Lois Is Losing Her Hair!

[Guest makaylan]

So I have had Lois for about four and a half months now. She seems to be losing a lot of her hair. I took her to the vet in early September for a regular checkup and heartworm pills. She was heartworm negative and I got her Trifexis, which is a heartworm/flea and tick preventative. Well I gave her that, and later that month I took her back because I noticed she is going bald! I don't know if it has to do with the medicine or something else. We had her thyroid checked and her skin scraped and both tests were fine. They said we could do some fungal tests or something like that, but I would like more opinions.

 

She had some hair loss on her hind legs when I got her and I knew that was pretty typical for greyhounds, but now her hair loss seems to be just way out of the norm.

 

The lady at the rescue place I got her from said that it could be some allergy to food possibly. She was first on Purina Chicken and Rice, but she didn't like the chicken bits, so I switched her to the Lamb and Rice version. She had regular potty sessions with this food. After realizing that it could be the food, I have switched to the Pure Balance Salmon and Pea by recommendation of the rescue worker. This food seems to make her potty sessions very abnormal. Every time I have taken her out, she needs to defecate 2-3 times.

 

I have also been adding fish oil to her food as well as melatonin since it is supposed to help.

 

I attached the link for some pictures so that you guys can see the extent of her hair loss.

 

http://imgur.com/a/SWN9M

[Hawthorn]

If you google Trifexis and hair loss there are quite a lot of people saying their dog's hair started falling out when given this medication so, given the timing, perhaps it's that?

[Bogangles]

Even on the Trifexis site is mentions side effects include skin issues: http://www.trifexis.com/about-trifexis/faqs.aspx

[Feisty49]

Sounds like it's a good idea to switch to a different medicine. If it's not the answer, at least you tried.

[Guest Scouts_mom]

I don't know anything about the trifexis, but it sounds like that could be the problem.

 

On the food front, a lot of greys (including my own) don't do well on the fancy food, such as "Pure Balance" or "Taste of the Wild". It is just too rich or too much protein for them. Mine get Kirkland's lamb and rice which works well for them--their stools are nice and firm and it is much much cheaper. If your girl did well on the Purina Lamb and Rice, I would sure switch her back. It is a perfectly fine food, just not as trendy as the "natural" foods.

 

Many dogs (and cats) are allergic to chicken, according to my vet, so I stay away from it as much as I can. I know one of my cats is allergic and I think one of my dogs is. Chicken is often used in foods and treats, although it may not be mentioned in the name, so you need to read ingredient lists carefully, I also stay away from chicken on principle--I despise the way chickens are treated in factory farms. Yes, lambs may be treated just as badly, but I don't know for sure and the dogs need to eat something.

[PrairieProf]

If she was kenneled before you got her, she may well just be blowing coat. It's common for hounds after they come into a house environment. I wouldn't leap to medical assumptions. You know a lot of hounds are naturally pretty bare?

[Batmom]

If you're not seeing redness or itchiness, it isn't likely the food. I'd put her back on the food she did better on (not having to defecate so much). My first thought would be PrairieProf's. She looks a lot like my angel Joseph did @ this time of year, especially his first year home. He started fuzzing up a little when it got cold, and didn't get so naked the next end-of-summer.