Hair Loss [mild] --- No Apparent Reason Identified!

[Skruffy n Flea]

hello

4 or so weeks ago, bella's groomer noticed and showed me that bella had some low grade hair loss over her thighs [i hadn't noticed but it was and still is quite obvious] and since then i've been treating her condition with some natural products [topi topi stopsitch, aloveen, omegas, pawpaw ointment and the like] without much result [not really knowing what to expect or to expect anything at all really].

over this past week and having exhausted my researchness, i decided i needed to take her to the vet who physcially examined her quite thoroughly and found nothing out of place.

during the consultation, we talked about the possibility that she was feeling some kind of pain in both thighs but the physical exam revealed nothing, or that it might be behavioural, but the hair isn't bitten off or fuzzy in any way; it's very soft, like regrowth. i also remarked to the vet that i thought the skin on her thighs appears darker to which the vet said that it could indicate some inflamation, but it could just as likely be the fact that the area in question is normally covered with fur.

the vet took sticky tape tests from several areas of her body [including her paws] and a skin scrape from her thigh and all came back clear, except for a small quantity of mould spores [from her belly] that occur naturally apparently!

the vet and i had a very long discussion about what we could do from there [skin biopsy, derm, a 3-week course of antibiotics [just in case], blood for thyroid or blood for an all-over general] and so i opted for the all-over general, which would show indications if something in her system was off kilter. the vet agreed this was the best course to take at this point.

that test returned normal, apart from 1 liver enzyme being very slightly elevated. the vet told me to continue with the natural applications and to keep an eye on her in case 'the condition' escalated and bella started to become uncomfortable, however, we both agreed this would be unlikely given that the hair loss was first noticed about 5 weeks ago and nothing appeared untoward before, during or after the groom session.

there were no outward signs of any kind that alerted me [obviously] to this hair loss and i'm really very aware of both my dogs' behaviours so that if anything was not normal, i'd have noticed --- both got their summer groom [very short] in november last year and so bella's coat is only part-way regrown and so when i took them for their tri-monthly trim [butt, face n paws] in feb this year, i was a tad taken aback to realise there was this hair loss on bella's thighs! byron's hair is to his knees and appears to be growing normally!

awfully sorry to be so longwinded but i'd rather give you all the backstory instead of in dribs and drabs, answering questions yada yada --- and so, this brings me to:

in your experience, what could have caused this hair loss or stunted regrowth?; and

is there a way i can help her hair regrow?

tia for your advice and input

[Polgara's Shadow]

Hi there

my pup experienced hair loss on his thighs as a reaction to allergens. Turns out he is allergic to a few grasses (couch & kykuyu) as well as lamb and sardines. Fortunatly we don't have much grass at our place so it was relativly simple to remove it all and I stopped feeding lamb and sardines.

I never know which of these was causing the hairloss as all were removed at about the same time. Along with removing known allegens I now supplement him with Vets All Natural Omega Blend and his coat gleams with health.

Is it possible that Bella is reacting to something in her environment, or something in her food?

[oakway]

Have the vet test the dog for Thyroid problems.

[Kelly_Louise]

Have the vet test the dog for Thyroid problems.

I agree. Could be many things. Cushings disease and similar also cause the coat to grow sparsely and very slowly - although you'd probably have noticed other signs as well.

[Skruffy n Flea]

Hi there

my pup experienced hair loss on his thighs as a reaction to allergens. Turns out he is allergic to a few grasses (couch & kykuyu) as well as lamb and sardines. Fortunatly we don't have much grass at our place so it was relativly simple to remove it all and I stopped feeding lamb and sardines.

I never know which of these was causing the hairloss as all were removed at about the same time. Along with removing known allegens I now supplement him with Vets All Natural Omega Blend and his coat gleams with health.

Is it possible that Bella is reacting to something in her environment, or something in her food?

thanks for your reply we haven't yet gone the path of food elimination or to have her tested for other allergens; if this condition persists, that will be our next step.

i've heard of VAN omega blend and wanted to try it with both my dogs [because byron suffers from itchies] but i can't seem to get my hands on any! i did consider buying it online but the cost of postage near doubled the cost of the product.

i do add omegas to both their food and my local health shop has been able to order melrose omegapet, which i'm a bit excited about and i should have that in the next few weeks ;)

Have the vet test the dog for Thyroid problems.

thanks oakway

the vet and i did discuss having bella tested just for her thyroid but after discussing all the options, the vet informed me that the all-over general blood test would show indications if there was an issue with inter alia her thyroid, liver, pancreas and because the thyroid test was specific, i opted for the all-over general so if anything showed up in those results, we'd know what direction to head in...

I agree. Could be many things. Cushings disease and similar also cause the coat to grow sparsely and very slowly - although you'd probably have noticed other signs as well.

hi kelly_louise and thanks

i don't recall cushings coming up in my discussions with the vet but i feel confident that something would have showed in the blood test results.

also, bella's regrowth doesn't appear sparse; it looks and feels normal except that, as you put it, it's growing very slowly

the vet told me that it can take up to 3 months or so for hair to grow back, so i'm just going to have to keep an eye on her and wait it out --- if anything out of the ordinary occurs in the meantime, then i'll get her a referral to a derm :D

unless there's something else someone can add, this is about the extent of it...

thanks again for the replies

[Erny]

the vet told me that it can take up to 3 months or so for hair to grow back, so i'm just going to have to keep an eye on her and wait it out --- if anything out of the ordinary occurs in the meantime, then i'll get her a referral to a derm

unless there's something else someone can add, this is about the extent of it...

Our Aussie laboratory tests will reveal something if the thyroid issue has progressed to the point that 70% of the thyroid tissue is destroyed. USA tests (Dr Jean Dodds) tests are more thorough and can detect issues a lot sooner than that. Our Aussie analysis is based on the size of the dog. USA tests (Dr Jean Dodds) analysis is based on the size of the dog; the age of the dog; and the breed of the dog.

[Skruffy n Flea]

the vet told me that it can take up to 3 months or so for hair to grow back, so i'm just going to have to keep an eye on her and wait it out --- if anything out of the ordinary occurs in the meantime, then i'll get her a referral to a derm

unless there's something else someone can add, this is about the extent of it...

Our Aussie laboratory tests will reveal something if the thyroid issue has progressed to the point that 70% of the thyroid tissue is destroyed. USA tests (Dr Jean Dodds) tests are more thorough and can detect issues a lot sooner than that. Our Aussie analysis is based on the size of the dog. USA tests (Dr Jean Dodds) analysis is based on the size of the dog; the age of the dog; and the breed of the dog.

yikes!

so the all-over general blood test would NOT reveal any thyroid indication IF a thyroid issue was in its early stages!??! does not a t4 count reveal anything untoward!??!

i honestly do not understand how i could have missed this hair thing with bella! i don't even know how or when it happened or started or when or if it is stunted regrowth or whether it was actual hair loss!!!

anyhoo, out of hair loss, dry and brittle hair, seborrhea; secondary bacterial and yeast infections; lethargy, obesity, slow heart rate; changes in skin pigmentation may occur, only the bolded symptoms are present; as for skin pigmentation, there is what appears to be a darkening, but because the darkening is confined to just the area that the hair growth is stunted, i don't know if it is in fact a change or whether it is natural because both areas are usually covered in hair --- the hair thing [!??!] is confined only to her thighs and it appears even [that is to say, looking at her from behind, neither side appears lopsided] and feels smooth and soft to the touch...

using this site as a guide, it could also be cyclic (cicatrical) alopecia; seasonal flank alopecia, being that the growth cycle of hair stops at certain times of the year and appears as symmetrical hair loss with definite borders; usually on back and flanks; skin may become darker, but with the pictures i've seen and further reading i've done, i doubt it is the same...

i can see that hypothyroidism can present with subtle effect of symptomology and i'm planning a phone conversation with bella's vet to allay my present fears and seek further advice...

erny, thanks for your post --- if it comes to that, i'll be seeking your assistance to get the serum across to dr dodds. i must admit and now that i've done some more research, the vet's first thoughts were to test the thyroid and the adrenal [that being for cushings, but i didn't put the 2 together]. i opted to go the all-over general because it tested all and sundry and would show indications, which would determine the next step...

[Erny]

so the all-over general blood test would NOT reveal any thyroid indication IF a thyroid issue was in its early stages!??! does not a t4 count reveal anything untoward!??!

It's possible that a 'faulty' thyroid could go undetected by a TSH and/or T4. T3, T3aa, FT3 etc. all form a part of a thorough thyroid test.

I suspected thyroid as an issue for my boy when he was only around 8 or 9 months. I knew that even Dr Jean Dodd's testing recommended dogs be a minimum of 1 year old, but because of all the things happening with him, both she and I agreed it could be worth checking him even though at that time he was only 10mo. His test results showed negative. Twelve months later (all the while trying to deal with and work through his health issues and symptoms) and I decided to test again. This time the results showed a very low functioning thyroid.

I know of someone else who had their dog tested for thyroid. She sent bloods to Dr Jean Dodds and as an exercise of curiousity, she also had the bloods tested here in Aus. Dr Jean Dodds' results showed positive for hypothryoid. Our Aussie tests showed negative. This person's dog is, the last I spoke, considerably improved with the thyroid medication.

erny, thanks for your post --- if it comes to that, i'll be seeking your assistance to get the serum across to dr dodds. ...

You're welcome, and of course if you're not sure Dr Jean will not mind if you want to email her with questions that you might have in relation to thyroid function and/or testing. She's a wonderful lady who has never not had time to respond to even the most insignificant of my questions. And her responses are generally very prompt, as are the results of the blood tests (I get mine generally in 1 - 1.5 weeks, and this counts the days taken by Fed-Ex to deliver the bloods to her).

[aussielover]

It's possible that a 'faulty' thyroid could go undetected by a TSH and/or T4. T3, T3aa, FT3 etc. all form a part of a thorough thyroid test.

I suspected thyroid as an issue for my boy when he was only around 8 or 9 months. I knew that even Dr Jean Dodd's testing recommended dogs be a minimum of 1 year old, but because of all the things happening with him, both she and I agreed it could be worth checking him even though at that time he was only 10mo. His test results showed negative. Twelve months later (all the while trying to deal with and work through his health issues and symptoms) and I decided to test again. This time the results showed a very low functioning thyroid.

I know of someone else who had their dog tested for thyroid. She sent bloods to Dr Jean Dodds and as an exercise of curiousity, she also had the bloods tested here in Aus. Dr Jean Dodds' results showed positive for hypothryoid. Our Aussie tests showed negative. This person's dog is, the last I spoke, considerably improved with the thyroid medication.

erny, thanks for your post --- if it comes to that, i'll be seeking your assistance to get the serum across to dr dodds. ...

You're welcome, and of course if you're not sure Dr Jean will not mind if you want to email her with questions that you might have in relation to thyroid function and/or testing. She's a wonderful lady who has never not had time to respond to even the most insignificant of my questions. And her responses are generally very prompt, as are the results of the blood tests (I get mine generally in 1 - 1.5 weeks, and this counts the days taken by Fed-Ex to deliver the bloods to her).

Hey erny,

what made you think your dog had thyroid problems apart from skin problems?

just curious because i have an allergy/itchy dog. she seems pretty normal apart from her itchiness though so unsure if i should do thyroid testing.

thanks

[petmezz]

definatly get thyroid tests done...

you could also try a Zinc supplament

and also try Angel oil on the hair loss areas i have had great success with this.

vet shed

[Erny]

Hey erny,what made you think your dog had thyroid problems apart from skin problems? just curious because i have an allergy/itchy dog. she seems pretty normal apart from her itchiness though so unsure if i should do thyroid testing.

Good question. I think it was a combo of these things :

• Skin issues
  
• Behaviour
  

The "Behaviour" I wasn't certain about, but with past research that I'd done I couldn't ignore thyroid as having a possible impact on it. Also thought possible 2nd fear impact period - but given the skin issues I couldn't ignore thyroid.

Something goes back to Kal days as well (previous girl - avatar - bhcs). I strongly suspect thyroid not functioning properly was the trigger for what was to become her demise, over time. I didn't know back then, in time at least, what I since learnt and researched. I wish I had run a thyroid test on her. So I vowed to not leave it too long for my current boy if I felt there was a possible reason.

I was not definite in my suspicions. But I was definite about knowing I needed to either rule it in or rule it out.

I hear a lot about allergies - food and/or contact. And the question I can't help but ask myself is "why?". "What is it that has our dogs not being able to cope?" Given that the thyroid is responsible for the proper function of just about every organ in the body, it seems common sense to me to make that the first target of investigations.

Of course, there's the other question .... "Why is the thyroid not functioning as well as it should?" But that's a question I can only guess the answer. Is it the commercial diets we've been feeding our dogs over the generations? Is it the pollutents in our air, our drinking water? Is it stresses in life beyond what is natural/healthy? I don't know the exact answers to those things and I do not have the ability to test or do much about.

Edited March 20, 2011 by Erny

[oakway]

the vet told me that it can take up to 3 months or so for hair to grow back, so i'm just going to have to keep an eye on her and wait it out --- if anything out of the ordinary occurs in the meantime, then i'll get her a referral to a derm

unless there's something else someone can add, this is about the extent of it...

Our Aussie laboratory tests will reveal something if the thyroid issue has progressed to the point that 70% of the thyroid tissue is destroyed. USA tests (Dr Jean Dodds) tests are more thorough and can detect issues a lot sooner than that. Our Aussie analysis is based on the size of the dog. USA tests (Dr Jean Dodds) analysis is based on the size of the dog; the age of the dog; and the breed of the dog.

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