Help Please - Terrified Newbie Owner!

[Guest Fernhill_Jim]

Hi guys. Firstly, you have all been invaluable in my research before I got my gorgeous retired racer, Jim.

We adopted Jim 11 days ago from a local kennel. He had been flea treated before he came to us but we have noticed a lot of hair loss from a particular spot on his back thigh. He was quite bald here before but he's lost considerable hair over the past few days and the skin underneath is very red and can get hot to the touch after exercise. A new little spot of this has also appeared on his chest last night. He has been licking quite often but his bald patch doesnt seem to be causing massive discomfort (hes eating fine and seems well, other than being super lazy!) Does this sound like it could be mange? Ive googled allsorts and scared myself senseless!

Thanks all, any help would be much appreciated

[Batmom]

Doesn't sound like mange but could be a bacterial infection. I'd run him by the vet for a look. Congratulations on your new pup!

[Guest Fernhill_Jim]

Thanks, we will be taking him to the vets this week for a check so I will ask about that too. Could be a number of things but we are alarmed at how quickly the hair is falling out

[JohnF]

It's probably being made worse by the massive stress of being rehomed.

In the meantime, until you can get to the vet, give him some Benadryl orally at 1mg/lb every 8 hrs. (So that's like 75mg per dose for a regular greyhound. Make sure it's just plain Benadryl)

[LaFlaca]

Could be allergy or stress related. Not necessarily fleas, but atopic dermatitis or food allergy. Get thee to the vet, of course. Poor itchy Jim! Add salmon oil to his diet or something like this: https://www.springtimeinc.com/product/Skin-and-Coat/Natural-Dog-Supplements. Salmon oil didn't work well for Lola but this stuff took care of her dry, flaky, itchy skin.

 

Welcome home, Jim! I promise you'll feel better soon.

[cleptogrey]

relax, generally mange starts on the head. i don't know why, but it does, head/ears around there. it looks like a small scrape and it just doesn't get better. it's not the end of the world, just a PITA to treat. I've had 2 dogs w/ mange. even the contagious variety lucky was not shared. I have been lucky.

 

He's going for his check up, ask your vet to do a scraping. This way he can look under the microscope and see if there are anything noticeable. I would not drug him with anything what so ever, so your vet can see exactly what's going on. You can always call and get squeezed in earlier if your work schedule permits it.

 

Do not bath, if your freaking out, just make sure his blanket or towels in the crate are washed separately. Felix has a mystery patch of hair missing at one point. Nothing showed it, we used old fashioned GOODWINOL ointment on it, as prescribed by the vet. It took 6 weeks+ and filled in. Go know- it looked like our other dog grabbed him in the flank- but it wasn't.

 

DON'T PANIC!

 

Again, don't add anything and all of the gh come to us with lousy track coats. it can take a couple of months to grow a nice new healthy coat. Next October he should look great- remember summer coats are scant. Also find out what your vet likes as a supplement for skin and coat. there are tons out there and they take a minimum of 6 weeks to work. but deal with one item at a time.

Edited August 5, 2018 by cleptogrey

[Guest Fernhill_Jim]

Thanks all, I am prone to over-worrying about this dog! The bald patch seems to be growing and is now happening on Jims other leg and tail. His compulsion to lick is also increased. Hes opened up some small scabs on his legs by licking. Definitely a vet trip but thank you all for helping me to get a grip! Just a bit of a shock to see all that bright and sore looking pink chicken skin (probably made worse by the fact that hes a white dog) Hes otherwise settled in so well so this is just a little hiccup hopefully. Greys eh?!

[greysmom]

Use his kennel muzzle to keep him from licking when you're not supervising him - put some duct tape over the holes in the front and the bottom so his tongue can't get through.

 

Could be something as simple as hot spots, but definitely see the vet. Be "concerned" but don't "panic!"

[FiveRoooooers]

Congrats on your new boy, Jim! That's a great name for a greyhound.

 

While at the vet, please ask about Apoquel. It saved Aiden's and my sanity both. Good luck, and let us know how Jim is doing.

[Time4ANap]

Thanks all, I am prone to over-worrying about this dog!

 

Have you met the rest of us here?

[Guest Fernhill_Jim]

Thats the strange thing - it doesnt seem to be itchy (I dont see him knawing or scratching at it). I think maybe the licking cools the area down and its become a bit of compulsive behaviour now. He does stop when we gently say 'no licking'. Its the root cause of the skin problem id obviously like to get to the bottom of.

 

Beginning to realise it could be one of approx 1,00000000 things (!). I'll get the expert opinion from vet, then probably disagree and be back here again!!! Jim is a wonderful dog and we are so happy to have him here so thats the main thing to take away. Thats if I dont worry myself to death first...

[cleptogrey]

I recently found out, my vet told me, that the licking will release endorphins and it's an auto-response that animals will have to sooth themselves.

Edited August 5, 2018 by cleptogrey

[lukasmom]

Maybe Manuka honey might help.

Congrats in your new boy. Hope you find an easy answer to this.

[KF_in_Georgia]

If you and your vet wind up unable to get a handle on what's going on, consider asking your vet for a referral to a veterinary dermatologist. (Put those two words in the search bar on Google and add your zip code to find the one nearest to you.) I adopted a dog with a bad rash on one leg. My vet and I spent months (and $$$) trying to diagnose and treat it. Took her to the dermatologist and had a handle on it within two weeks, had it cured in a month.

[Guest Fernhill_Jim]

So a little update - The inflammation seemed to go down and with evening primrose oil in his food and nightly coconut oil rubs, I *think* we can see a few teeny follicles growing back! Perhaps it was a heat rash exasperated by the stress of moving to our home. We have tamed the licking and he seems to do that much much less now, though it was definitely a self soothing thing I think.

 

Will still keep my eye on it but quite glad we didnt rush to the vets and start changing everything (could have caused more harm than good there!) Thanks so much for all your help, sometimes I guess our greys just like to keep us on our toes...