Guest Lgyure85 Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 We have been giving Maddie Melatonin for her butt fur for about 5 months now. It's still as bare as a baboon's. Should we keep giving it to her, or just let it be bare? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonder Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 (edited) I gave up, didn't do anything for Diamond's butt. Started giving it to him last Fall. This is Diamond butt from the other day. Former foster has been getting melatonin for 4 months and nothing either. Edited July 27, 2011 by Wonder Quote Kari and the pups.Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeh2o Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Carl & Claire are litter mates, it worked like a dream on Carl, but hasn't done a lot for Claire. My very said that Carl's body must need it for it to work so dramatically for him, Claire's doesn't. Quote Sunsands Doodles: Doodles aka Claire, Bella Run Softly: Softy aka Bowie (the Diamond Dog) Missing my beautiful boy Sunsands Carl 2.25.2003 - 4.1.2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Embrace the baldness . Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Well, it IS Summer, perhaps once it turns to Fall the hair regrowth will be better primed? I guess like most things there are some dogs that aren't going to respond to it. I don't think the dogs are particular about being BB's or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Embrace the baldness . :rotfl OMG, I really needed a laugh. I love it. That should be a Greyhound fund raising t-shirt slogan! Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inugrey Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Embrace the baldness . I will remember this quote. So real accept your dog for the way s/he was made. Quote Colleen with Covey (Admirals Cove) and Rally (greyhound puppy)Missing my beloved boy INU (CJ Whistlindixie) my sweetest princess SALEM (CJ Little Dixie) and my baby girl ZOE (LR's Tara) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PiagetsMom Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 (edited) Embrace the baldness . There you go! I've got one with a bald butt (and tummy!) and one with hair to spare. If it were a medical issue I'd be looking for a solution, but being as how a whole lot of those bald butts are purely cosmetic issues, I think Batmom has the right idea! I love Piaget's little bare butt Edited July 28, 2011 by PiagetsMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarabz Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 LOVE this!! DH doesn't like that Bella has a bare butt, so we've given melatonin, salmon oil, changed foods, etc - nothing. She has absolutely no symptoms of a low thyroid other than this (and I'm awfully sure my group would have mentioned it the last time they saw her if someone thought this was an issue). I really don't care - actually, my theory is that the baldness is in direct proportion to how much heat a particular area of her body generates. Her butt is ALWAYS warm to hot, even in freezing cold weather. The rest of her that doesn't generate much heat has gorgeous coat, e.g. her back, shoulders, top of her neck. Quote Dave (GLS DeviousDavid) - 6/27/18 Gracie (AMF Saying Grace) - 10/21/12 Bella (KT Britta) - 4/29/05 to 2/13/20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MnMDogs Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Embrace the baldness . I will remember this quote. So real accept your dog for the way s/he was made. I love Macy May's sparsely fuzzed bum! All of our other dogs are or have been crazy furry... The baldness is beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FullMetalFrank Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 When we gave it to Frank, he got really furry. Plush, thick coat. But he still had a fairly nekkid hiney! It made his existing coat more plush, but didn't really grow hair where there was none to begin with. I had to stop giving it to him; the weather was getting warmer and he was too hot! It took a long time for him to lose that thick coat, it's been about a year and his coat is still thicker than it was pre-melatonin. I will probably give it to him again this winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lgyure85 Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 It doesn't really bother me, but we may still give her the Melatonin since it isn't hurting anything and it's really cheap. Her belly is totally bare too. As is our little Boston Terrier's. Neither seems bothered by it, though both are cold a lot. They have sweaters, and I always cover them up when they look cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BrianRke Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Bald is beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeh2o Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Well, I do embrace Ed's baldness. :lol Quote Sunsands Doodles: Doodles aka Claire, Bella Run Softly: Softy aka Bowie (the Diamond Dog) Missing my beautiful boy Sunsands Carl 2.25.2003 - 4.1.2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stlgrey Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 I have seen hair growth with my two greyhounds who had balding rear quarters with feeding them a good quality food. Ali and Macy have growth thicker coats even got hair on their bellies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PiagetsMom Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 I have seen hair growth with my two greyhounds who had balding rear quarters with feeding them a good quality food. Ali and Macy have growth thicker coats even got hair on their bellies. Yes, after I put the pups on TOTW, Piaget did add some hair to her butt and belly.....they're still a lot of skin showing, but the new hair would have to be food related, I guess, since I haven't added or change anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetdogs Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 I have a bare baboon-butted boy who also has a naked mole rat neck & a reptile's smooth belly. Less fur to have to vacuum up. Quote Deirdre with Conor (Daring Pocobueno), Keeva (Kiowa Mimi Mona), & kittehs Gemma & robthomas. Our beloved angels Faolin & Liath, & kittehs Mona & Caesar. Remembering Bobby, Doc McCoy, & Chip McGrath. "He feeds you, pets you, adores you, collects your poop in a bag. There's only one explanation: you are a hairy little god." Nick Galifinakis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LindsaySF Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 How much melatonin are you giving? I believe you need a higher dose for hair growth. Sophie gets just 3 mg a day (for seizures) and it hasn't affected her hair at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bigbrindlebunny Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Here are Pete's thoughts on the subject: I keep giving him the supplements because his poops are so good and I hate to tamper with the formula! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3greytjoys Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 It doesn't really bother me, but we may still give her the Melatonin since it isn't hurting anything and it's really cheap. Her belly is totally bare too. As is our little Boston Terrier's. Neither seems bothered by it, though both are cold a lot. They have sweaters, and I always cover them up when they look cold I agree with Batmom re: embracing the baldness. I do understand the feeling of wanting hounds to grow more fur, one of our hounds is much more bald than most other hounds. He tests healthy for Greyhounds, and has never grown a full body of fur (years). During winter, he gets a few extra small tufts, but that's the best we've ever gotten. I do give our hounds Melatonin for limited, heightened anxiety occasions (e.g. before fireworks). Personally, I would not give any drug/medication (including herbal) without a specific medical requirement, especially long-term. All medications have effects and side effects. I don't recall seeing any long-term studies on the use of Melatonin in Greyhounds, or other breeds. Among other effects, one of the side effects of Melatonin is drowsiness. I wouldn't want my dog to feel drowsiness on a daily basis from non-medically necessary treatments. The following is a snippet post from GTer "jjng" on June 12, 2011 addressing the use of Melatonin: --Quote by jjng in from a Bald Butt... thread --- "Melatonin is not a completely safe supplement. It's a hormone that is naturally produced by the brain and interacts with other hormones in the body. In healthy individuals, I believe that the brain/body systems are fully capable of regulating their own hormone production, and better able to do so and keep things balanced without outside influence. When we start supplementing with hormones that may not really be needed, we could potentially throw things out of balance and cause problems that weren't there before. Here's an article about use of Melatonin in humans. I couldn't find any veterinary articles that were as comprehensive, so there may be some differences in details, but as a natural hormone, most of the info likely applies the same to either species. I personally wouldn't supplement with a hormone that might have other effects on the body for a purely cosmetic reason. I'd consider Melatonin for anxiety problems, which affect the dog's quality of life. However, I know that many have had good results with it for BTS, so I wouldn't strongly discourage anyone who wanted to try it either." --End quote by jjng--- This is just IMO, but if anyone has been giving Melatonin long-term and wishes to stop, please ask your vet if it needs to be tapered off slowly vs. cold turkey. (I've never researched that specific question.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 (edited) This is just IMO, but if anyone has been giving Melatonin long-term and wishes to stop, please ask your vet if it needs to be tapered off slowly vs. cold turkey. (I've never researched that specific question.) I'd suggest tapering off slowly. The amount of natural hormone produced relies on feedback mechanisms that detect how much of the hormone is in the system. So when you supplement with a hormone, the body's natural production will often shut down because those feedback mechanisms tell the brain there is enough and it doesn't need to make more. After long term supplementation, it takes the body time to start producing natural hormone again. While stopping melatonin cold turkey will not be life-threatening, tapering gradually will allow for a smoother transition. People who stop taking melatonin cold turkey often have at least a few sleepless nights. ETA: Thanks for finding my previous post on the topic and quoting it here! Edited August 1, 2011 by jjng Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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