What Exactly Does This Stuff Do?

[Guest choice_brandy]

A while back I posted about Chilli and her skin issues, she has been losing hair along her belly, under her neck and across her shoulders since she was 8 weeks old. She has never had a flea, is not itchy at all, the baldness doesn't bother her, she just looks mangy.

At the moment her diet consist of Royal Canine Sensitive, minced chicken frames, seaweed meal, 2 eggs a week, apple cidar vinegar, sardines or mackerel once a week and something to chew during the day, either lambs flaps, pigs trotters, marrow bones... we mix it up a bit.

She is treated regularly with advocate, she has had a course of ivermectin despite skin scrapings coming up negative 5 times... and as expected it did nothing. Her thyroid is normal, she has no heavy metals in her system, our yard has been obliterated of anything that may cause a reaction, she swims regularly at the beach and gets a weekly wash using a sensitive shampoo. She is desexed so not hormone related. No other dog she lives with has ever been affected... her breeder has disappeared off the face of the earth so I have had no joy trying to find out how her litter mates are going.

We get a few snide comments at obedience and the dog park which I couldn't care less about, but she is a normal healthy 9 month old with an awesome repertoire of tricks and is a much loved member of our family.

At wits end I have been to 4 different vets now, trying to get a fresh perspective on the cause, and the latest one... who was quite hard to understand but is certain he will get to the bottom of the issue has prescribed a pretty intensive course of something. His hand writing is as clear as his accent but I will attempt to decipher it because I really have no idea what I am giving her at the moment.

Bottle one: "Lymphomyosot - N" Oral liquid - 3 ml 3 times a day

Bottle two: "Schwef - heel" Oral liquid - 3 ml 3 times a day

Tablets: "Cutis Cotipositum" - 1 tab 3 times a day

Plus an emu oil based cream that we rub into her skin once a day... she loves that.

Where she is bald, she is completely bald, not a single hair. I could post pics but its a little embarrasing

[Guest choice_brandy]

Oh, and I should add that I called my partner this morning at work excited as heck because while cuddling Chilli I felt STUBBLE She has been on the treatment since last Wednesday

[persephone]

Sounds like homeopathic medicine

if it works, that's great!! Glad you can feel stubble

[dogbesotted]

sounds homeopathic or compelmentary to me.. but the appearance of stubble is grat isnt it???

H

[OSoSwift]

Yay for stubble! Especially when it is on your dog and not my legs!!!!!

Sounds like complemtary medicine and it is great it is working so far

[Stitch]

I guess if you really want the answer you will have to phone him or his assistant and ask for it to be written down clearly for you.

That is what I would be doing.

I was able to find the following link http://www.elixirs.com/products.cfm?productcode=BH112 which sounds interesting. (you will have to copy it & put it in your search engine as I don't know how to make it automatic)

Edited November 8, 2010 by STITCH

[Erny]

Can't help you with the answer to your question, but good on you for all the hard yacka you've been putting in as an effort towards helping the problem and great to hear about the stubble. These 'little' things are quite the milestone, aren't they?

I'm not saying that thyroid is the problem but I note you say you've had it checked and it is normal. Nine months of age is young in any instance, to have it checked, so don't completely rule it out - it could still be a contributing factor to your dog's issues but the disease not developed sufficiently to be detected by the blood tests. And also bear in mind that the Aussie Laboratories don't have the facilities to test as thoroughly as those in the USA do. Not only that, but the analysis of the bloods tends to be different out here (not as exact). My boy's tests (through Dr Jean Dodds in the USA) when he was 10mo came back as "excellent levels". I ran tests again 12 months later and they came in as "very low".

Good luck - I hope you have found the very things that will see your dog on the track to full coat and skin health.

Although from you post you are putting up a brave face against those who cast negative comments, it still hurts - but you're doing the right thing by scorning those people. They just don't have a clue.

Good on you

[Guest choice_brandy]

Can't help you with the answer to your question, but good on you for all the hard yacka you've been putting in as an effort towards helping the problem and great to hear about the stubble. These 'little' things are quite the milestone, aren't they?

I'm not saying that thyroid is the problem but I note you say you've had it checked and it is normal. Nine months of age is young in any instance, to have it checked, so don't completely rule it out - it could still be a contributing factor to your dog's issues but the disease not developed sufficiently to be detected by the blood tests. And also bear in mind that the Aussie Laboratories don't have the facilities to test as thoroughly as those in the USA do. Not only that, but the analysis of the bloods tends to be different out here (not as exact). My boy's tests (through Dr Jean Dodds in the USA) when he was 10mo came back as "excellent levels". I ran tests again 12 months later and they came in as "very low".

Good luck - I hope you have found the very things that will see your dog on the track to full coat and skin health.

Although from you post you are putting up a brave face against those who cast negative comments, it still hurts - but you're doing the right thing by scorning those people. They just don't have a clue.

Good on you

Thanks Erny, awesome feedback. Her thyroid tests were done almost 2 months ago now so definitely food for thought. We've got another vet appointment on Friday so I'll raise that point with him and see if its worth retesting now or to wait a little longer. Just wondering what the future holds if it is a thyroid issue. Are there other side effects besides the hair loss?

Decided to add a recent pic - people can be quite rude out in public when they see her... it takes a thick skin to turn up to obedience and agility with some of the snooty remarks but Chilli eclipses their dogs in how fast she picks things up and I know whose dog I'd be prouder of

[OSoSwift]

What a gorgeous little girl you have there.

Yes it would be hard to have to put up with people's negavtive comments and you are doing a great job still going and training and having a great time with your girl.

I really hope you find out the cause of her hair loss isssues, but the hair she does have looks nice and healthy.

Keep us updated as I was wondering about her then came across this thread :rolleyes:

[mokhahouse]

Ohh look at that sweet face. I hope you get to the bottom of this and that stubble grows into a lovely coat. I cant believe how rude people are to make negative comments. I am glad that you try not to let them bother you. It is obvious from your posts how much you love your dog and I am thankful that she has such a caring home. My best wishes to you both.

[Erny]

Thanks Erny, awesome feedback. Her thyroid tests were done almost 2 months ago now so definitely food for thought. We've got another vet appointment on Friday so I'll raise that point with him and see if its worth retesting now or to wait a little longer. Just wondering what the future holds if it is a thyroid issue. Are there other side effects besides the hair loss?

My disclaimer is that I'm not a Vet so I can only tell you what I know from what I have researched, what I've understood and from my own experience and I definitely do not want to stand on someone else's toes.

There can be other clinical signs - whether there "must" be is another matter.

If it were me : I'd run whatever other bloods your Vet wants to run, and if it is going to be under the same 'blood run' and not cost you extra, then I'd allow the thyroid re-test, but from what I do know, and given that you've run it before, I think it is too soon. Generally, 12mo (approximately) is the earliest for testing. I'd then have the thyroid bloods done around then if I still felt there was a problem and I've have them sent to Dr Jean Dodds in the USA. Cost is about $115.00US plus cost of international courier (approximately $71.00AUS). Plus your Vet's fee for drawing the blood (which needs to be spun down to serum for international shipping - not a hard thing for them to do assuming they have a centrifugal machine).

IF it was to be thyroid, it means Thyroxine tabs for the rest of her life. They aren't all that expensive and the medication, assuming it is treating the right cause for her condition, is generally quite effective.

ETA: What a sweet and trusting face your dog has. I'm sure she knows how much you care and want the best for her. I wish for her lots of stubble that continues to grow to normal coat. I think she is quite beautiful.

Edited November 9, 2010 by Erny

[AmandaJ]

[ I'd then have the thyroid bloods done around then if I still felt there was a problem and I've have them sent to Dr Jean Dodds in the USA.

Erny - that's exactly the same thing I was told at Sunbry - If you want a thyroid test done - get Dr J Dodds to it......apparently there are quite a lot of tests which can not be done reliably here.

[Erny]

I just wanted to add ..... I have not heard of clinical signs of thyroid disease being evident in a pup of 8 weeks of age. That doesn't mean it is not possible (just might mean that I haven't heard of it), but it would make me want to query it with Dr Jean Dodds to see with her as to whether further testing for thyroid dysfunction would be recommended.