Guest Cindysgreyt Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Hi all, First I would like to say that my Cindy is already under the care of a greyhound knowledgable vet, but I was hoping that perhaps someone else might have experienced what we are dealing with now. She's been an itchy dog from the moment we adopted her 2 years ago, but we got her comfortable on a low dose of Temaril P which has kept her comfortable and non-itchy. About a month ago, I noticed that some of the hair on her legs seemed thin. She's white and brindle (more white than brindle) so it was fairly obvious. Didn't think much of it until I noticed that it was happening virtually all over. Once I noticed it, the hair loss seemed to progess very rapidly. She's completely thinned out to the point where some of her brindle patches are gone, and there's nothing left but the slightly darker skin underneath. I checked her all over. No rashes, no redness, no lesions.....and she didn't seem itchy. She was dry and flaky though. Got her in to the vet, and her first suspicion was thryoid issues. They drew labwork and had it sent out to a lab in Michigan, where a very extensive panel was run. Her skin was scraped for mites, negative. She was also put on antibiotics just in case of a skin infection. (our vet said there are types that just cause hair loss). After 10 days, the thyroid test was completely normal. Antibiotics made no difference at all. Our next course of action is lime-sulfur dips and a food trial. Our vet said we could try both at the same time, because if one of them worked, would it really matter which one? She said there is a type of mite that doesn't always come up on a scrape. (Cheyletiella?) Treatment is lime sulfur dips for several weeks. We have also switched her to a vension/potato food to see if perhaps a food allergy is to blame. We are only 1 week in to the new "treatments" so we haven't seen any improvement......yet. Hoping that one of them works!! I practically wrote a novel. Just hoping to hear some other stories like mine. Also welcome to any advice!! This is our first grey so we are learning things as we go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grey_dreams Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 It might help if you could post a photo of Cindy, also a close-up of her skin where the worst patches of hair loss are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindysgreyt Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 I forgot to mention. The strip of hair that goes down her back seems mostly untouched. But everywhere else seems affected. I don't know if the pics will show everything. Her belly has almost no hair left on it at all. She had the bald thighs when we adopted her but then her fur grew back. Now, it's thinned out again. Places most affected are legs, neck, belly, rear end, and sides. Also, any advice on posting photos? Can I not just add them as attachment? I'm still too new here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grey_dreams Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Hair loss can be a symptom of many conditions, so it's kind of hard to make some suggestions. Others will be along with more ideas. Also, any advice on posting photos? Can I not just add them as attachment? I'm still too new here! If you upload your photos onto Flickr, then just click on the "Share" tab, copy the BBCode, and then paste the code into your message here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 How long has she been on the temaril and for how long? I know the corticosteroid is rather low in the temaril but, extensive use of a corticosteroid use can cause thinning of hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Is she still on Temaril-P? Long term use of steroids (even low dose) can cause a Cushings-like syndrome, and Cushing's causes hair loss... 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...
Guest needlenosemom Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Any other symptoms? could be hyperPARAthyroidism. That is what they think my girl has now. Lotsa labwork. Need to now get ultrasound of neck and belly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kess Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Bobby has a bald belly and bald patches on his bottom I thought bald patches were quite common with greys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cometdust1 Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 My grey's butt and thighs are comepletely bald,along with his belly,bottom 1/2 of his sides,neck and part of his chest,and the hair on his legs is very thin.His thyroid panel was also normal. He seems healthy otherwise,so I did'nt think much about it. He basically came that way,although It is a little worse now.I don't know if it's actually a problem or if some are just balder than others.Coats and jammies in the winter for my boy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindysgreyt Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 She has NO other symptoms, and as far as we can tell, she's her usual happy self. She's playing, eating/drinking well, and no change in bathroom habits. These aren't just bald patches, it's a widespread thinning. She had a beautiful full coat when we adopted her (with the exception of the bald thighs which later grew in). Last night I found an area she had scratched to the point of bleeding. She's also super flaky. Having trouble with Flickr at the moment, but I'll post some pics when I can. She has been on the Temaril P for over a year now. It was the only thing that gave her any relief. And yes, she's still on it for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindysgreyt Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Here is one of the photos. I was able to get an area that she scratched, as well as some of the hair loss. Obviously, it's not as easy to see in photos. hairloss2 by allison_hamrick, on Flickr Here's a second photo. This brindle spot is so thin it's almost gone. It was a dark, thick spot before. The bottom left area of the spot used to have brindle fur. And you can see on the white areas where her skin is now showing through. hairloss by allison_hamrick, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grey_dreams Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) Could it be a food allergy? What do you feed her? Or an allergy to something in your home, such as the laundry detergent you use? Edited November 10, 2012 by grey_dreams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindysgreyt Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Well, we have just started the venison/potato food to see if she does. But, we are only 1 week in. Doing the lime-sulfur dips as well. Hoping that one of them helps. We haven't changed anything like detergents. We have used the same kind since she came to us. I'm sure it's possible that she's allergic to something in our home, or has developed an allergy. How would we know? Any suggestions on that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesiRayMom Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Allergy testing is expensive and the gold standard skin prick testing even more so. One of the clients at my clinic has a dogue du bordeaux (sp?) and they were at their wits end with hot spots & itchies......finally sprung for testing & turns out she's allergic to the BIRD in their household. Not much help, I know, but an interesting allergy story. Quote Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grey_dreams Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 The possible allergens that could provoke a reaction are pretty endless. Some component in the food you feed, something in the environment of your house, even just a little flea excrement can induce allergic reactions in dogs that have an allergy. You said "venison and potato" but what brand, and what are the ingredients (I'm assuming that it's not home-cooked, but some manufactured food)? And what brands have you been feeding prior to this latest? And for how long? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Leaning towards the temaril--have you considered seeing a certified dermatologist? There are options besides temaril (atopica- http://www.us.atopica.com/) that can be used for allergies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindysgreyt Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 She is on the Science Diet D/D venison brand right now. We had a VERY hard time with food when we first got her. Soft serve stools no matter what we fed her. The Science Diet W/D was the ONLY food we found she could eat and have normal stools. It's not my favorite brand of dog food, but we were happy to have found something she could eat. We lived in a condo at the time and were required to pick up after her....which was not fun. Diarrhea and soft serve do not pick up well. We tried lots of different brands in the beginning. We tried some of the higher end foods (Wellness, Blue Buffalo, etc). She liked them all but had diarrhea with every single one. Even adding canned pumpkin didn't do a whole lot to help her, although she gladly ate it. So far, she's doing ok on the D/D. But like I said, we are only a week in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cometdust1 Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 That's definately not normal greyhound thinning.Good luck,I hope you find the reason for it.It's very frustrating knowing your dog is itchy and not being able to help it.My lab/dal mix spent his senior years with that problem and I always felt bad that I could'nt find the reason for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAJ2010 Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 If you had such a hard time finding kibble at first I would think this could possibly be a food sensitivity... That looks painful! Hopefully your vet can help fix this soon. If you had such a hard time finding kibble at first I would think this could possibly be a food sensitivity... That looks painful! Hopefully your vet can help fix this soon. Quote ------ Jessica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 I'd expect her to be more itchy if it's any type of allergy. But maybe she's more itchy than you think if she's scratching to the point of bleeding. Is she on an omega-3 fatty acid supplement (ie. fish oil)? And if so, how much? Fish oil can help with the dry skin and flaking, as well as itching and allergies. 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...
Guest 2dogs4cats Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Try malaseb shampoo. It's a broad spectrum antibacterial antifungal shampoo that also helps with dandruff. My maltese mix looked much worse than your pictures and it helped him. I used it every 3 days, 3 times then spaced it to once a week. Has to stay on for 10 minutes, don't skimp on time. Ask your vet about it. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FrankieWylie Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Have thought of switching her to a raw diet since she's had issues with kibble? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindysgreyt Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I have thought about the raw diet. I've never done it though, so I don't know much about it. We don't have a lot of room to store meat either, so that's one reason I never researched it more. For the time being, we are going to keep her on her limited diet and see if we get any improvement. Also, she's getting those lime sulfur dips too. She doesn't seem any itchier than usual. However, she's on the Temaril P so that keeps it mostly under control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grey_dreams Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I'm thinking its an allergy. You wrote about how much trouble she has had on kibble, and her extreme reaction to the different kibbles you tried is in no way normal. My own dogs are fed mostly raw, some home-cooked, and occasionally a bit of kibble if we are traveling and raw is not feasible, or for a bit of variety. However, you should consider the fact that if you keep continuously exposing her to an allergen and only mask the symptoms with drugs and dips, there could be longer-term consequences for her metabolism or immune system. Just saying. I only know that if the dog was in my care, I would do everything possible to cure the problem rather than mask the symptoms. JMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Allergies=itching. In the absence of itching & redness I still think the thinning of the hair is due to the corticosteroid use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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