AntiHero Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 (edited) My staffie has patches of hair missing along her tail. Has anyone seen this before? I know I should take her to the vet, but can't do that right now. Would like to get this fixed up on my own. http://img28.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=14102010422.jpg Edited October 22, 2010 by AntiHero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Gee its very symmetrical Sorry can't offer any advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntiHero Posted October 22, 2010 Author Share Posted October 22, 2010 Gee its very symmetrical Sorry can't offer any advice. Can you see the patches of hair missing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Gee its very symmetrical Sorry can't offer any advice. Can you see the patches of hair missing? Yes I can... looks almost like a wear pattern. She doesn't wag her tail under any kind of grille does she? Any flea issues with her? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntiHero Posted October 22, 2010 Author Share Posted October 22, 2010 Gee its very symmetrical Sorry can't offer any advice. Can you see the patches of hair missing? Yes I can... looks almost like a wear pattern. She doesn't wag her tail under any kind of grille does she? Any flea issues with her? lol no she doesn't wag it under grills I'm not sure, it could be fleas. But would something like that still happen during winter? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 lol no she doesn't wag it under grills I'm not sure, it could be fleas. But would something like that still happen during winter? thanks Our houses give fleas the same shelter from the elements that they give us. Its possible she's having a flea allergy but you really do need a vet to confirm it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntiHero Posted October 22, 2010 Author Share Posted October 22, 2010 lol no she doesn't wag it under grills I'm not sure, it could be fleas. But would something like that still happen during winter? thanks Our houses give fleas the same shelter from the elements that they give us. Its possible she's having a flea allergy but you really do need a vet to confirm it. Thanks. What could I use on her tail for a flea allergy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Looks too specific for a flea allergy to me. Take the dog to a vet to get it checked. Treating conditions incorrectly can do more harm than good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 (edited) Thanks. What could I use on her tail for a flea allergy? Get your Vet to have a squizz at it first, before you start trying this and that for something that might not even be the cause. ETA: Cosmolo 'Snap' Edited October 22, 2010 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Flea allergy usually shows up on the lower back and inner thighs, not the tail. The hairloss seen with a flea allergy is due to the dog being so itchy that they scratch and nibble the hair away on their back and thighs. The pattern of hairloss doesn't really fit with this (although having said that, staffies are a special shape, so I guess the tail could be all she can reach to scratch?) If it's flea allergy, the solution is pretty much just to keep her completely free of fleas. Plus sometimes a short course of steroids from your vet to break the cycle of itch-scratch-itch if she really is in misery from it. Like Poodlefan, I'd wonder if she is just wearing the hair off from sitting on a rough or hard surface? I have seen staffies do that before, and it looked similar to this. Vet really is the best bet, although if she is healthy and happy and not itchy or sore, I'd guess there's no rush about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 It looks like a wear pattern.. again, it looks as if the marks are on bony bits of vertebrae? Odd pattern... almost as if there is pain in her tail joints and she's nibbling just there to try & help... or it is being rubbed on something. Does she ride regularly in a vehicle-- or sit in one spot against a fence or anything? I do think it is something a vet should see. Trying to fix something yourself is ok if you know exactly what you are looking at, and know appropriate treatment.,otherwise, leave it to people who DO know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 a whippet I bred has a thin bony tail with hair missing, I think it's just a combintaion of a fine coat and wear/rub, it doesn't cause him any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Looks like wear to me. I've had Staffords over the years who have shown wear in odd places on their tails. Most often from sitting on them and wagging at the same time (stops the bum from being on the concrete!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Looks like wear to me. I've had Staffords over the years who have shown wear in odd places on their tails. Most often from sitting on them and wagging at the same time (stops the bum from being on the concrete!). +1 And these wear marks correspond with the vertebrae in the tail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntiHero Posted October 22, 2010 Author Share Posted October 22, 2010 Thanks for the feedback. Yeah it might be from sitting on concrete. She also hits her tail on a lot of things so could be that too. I'll take her to the vet asap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmurps Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Also looks like racing greyhound tails from rubbing in their pens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum to Emma Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Also looks like racing greyhound tails from rubbing in their pens. My whippet has the same problem (her tail is almost identical to that in the photos) and she spends 99% of her day on carpet. I think it's a combination of things. If you look closely at the exposed skin on the tail you see small brown oil plugs blocking the pores. I wonder if this stops hair growth or makes existing hair particularly brittle so that it snaps off at the slightest contact. A few years back my whippet saw a vet dermatologist for a different problem and when looking at her tail said "We can do something about that but you wouldn't bother" (mind you, the condition wasn't as extreme then). He didn't elaborate and as it didn't worry me, I didn't take it further (I didn't fancy spending $100s of dollars exposing her to more chemicals to treat what is a cosmetic problem - the look of her tail doesn't bother her!) I will ask my vet on Wednesday but IMO general vets often don't diagnose skins problems accurately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 There's been a topic on this problem before and some other Staffy owners commented they had seen it in their dogs too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac'ella Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 There's been a topic on this problem before and some other Staffy owners commented they had seen it in their dogs too. our previous staffy had this only on one joint which also tended to swell up, and it seemed to indicate she had a skin allergy coming on. We spoke to some people on the south coast with a similar prob in their girl which had a grain allergy,when ours was treated this seemed to be the last area to clear up,maybe from rubbing from sitting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Our rescue Staffy has something similar. If you look at the biggest darkest one closest to the back in your photo, she has one like that and a smaller one below it. I asked the vet when we first got her and he said it's a gland. Whatever it is, she's had it as long as we've had her (4.5yrs) and it doesn't bother her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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