nordic breeds, with variable success.16 19
Researchers have investigated the therapeutic use of
melatonin in humans as well. In a recent study performed in women with either androgenic or diffuse
alopecia, topically applied 0.1% melatonin led to a
significant increase in anagen hair rate when compared
with placebo.20 It is tempting to investigate the impact
of topical melatonin on hair regrowth in dogs with
postclipping follicular arrest. Topical application of
melatonin has been shown to limit the drug effect to
treated areas, thus allowing higher concentrations at
the treated sites, which may increase the chances of

2006 The Authors. Journal compilation 2006 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology

45

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SF Diaz et al.

success.20 Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the impact of body site, vigorous brushing and
topical melatonin treatment on hair regrowth after
clipping the hair coat of healthy Siberian Husky dogs.

M ATERIALS AND ME T HODS

Study population
Privately owned intact male Siberian Husky sled dogs
were considered for inclusion in the study. This group of
dogs was deliberately chosen because the dogs were of the
same breed and gender, kept in the same environmental
conditions and fed the same diet for the duration of the
study, which was conducted during a single season (July
and August 2004). Therefore, we were able to control
for factors that could potentially influence hair regrowth,
such as breed, gender, temperature, day light, diet and
season.7 Inclusion criteria were the lack of systemic or
dermatological diseases as evaluated by complete history
and thorough physical examinations. Blood was drawn
from all dogs prior to the beginning of the study and
submitted for serum total thyroxine concentrations. Dogs
were excluded from the study if serum total thyroxine
concentrations were below the normal reference range
for the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University
of Minnesota and if they were receiving medications
that could affect hair growth (e.g. progestins, oestrogen,
androgens, melatonin, glucocorticoids and -thyroxine).
The study was approved and overseen by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the University
of Minnesota.

of the neutroceutical 0.1% melatonin in alcohol (99.1%

bulk melatonin powder Village Drug, Northfield, MN,
USA),20 and the left lateral thigh served as control.
Based on a pilot study, the amount of solution necessary
to cover the clipped area was determined to be approximately 0.5 mL. A spray bottle capable of delivering
0.1 mL per pump was used to apply the melatonin
solution; therefore, five pumps of melatonin solution
were applied to the clipped area on the right thigh twice
daily for 2 months. As with group 2, hair regrowth
between the right and left thighs and between the
lumbosacral area and the left thigh was compared.

Follow-up of hair regrowth

Before clipping, hairs representing each of the three
clipped sites were plucked by one of the investigators
(SD), with the necessary caution to preserve the hair
structure. Before measuring, the hairs were scrutinized
under the microscope to assure that the hair shafts
were intact and straight. From this hair pool, 10
primary and 10 secondary hair shafts were mounted in
a microscope slide using a 10-mm wide, double-sided
adhesive tape and measured in centimetres from tip to
root with a ruler. The average length of primary and
secondary hairs was considered as representative of the
sites that were followed up postclipping (lumbosacral
area, and right and left lateral thighs). At the end of the
study, one of the investigators (SD) plucked hairs from
the clipped areas of all 24 dogs. The proportion of hair
growth from the original length for each clipped area
was calculated and compared as described previously
for each group.

Groups and procedures

Biopsy collection

Twenty-four dogs met the inclusion criteria and were

randomly assigned to three groups of eight dogs each.
All dogs in each group had an area of 6 8 cm clipped
on the lumbosacral region and both lateral thighs. The
areas clipped were marked on the dogs skin with a permanent marker through a template containing a 6 8 cm
precision-drilled rectangle. The left lateral thigh and the
lumbosacral area were not treated in any of the 24 dogs.

Two skin biopsy samples were collected from the right

lateral thigh from all dogs in groups 2 and 3. One sample
was collected before and one after the last treatment
to determine whether any dermal inflammation was
induced by brushing (group 2) and whether melatonin
application influenced the hair cycle phases (group 3).
Before treatment, the biopsy sample was collected from
an area adjacent to the clipped site to avoid inflammation induced by the biopsy procedure influencing hair
regrowth of the treated area. After the last treatment,
the biopsy was collected from the treated site. Samples
were collected with a 6-mm punch biopsy instrument
using subcutaneous 2% lidocaine. For group 2, the
samples were sectioned longitudinally to assess dermal
inflammation. Samples from group 3 were transversally
sectioned for morphometric assessment of hair cycle
phases. Skin biopsy samples were routinely processed
for histopathology and stained with haemotoxylin and
eosin stain (H&E).

Group 1. No treatment was administered to the dogs in

this group. Hair regrowth of lumbosacral area was
compared to that of left thigh. The right thigh served
as control for the left thigh.
Group 2. All eight dogs had the clipped area on the
right lateral thigh vigorously brushed twice daily for
30 s using a rubber brush (Zoom /Groom, Kong
Company, Golden, CO, USA) for the 2-month study
duration. Based on a pilot study, the brushing period
was shown to induce the desired mild skin irritation.
The left lateral thigh served as control. Hair regrowth
between the right and left thighs and between the
lumbosacral area and the left thigh was compared.
Group 3. All eight dogs had the clipped area on the
right lateral thigh treated with a compounded solution

Histopathology
To assess the degree of dermal inflammation in group
2, all inflammatory cells present within the dermis of
the whole tissue section were counted at 40 magnification. In fields containing glands and hair follicles, only
intervening dermal regions were counted. Intravascular

2006 The Authors. Journal compilation 2006 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology

Body site, melatonin and brushing effect on hair regrowth

and fibroblastic cells were excluded from the count.
The degree of inflammation was classified as 0 absent;
1 low (< 10 inflammatory cells/section); 2 medium
(1050 inflammatory cells/section); or 3 high (> 50
inflammatory cells/section). The investigator performing the counting (SD) was blind, regarding whether
the histopathological section referred to before or after
brushing.
Morphometric assessment of hair follicle cycle phases
in group 3 was performed in transversally sectioned
skin biopsies as previously described.21,22 Briefly, 4050
transversal sections per biopsy sample were initially
reviewed to select follicular units showing sebaceous
glands and arrector pili muscle. The presence of these
structures indicated that the hair follicles were sectioned
at the mid-isthmus level, which allowed the determination of the hair follicle phases.23 A follicular unit was
defined as a group of three compound follicles.21,23
Anagen and telogen hair follicles were counted in five
follicular units per biopsy sample.21 The investigator
performing the counting (SD) was blind, regarding
whether the histopathological section referred to before
or after melatonin treatment.

Statistical analysis
Paired Students t-test was used to compare the proportion of hair regrowth postclipping between the lumbosacral area and the left lateral thigh on all 24 dogs.
Paired Students t-tests was also used to compare the
proportion of hair regrowth between the brushed thigh
(right) and the control thigh (left) in group 2, and
between the melatonin-treated thigh (right) and the
control thigh (left) in group 3. Wilcoxon signed ranks
test was used to compare the score given to dermal
inflammation before and after brushing the right leg of
the eight dogs in group 2 and to compare the proportion
of anagen follicles before and after melatonin treatment
of the eight dogs in group 3. A value of P < 0.05 was
considered significant. All analyses were preformed
using (SAS Institute,
Cary, NC, USA).

RESU LTS
The average length of primary hairs before and 2 months
after clipping the lumbosacral area was 5.70 and
2.95 cm, and the left lateral thigh was 3.30 and 2.10 cm,
respectively. The average length of secondary hairs
before and 2 months after clipping the lumbosacral
area was 4.40 and 2.79 cm, and the left lateral thigh was
2.80 and 2.03 cm, respectively. Proportionally, primary
(P = 0.002) and secondary (P = 0.026) hairs were significantly longer on the left lateral thigh compared to
the lumbosacral region 2 months postclipping (Fig. 1).
The average length of primary hairs before and 2
months after clipping and brushing the right thigh was
3.50 and 2.35 cm, and after only clipping, the left thigh
was 3.50 and 2.38 cm, respectively. The average length
of secondary hairs before and 2 months after clipping

47

Figure 1. Average percentage of hair regrowth 2 months after

clipping the lumbosacral area and left lateral thigh of 24 normal
Siberian Husky dogs. Primary and secondary hairs were evaluated.
LSP = lumbosacral area, primary hairs; LTP = left thigh, primary
hairs; LSS = lumbosacral area, secondary hairs; LTS = left thigh,
secondary hairs. *Significantly (P = 0.002) different from LTP.
Significantly (0.026) different from LTS.

Figure 2. Average percentage of hair regrowth after 2 months of

clipping the left and right lateral thighs of eight normal Siberian
Husky dogs. The right lateral thigh was also brushed twice daily for
the 2-month period. Primary and secondary hairs were evaluated.
RTP = right thigh, primary hairs; LTP = left thigh, primary hairs;
RTS = right thigh, secondary hairs; LTS = left thigh, secondary
hairs. No significant difference was found between RTP and LTP
(P = 0.84) or between RTS and LTS (P = 0.40).

and brushing the right thigh was 3.20 and 2.46 cm,
and after only clipping, the left thigh was 3.10 and
2.21 cm, respectively. No significant difference was
found in the proportion of primary (P = 0.84) or
secondary (P = 0.40) hair regrowth when the brushed
thigh (right thigh) was compared with the control thigh
(Fig. 2).
The average length of primary hairs before and
2 months after clipping and treating the right thigh
with melatonin was 3.80 and 2.15 cm, and after only
clipping, the left thigh was 3.8 and 2.09 cm, respectively. The average length of secondary hairs before and
2 months after clipping and treating the right thigh
with melatonin was 3.00 and 2.36 cm, and after only
clipping, the left thigh was 3.10 and 2.26 cm, respectively. No significant difference in the proportion of
primary (P = 0.52) or secondary (P = 0.15) hair regrowth
was seen when comparing the melatonin-treated thigh
(right thigh) with the control thigh (Fig. 3).
Before brushing in group 2, the degree of dermal
inflammation was low in one dog and medium in seven
dogs. Two months after twice-daily brushing, the degree
of dermal inflammation was low in one dog and medium
in six dogs. These differences were not significant (P =
1.00). Dermal inflammation could not be assessed in
one dog postbrushing because of poor tissue processing. In group 3, no significant differences were observed

2006 The Authors. Journal compilation 2006 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology

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SF Diaz et al.

Figure 3. Average percentage of hair regrowth after 2 months of

clipping the left and right lateral thighs of eight normal Siberian
Husky dogs. The right lateral thigh was also treated twice daily with
0.1% melatonin solution for the 2-month period. Primary and
secondary hairs were evaluated. RTP = right thigh, primary hairs;
LTP = left thigh, primary hairs; RTS = right thigh, secondary hairs;
LTS = left thigh, secondary hairs. No significant difference was
found between RTP and LTP (P = 0.52) or between RTS and
LTS (P = 0.15).

in the average proportion of anagen follicles before

(50.3%) and after (58.8%) 2 months of topical melatonin
treatment (P = 0.67).

DISCU SSIO N
In this study, the hairs on the lumbosacral region were
proportionally shorter than on the lateral thigh at
2 months after clipping normal Siberian Husky dogs.
Moreover, brushing and topical melatonin had no
impact on hair regrowth postclipping.
Hair growth is a very complex phenomenon influenced by many endogenous and exogenous factors.
Endogenous factors include cytokines and growth
regulators. Important exogenous factors include photoperiod and temperature.57 These environmentally
related factors influence the secretion of melatonin
and prolactin, which in turn control the annual cyclical
activity seen in hair follicles.14 Although hair growth
and replacement have been studied in detail in humans,
sheep and laboratory rodents, very few studies have
been published for dogs and cats.14
Linear measurements of the hair shaft have been
performed to assess hair growth.15,24 Using this method,
we found that the hair length on the lumbosacral area
at 2 months postclipping was proportionally shorter
than that on the lateral thigh. In 1983, Gunaratnam
and Wilkinson performed a study in cross-bred male
dogs and showed that different body sites have different rates of hair growth.3 When comparing three body
sites (forehead, shoulder and flank), they found that
those hairs in which the final length was greater grew
faster.3 This would indicate that the speed of hair
growth was related to the final length in each particular
site. In this study, the rate of hair growth was not investigated, making a direct comparison with Gunaratnam
and Wilkinsons findings difficult. The average hair
length of primary hairs before clipping the dogs was
5.7 cm on the lumbosacral area and 3.3 cm on the
lateral thigh. Therefore, if the hair growth rate is truly
faster in body sites with longer hair shafts, it is reasonable to expect that the hair length on the lumbosacral

region should have been proportionally longer than,

or at least comparable to, the lateral thigh at 2 months
postclipping. However, the findings of the present
study did not confirm it, indicating that factors other
than hair length may dictate the rate of hair regrowth
in at least some body sites.
Although the factors influencing hair follicle cycling
and hair growth are not completely understood, increase
in blood supply seems to be important in initiating
anagen.5,7 Angiogenesis and increased skin perfusion
have been observed in association with active hair
growth in mice and rabbits.25 Consistent with this, hair
loss has been observed in people in areas affected by
occlusive arterial disease.26 In dogs, decreased perfusion
secondary to localized vasoconstriction in shaved skin
sites has been proposed as the pathomechanism of
follicular arrest during postclipping alopecia.10
Topical sensitizers have been used in humans to
induce dermal inflammation and hair growth with
variable degrees of success in patients with alopecia
areata, alopecia totalis and alopecia universalis.27 In
dogs, anecdotal evidence exists that hair regrowth can
be induced at the sites of skin biopsy9 after vigorous
brushing, or where there is severe skin irritation, suggesting that induced inflammation also stimulates hair
regrowth in this species.10,12 In this study, vigorous
brushing performed twice daily for 30 s each time
did not influence hair regrowth on the lateral thigh.
The irritation caused by brushing did not induce sufficient dermal inflammation and may have not been
enough to cause stimulation of the hair follicles. In
people treated with topical sensitizers for alopecia
totalis and universalis, an active dermatitis characterized
by erythema and scaling was required to induce hair
growth.26 Future studies investigating a different brushing protocol or other modes to induce skin irritation
are warranted.
In a recent study, topically applied melatonin was
shown to promote hair growth by increasing the anagen
rate in women with androgenic alopecia or diffuse
alopecia.20 In this study, melatonin applied topically
twice a day did not induce anagen, as determined by
morphometric analysis of cross-sectioned hair follicles.
Siberian Husky dogs with no hair coat abnormalities
were intentionally included, but it is possible that
abnormalities in the hair follicle cycle are necessary for
melatonin to be effective. It was observed that as the
hair started to regrow, it became difficult for the melatonin solution to reach the skin, and it is possible that
this prevented the melatonin solution from being
absorbed. Alternately, the concentration and frequency
of administration and/or the vehicle used may not have
allowed the adequate absorption of melatonin. The
concentrations of melatonin in the skin or blood were
not assessed in this study to test these hypotheses.
In conclusion, the results of this study showed that
in normal Siberian Husky dogs, the hairs on the lumbosacral region were proportionally shorter than on
the lateral thigh at 2 months postclipping. These findings indicate that it takes longer for the hair to regrow

2006 The Authors. Journal compilation 2006 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology

Body site, melatonin and brushing effect on hair regrowth

to its full length on the lumbosacral area, supporting
anecdotal reports. However, future studies are needed
to substantiate our findings and to explain the differences
in hair regrowth according to body sites. Additionally,
our study could not demonstrate that induction of
dermal inflammation stimulates hair regrowth because
the brushing protocol used was not adequate to cause
significant dermal inflammation. Finally, topical melatonin at the concentration and frequency used in this
study did not increase the numbers of anagen follicles
in healthy Siberian Husky dogs as others have observed
in women with alopecia. Future studies need to be
conducted to determine if topical melatonin increases
anagen rate in dogs with various types of alopecia.

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SF Diaz et al.
Rsum Les buts de cette tude taient de dterminer linfluence de la zone cutane, dun borssage vigoureux
et de lapplication topique de mlatonine sur la repousse pilaire chez les chiens normaux aprs tonte. Des Siberian
husky ont t regroups au hasard en trois groupes de huit chiens. Tous les chiens ont t tondus sur la zone dorsolombaire et sur la face postrieure des cuisses. La cuisse gauche et la zone dorsolombaire nont pas reu de
traitement, et ont t compares chez les 24 chiens. Huit chiens ont eu la cuisse droite traite par lapplication
biquotidienne de 0.1% melatonine pendant deux mois et la repousse a t compare avec lautre cuisse. Huit chiens
nont pas eu de traitement sur les cuisses. Huit chiens ont eu la cuisse droite brosse deux fois par jour pendant
deux mois.
Les poils taient pils avant et deux mois aprs la tonte et la proportion de pousse pilaire a t calcule. Des
biopsies cutanes ont t ralises avant et aprs le traitement pour dterminer si le brossage provoquait une
inflammation et si la mlatonine provoquait une augmentation des poils en anagne. Proportionnellement, les
poils de la cuisse gauche taient significativement plus longs compars aux poils de la zone dorso-lombaire deux
mois aprs la tonte. Aucune diffrence significative na t observe entre les cuisses non traites et les cuisses
brosses ou traites par la mlatonine. Aucune diffrence significative na t observe pour le nombre de poils
en phase anagne. Nos rsultats montrent que les poils de la zone lombo-sacre sont proportionnellement plus
petits que ceux des cuisses deux mois aprs tonte. En outre, la mlatonine ou le brossage ninfluencent pas la
repousse pilaire chez les chiens normaux.
Resumen El propsito de este estudio fue determinar el impacto de la localizacin corporal, el cepillado
vigoroso y la aplicacin de melatonina tpica en el crecimiento del pelo tras rasurado en perros normales. Perros
Huskies Siberianos se asignaron de forma aleatoria en tres grupos de ocho perros cada uno. Todos los perros
fueron rasurados en la regin lumbosacra y el lateral de los muslos. El muslo izquierdo y la zona lumbosacra no
recibieron tratamiento y se compararon en los 24 perros. Ocho perros recibieron tratamiento con 0.1% de
melatonina dos veces al da durante dos meses en el muslo derecho, y el crecimiento del pelo se compar con el
del muslo izquierdo. Ocho perros fueron cepillados dos veces al da durante dos meses en el muslo derecho, y el
crecimiento del pelo se comparo con el lado izquierdo. Ocho perros no recibieron ningn tratamiento. Algunos
pelos fueron arrancados antes del rasurado y dos meses despus del mismo, y la proporcin de crecimiento del
pelo respecto la longitud original se calcul y compar tal y como se ha descrito. Se tomaron biopsias antes y
tras el tratamiento para determinar si el cepillado produca inflamacin drmica y si la melatonina incrementaba
la proporcin de pelos en fase anagnica. Proporcionalmente, los pelos del lado izquierdo fueron significativamente ms largos que los de la regin lumbosacra dos meses tras el rasurado. No hubo diferencia significativa
entre los laterales de las extremidades tratados con melatonina o cepillado y los no tratados. No se observ una
diferencia significativa en la proporcin de pelos en fase anagnica antes y tras el tratamiento con melatonina
tpica. Nuestros resultados demuestran que los pelos de la regin lumbosacra son proporcionalmente mas cortos
que los de los muslos dos meses tras el rasurado. Y lo que es mas, el tratamiento con melatonina topica y el cepillado no influyeron en el crecimiento del pelo tras el rasurado en perros normales.
Zusammenfassung Die Ziele dieser Studie waren es, die Auswirkung der Krperregion, sowie von krftigem
Brsten und topischer Behandlung mit Melatonin auf das Nachwachsen der Haare nach dem Scheren von normalen Hunden zu eruieren. Sibirische Huskies wurden zufllig in drei Gruppen von je acht Hunden eingeteilt.
Bei allen Hunden wurde die Lumbosakralregion und die beiden lateralen Oberschenkel geschoren. Der linke
Oberschenkel- und die Lumbosakralregion wurden nicht behandelt und bei allen 24 Hunden verglichen. Bei acht
Hunden wurde der rechte Oberschenkel mit 0.1% Melatonin zwei Monate lang zweimal tglich behandelt und
das Nachwachsen der Haare verglichen mit dem des linken Oberschenkels. Bei acht Hunden wurde der rechte
Oberschenkel zwei Monate lang zweimal tglich gebrstet und das Nachwachsen der Haare verglichen mit dem
des linken Oberschenkels. Bei acht Hunden wurde weder der eine noch der andere Oberschenkel behandelt.
Vor und zwei Monate nach dem Scheren wurden Haare ausgezupft, die Proportion des Haarwuchses von der
Originallnge kalkuliert und verglichen wie oben beschrieben. Biopsieproben wurden vor und nach der Behandlung entnommen, um festzustellen, ob das Brsten eine dermale Entzndung verursachte und ob Melatonin
den Anteil an anagenen Haarfollikeln steigerte. Zwei Monate nach dem Scheren waren die Haare des linken
Oberschenkels im Verhltnis signifikant lnger im Vergleich zu den lumbosakralen Haaren. Kein signifikanter
Unterschied beim Nachwachsen der Haare wurde zwischen den nicht behandelten und den mit Melatonin behandelten oder gebrsteten Oberschenkeln gefunden. Es bestand kein signifikanter Unterschied bei der dermalen
Entzndung vor und nach dem Brsten. Keine signifikanten Unterschiede wurden beim Anteil an anagenen
Haarfollikeln vor und nach der topischen Behandlung mit Melatonin beobachtet. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigten,
dass die Haare in der Lumbosakralregion zwei Monate nach dem Scheren verhltnismssig krzer waren als die
Haare der lateralen Oberschenkel. Auerdem hatte weder die topische Melatoninbehandlung noch das Brsten
einen Einfluss auf das Nachwachsen der Haare nach dem Scheren normaler Hunde.

2006 The Authors. Journal compilation 2006 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology