Guest Justinjordan89 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Hi All- So thankful to have found this community. We are first time Greyhound owners, and can be a little clueless when it comes to some breed specific ailments etc. Adopted our Grey in August and will probably never own another breed!! Moose is 4 years old and retired last April from racing in Florida. Recently we have been noticing a strange rash on his upper chest right behind his front legs- have been treating with a topical spray on antibiotic with some results. More concerning, we have been noticing a lot of shedding in the last few weeks. As the weather is changing, we assumed that this is just spring shedding as hair is coming off by the ton from all over his body. Last night we found a bald patch on his front right leg above the joint but below the shoulder. His chest is now almost completely bald (has hair again near his stomach towards the back) This morning we heard him scratching, and when we looked at him in the light we noticed a fairly large bald spot on his lower left neck with a pretty nasty red spot where the hair was ( looks like it could just be irritation from the scratching) However the main concern is that it appears he scratched all of this hair off. Only thing worth noting is that he got a bath Sunday and appeared to have some dead skin coming off when brushed afterwards. He gets a bath about once a month and has never had any issues other than dry skin afterwards He is not acting sick or run down- fairly normal energy levels. No diet changes in the last 3 months-- any ideas? we are stumped and wanting to avoid the vet if this is "common" for the breed. Any help or input is much appreciated!! Thanks, Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest normaandburrell Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 This does not sound normal. Can you post pictures? Also what do you feed him, what do you bathe him with, what was the antibiotic spray you used? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Justinjordan89 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Dont have pics at the moment- thinking it might be stress related as we are in a smaller space currently (buying a house in a month or so) he is alone on average 6-8 hours per day but gets outside and is able to run 2-3 times per day. We are feeding blue buffalo grain free salmon/bison. He has been on this food for about 4 months with great results. Had some lethargy issues with previous food- vet recommended the switch. Not certain on the brand of the antibiotic spray at the moment- vet prescribed for similar rashes. seems to reduce the rash when used. could this be a plant allergy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scouts_mom Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Does his bed have cedar in it? I once knew a dog with similar symptoms and it turned out he was allergic to the cedar in his bed. Also is there a reason you are bathing him so often? Unless he encounters a skunk or plays in the mud, he should only need a bath once or twice a year at most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 My oldest boy pretty much had a bare belly at the age of 3 - but that is a common occurrance for greyhounds. A rash might be a bit worrisome, depending on how bad it is. My boy developed allergies shortly after moving, and had them ever since (environmental and food based - he hit a trigger and that was that). A bath once a month might be excessive but if you are using it to control flakey skin, or allergies, that might be a different story. Pics would be helpful. Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Justinjordan89 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Thank you all- i will try to take a pic or two when i get home from work. Good info on the bath timing- had no idea that we shouldn't be bathing him that often. No cedar in his beds- just washed his blankets but we wash them often and no detergent changes. Made a vet apt. for Friday- they said rash could be anything from allergies to ringworm but didn't have an answer for the hair loss on the neck or the right front shoulder. My suspicion is that he scratched it off, but he has never scratched to the point of hair loss before. Any ideas on the hair loss (other than shedding seasonally) hair is coming off of him all over his body but i suspect that most of that is spring shedding. The worrisome factor is the hair loss entirely in those two areas Thank you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 You didn't mention which state you're from ... is is Florida? It could be a plant allergy if you are having flowering/buds/grasses and so on starting. You might want to try adding some cooked oatmeal into his food - it's great for skin conditions and for keeping them regular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Sounds like allergies, possibly. Could be anything from the detergent you use to pollen. And I agree--no dog needs to be bathed monthly except certain hairless breeds as they are oily and stink if not bathed! This is according to my friend who has them! See the vet--he will probably prescribe an antihistamine to try. If that works, you'll know its an allergic response. Never heard of a dog losing hair and scratching due to stress... Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Highly recommend you take him to a veterinary dermatologist to have this investigated. Worth their weight in gold. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 No different advice than what's above but I will reiterate that giving him a bath often isn't necessary. Once or twice a year is good, though to be honest, Annie hasn't had an official bath in over 3 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Justinjordan89 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Moose raced in Florida (Rain Bow Joe) We are in Colorado- actually considered plants as many of the CO plants are not found in FL. We have had him since august, so never during a spring growth. Vet is scheduled for Friday- Greyhound vet recommended by CGA and by the forum on this site. Still wondering about the hair loss on the legs and neck- although with the neck it sounds like he may have scratched it off getting to the rash.Noted on the bathing- we both grew up with smaller breeds and bathed them about once a month with no issues- hounds are different all around we are finding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macoduck Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 No signs of fleas or flea dirt? Quote Freshy (Droopys Fresh), NoAh the podenco orito, Howie the portuguese podengo maneto Angels: Rita the podenco maneta, Lila, the podenco, Mr X aka Denali, Lulu the podenco andaluz, Hada the podenco maneta, Georgie Girl (UMR Cordella), Charlie the iggy, Mazy (CBR Crazy Girl), Potato, my mystery ibizan girl, Allen (M's Pretty Boy), Percy (Fast But True), Mikey (Doray's Patuti), Pudge le mutt, Tessa the iggy, Possum (Apostle), Gracie (Dusty Lady), Harold (Slatex Harold), "Cousin" Simon our step-iggy, Little Dude the iggy ,Bandit (Bb Blue Jay), Niña the galgo, Wally (Allen Hogg), Thane (Pog Mo Thoine), Oliver (JJ Special Agent), Comet, & Rosie our original mutt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Justinjordan89 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 No sign of fleas- not sure what flea dirt is or what to look for. I was just told by a co worker to put honey on the rash and that it would heal quickly.. any thoughts or other home remedies that may work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 No sign of fleas- not sure what flea dirt is or what to look for. I was just told by a co worker to put honey on the rash and that it would heal quickly.. any thoughts or other home remedies that may work? This could be any number of things. Fleas, mange, a bacterial skin infection, a thyroid problem, an allergy, behavioral, etc. You need to have your dog evaluated by a vet to diagnose the problem. It doesn't hurt to start with your regular vet, but my experience is that you will get a lot further with a veterinary dermatologist who has not only the ability to do a very thorough differential diagnosis, but can also do skin scrapings while you're there and has a wide range of allergy testing at their disposal. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawthorn Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Some spot-on flea/tick treatments can cause hair loss and skin problems too. If you're using one of these, check the information leaflet that comes with it to see what the possible side effects are. Quote When a relationship of love is disrupted, the relationship does not cease. The love continues; therefore, the relationship continues. The work of grief is to reconcile and redeem life to a different love relationship. ~ W Scott Lineberry Always Greyhounds Home Boarding and Greyhounds With Love House Sitting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Justinjordan89 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Not currently treating for anything- leaning towards plant allergy as spring here in CO is causing quite a bit of new growth in the last month. The hair loss in a particular spot is what concerns me in this situation as a rash is probably more easily treated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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