Sudden coat thickening and growing

Hello everyone,

I have a 5 1/2 year old basset. He has always had what the vet called a double coat in some areas. I could never SEE his double coat but he does shed a lot more than his brother, that is the only thing we have noticed through out the years.

In the last few weeks (4-5 weeks) we have noticed that his coat around the neck, on the base of his tail, a little on his back legs and his tail have thicken and grow SO much. I would say his tail is almost twice the diameter it used to be and it’s all hair. Some of the hair has even started to curl up a little. When I pet him around his neck it feels like a different dog.

I was wondering if this, or something similar, has ever happened to anyone?