Rickiesmom Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Hair is coming out in small clumps on the left side of Rickie's chest. There is an irregular bald patch about two inches wide and 5 inches long that is gradually increasing in size. He has to go in for punch biopsies for a couple of unrelated and not close bumps on Monday and the vet will likely biopsy this area too (have asked them to do a skin scraping and look at that first). Given the time proximity and the fact this is happening on the same side as the infection he had some weeks ago, it seems to me this is somehow related to the infection, but my vet is not convinced given the distance between chest and foot. My questions are: - has anyone had fur just start to drop like this (ignoring the usual butt baldness) and if so, what was the cause, and - has anyone had something like this happen following an aggressive infection. Thank you for your thoughts and experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 I hope you get to the bottom of it Mary, I hate hearing anything is wrong with Rickie. This may be totally unrelated but Wayne has a ton of bald spots this summer due to his allergies. This is the worst it's been since he's been here. And it's all on his left side. Please keep us posted and give him a big hug from me and you know who Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LindsaySF Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 What do the other bumps look like? A skin scraping will help. It could be a skin infection (Staph is most common). Maybe the antibiotics for the foot weren't taken for long enough? If he keeps getting weird bumps and recurring infections I would suspect a depressed immune system, you'd want to do bloodwork to test for hypothyroidism, Cushing's, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickiesmom Posted August 15, 2009 Author Share Posted August 15, 2009 Rickie has 2 black small mole-like bumps - 1/4 inch or less in diameter, one on his bum, one on his chest, other side. It was needle-biopsied a couple of weeks ago and the cells came back "consistent with a cyst" but I don't like the look of it or the fact that he has two, so they are going to come off. It's too soon to say about recurring infections, but to date he doesn't have any sort of pattern / ongoing problem that way. Rickie was on Antirobe for 18 days and also on Baytril for the first 4 of those days (emergency clinic put him on both for his foot, my regular clinic discontinued the Baytril). He finished the Antirobe on Thursday. The hair loss developed while Rickie was still on antibiotics. I was away for 5 days and noticed the hair loss when I returned on Monday evening - the area has doubled or more in size since then. I thought at first it was licking but surprisingly (to me) it doesn't seem to bother him. My husband worked from home while I was away and I have been absent before without issue, so I don't think it's stress-related. The foot infection was very bad (it went from no outward sign in the AM to swelling heading up the leg and toes leaking blood within 15h) and the toe where it seems to have started eventually lost skin on each side and the black pad tissue on the bottom. That is still healing though it looks much better. It is the aggressiveness of that infection that makes me wonder if this is somehow related. It will be very interesting to see what the tests on Monday show. (The foot infection wasn't cultured - the foot was so swollen and sore the vet didn't want to stick a needle into it.) It will be very interesting to see what the tests show on Monday (or later if they end up having to send a sample out). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Energy11 Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Yes, I'd get a skin scraping, to be safe, but it very well could be allergies. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kydie Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Yep! skin scrapping, my boy lost hair in 1 area around his neck this year about the size of a quarter, never had that happen before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2hounds Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Oh Rickie! Stop worrying your mom silly boy! I hope you feel better soon! Quote 2 Hounds Design Martingale Collars | 2 Hounds Design Facebook PageAlisha, Bob, Livvie (the 2.5 year old!) plus Mia Bella, Tippy, + Wahoo and Diesel the crazy kitties (and missing sweet Iceman, Paradise, Bandit, Cujo & Sebastian) in Indian Trail, NC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickiesmom Posted August 17, 2009 Author Share Posted August 17, 2009 Vet just called. The skin scraping was negative and the vet thinks the area looks better than it did, so we are not going to biopsy it and I'll just keep an eye on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Vet just called. The skin scraping was negative and the vet thinks the area looks better than it did, so we are not going to biopsy it and I'll just keep an eye on it. Hoping for continued improvement. Please give Rickie a big hug from us Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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