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-   -   Chihuahua Skin/Coat Problems - Help - Pics (http://www.dogbanter.com/showthread.php?t=32678)

[email protected] April 3rd 07 05:31 AM

Chihuahua Skin/Coat Problems - Help - Pics
 
My 2 year old chihuahua recently started losing it's hair, in
patches. I took him to the vet and they didn't know what it was, but
tested it for ring/heart worms. The tests came back negative and no
other explanation was offered. Any ideas? Please see pics

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC05164.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC05163.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC05161.jpg


flick April 3rd 07 07:34 AM

Chihuahua Skin/Coat Problems - Help - Pics
 
wrote in message
oups.com...
My 2 year old chihuahua recently started losing it's hair, in
patches. I took him to the vet and they didn't know what it was, but
tested it for ring/heart worms. The tests came back negative and no
other explanation was offered. Any ideas? Please see pics

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC05164.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC05163.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...s/DSC05161.jpg


Disclaimer: I am not a vet. Follow my advice at your own risk, etc., blah
blah blah.

Heartworms don't cause hair loss, to my knowledge. That's an internal
parasite, in the bloodstream and heart. Ringworm is a skin fungus. It sure
looks like ringworm to me.

Here is a page about ringworm. It's mostly aimed at cats:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Con...=0&SourceID=42

The best idea would be to get another opinion from another vet.

If she were my dog, and if she's not suffering or scratching horribly (so
that I'd want to run to another vet), I would give her a lime sulfur dip
every 3-4 days to see if the hair started to grow back. It's a fairly
benign treatment. Buy powdered sulfur in the garden supply section of your
closest big store, like Mal-Wart ;-). It's inexpensive.

Mix one part powder with 10 parts warm water. Shake well to mix it.
Shampoo your dog, rinse her well, and dip her with the sulfur water, and do
not rinse it off. Towel dry with something that you don't mind staining.
She'll stink, and it can stain clothing and furniture. Sorry about that.

The sulfur dip is also effective for sarcoptic mange.

Follow the other advice in the article about cleaning well, so that you are
removing as much infective material from his environment as possible.

Post back and let us know how it works out for you and your dog. He's cute!

flick 100785




[email protected] April 3rd 07 09:04 PM

Chihuahua Skin/Coat Problems - Help - Pics
 
Thanks for the information. I just called the vet and the lab results
came back negative for a fungus. I've made another appointment for
him this weekend to get re-checked.



Tara April 3rd 07 09:38 PM

Chihuahua Skin/Coat Problems - Help - Pics
 
wrote in news:1175630684.390124.108030
@o5g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:

Thanks for the information. I just called the vet and the lab results
came back negative for a fungus. I've made another appointment for
him this weekend to get re-checked.



Is he neutered?

I honestly have zero idea about the hair loss, but I did once see baldness
in an unneutered Chi that the vet said was testosterone related. Sort of
the dog version of "Male pattern baldness", I guess.

Tara

[email protected] April 3rd 07 11:58 PM

Chihuahua Skin/Coat Problems - Help - Pics
 
Tara,

He is not neutered (yet). We've been meaning to get him neutered for
the past 2 months, but something always comes up on the morning we
have to take him. The vet said it looks like the hair won't ever grow
back because the follicles looked damaged (??). I thought that was
weird..and kind of sux. I'll have to keephim away from the mirror or
his confidence will be shot.


flick April 4th 07 02:43 AM

Chihuahua Skin/Coat Problems - Help - Pics
 
wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks for the information. I just called the vet and the lab results
came back negative for a fungus. I've made another appointment for
him this weekend to get re-checked.


According to that article, sometimes the lab tests will be negative, but the
dog will have ringworm.

When you go back this weekend, ask your vet about using the sulfur dip. It
is kind of old-fashioned and messy, but it is effective, and much less
expensive than the oral antifungals like griseofulvin. It would most likely
not do the dog any harm, anyway. But if you're taking him back to the vet,
don't use it until he sees him again, in case he wants to take another
scraping.

flick 100785



[email protected] April 8th 07 06:38 AM

Chihuahua Skin/Coat Problems - Help - Pics
 
Just an update.

The vet took another sample to test it for different forms of mange
(Ring Worms were ruled out in the last visit). It also came back
negative, so they want to take a biopsy to send to a pathologist.
They scheduled the biopsy for 2 weeks, same day I'm getting him
neutered, and for the meantime they want me to wash him 5 times in
this special shampoo and keep him on antibiotics. They said it didn't
look serious, and they just think it may be genetic hair loss. My vet
hasn't seen anything like it.


flick April 8th 07 01:53 PM

Chihuahua Skin/Coat Problems - Help - Pics
 
wrote in message
oups.com...
Just an update.

The vet took another sample to test it for different forms of mange
(Ring Worms were ruled out in the last visit). It also came back
negative, so they want to take a biopsy to send to a pathologist.
They scheduled the biopsy for 2 weeks, same day I'm getting him
neutered, and for the meantime they want me to wash him 5 times in
this special shampoo and keep him on antibiotics. They said it didn't
look serious, and they just think it may be genetic hair loss. My vet
hasn't seen anything like it.


Thanks a lot for posting the update. I'll be interested to see what the
biopsy says, too.

flick 100785




kittyluver April 8th 07 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flick (Post 296472)
oups.com...
Just an update.

The vet took another sample to test it for different forms of mange
(Ring Worms were ruled out in the last visit). It also came back
negative, so they want to take a biopsy to send to a pathologist.
They scheduled the biopsy for 2 weeks, same day I'm getting him
neutered, and for the meantime they want me to wash him 5 times in
this special shampoo and keep him on antibiotics. They said it didn't
look serious, and they just think it may be genetic hair loss. My vet
hasn't seen anything like it.


Thanks a lot for posting the update. I'll be interested to see what the
biopsy says, too.

flick 100785

Hi,
Have you ever check the fecal sample? The condition seems to be your dog is suffering from some kind of worms- Nematodes or cestodes.

Check for the pustules in the abdominal area. If there is any pustules, it may due to visceral larva migrans.

Keep posting- Eager to see the results....

[email protected] April 16th 07 11:48 PM

Chihuahua Skin/Coat Problems - Help - Pics
 
I just thought you all would like to know I figured out the reason to
the above problem.

When I took him back to the vet they told me he was down in weight
from the last time I brough him in, only 6 weeks earlier. He went
from 3lbs 6oz to 3lbs. The next time I fed my two chihuahua's I stood
behind the door to observe their behavior. The other chihuahua (the
bigger of the two) would run from one bowl to the other to make sure
the little one didn't eat anything. He'd get a few bites from time to
time, but it normally led to a fight. The bigger chi of course
wouldn't start this behavior until I left the room, so I never had a
reason to suspect it, but the smaller dog must of been malnurited.
After that doctors visit, I started feeding the smaller dog without
the bigger dog in the room. Within a week new hair growth started,
and he was looking much healthier. The reason for the change in
behavior was I had to change dry dog food (which I keep in a bowl all
day). They really liked this food, but I would also feed them wet
food once a day. The new dry food I get (due to walmart dropping the
other brand) neither dog likes. So when it was wet food feeding time
the bigger dog ate it all, and the smaller dog would go all day and
not the dry food.

Thanks for all your help.





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