Hair loss


GJBain

Member
I am really getting worried about our Brandy. When we got her as a puppy about a year ago she had thin hair on her neck. Now she has pretty much no hair on her neck. Her hair on her back is thinning now and you can kind of see her skin. Even the hair on her ears is starting to thin. We have had her at the vets a few times and asked first about the thin hair on her neck as a puppy and then the more thining of her hair on her neck. He said it is genetic and some dogs are this way. Now her hair is thinning on her back and ears. Does she have allergies of some kind? Brandy is a beautiful mahogany standard Dachshund and it is killing me to see this happen. The vet had us put her on a fish oil additive in her food which is Taste of the Wild Lamb. The fish oil has definitely helped her hair to be smooth but has done nothing for the thining. She also has all these black spots on her stomach and chest which the vet says he has never ever seen before. Could they both be related somehow????? Not sure what to do next. I can't just let her lose all her hair. Suggestions??
 
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GJBain

Member
Can you post some pictures? With the places losing fur and those black spots
I am at work right now so yes I will try to post pictures tonight. I feel really bad for her, not that she seems to mind at all. I forgot to add she shows no signs of discomfort at all. No itching or anything like that. The black spots on her chest/belly look really really bad but they do not seem to bother her at all either. These spots look so bad it is almost embarassing to show someone as I feel like we are doing something wrong. Like I said our vet said he has seen nothing like this before. We bath her regularly but we do no over bath her for fear of drying out her skin. The breeder kept one of Brandy's sisters for show and has already won some shows with her but she too now has the black spots now and I believe she said she can no longer show her now. I hope we can get this figured out as Brandy is a beautiful Dachshund and it is a shame to see this slowly happening to her.

I would also like to add that where I live is wooded so there are all the things that come with living in the woods like leaves moss and mildew etc. Could it be she is alergic to something like that? We have a decent size lawn but there is a lot of shade and like I said moss and mildew growing around the yard.
 
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GJBain

Member
Here is a picture of Brandy's back:



Here is a close up picture of Brandy's neck:



Here is a picture of the nasty black spots on her chest near her arm pit:

 

GJBain

Member
Our baby is still a beautiful girl. These two pictures are current. Hopefully we can figure out what is going on soon. I don't want her losing anymore hair! HELP!!



 

GJBain

Member
Has you vet mentioned alopecia X?
Not that I know of. What is Alopecia X. I guess I can google it. :) Like I said he gave us a fish oil additive to give he once a day (1 pump it is in a pump bottle) and like I said it has made her coat nice and smooth but nothing as far as helping the hair loss.
 

CaseyKC

Active Member
Alopecia X in dogs is also known as Black Skin Disease. Hair loss, skin darkening, and changes in skin texture may be present. Current thinking suggests that it may be genetic.

It is more common in thick fur breeds, such as husky and pomeranian, but not unheard of in other dog breeds.

Cushings Disease and Adrenal sex hormone imbalance should be ruled out. Blood sample testing can confirm or rule out these disorders, and if Brandy is spay, that would most likely rule out elevated sex hormone imbalance (elevated levels as a cause.)

There is currently no definitive treatment plan, although there is a lot of research going on right now. (Vets may want to try a variety of pharmaceuticals, one at a time to see if one works.) If your vet feels it may be Alopecia X, he might first want you to try melatonin, which seems to have fewer side effects than other drugs, is relatively inexpensive, and available over the counter. Your vet would need to determine the right dosage for Brandy's weight.

I see you live in NY. Are you far from Ithaca? You may want to check with Cornell (School of Vet Med) for a second opinion.

The good news is that Alopecia X does not seem to affect the dog's quality of life, but because it is not attractive, it does concern the dog's loved ones. Some vets suggest you do nothing as there is no definitve "cure," and it doesn't bother the dog.

I am so sorry you and Brandy are experiencing this problem.
 
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GJBain

Member
Brandy is spay. We are 3 hours from Ithica. We are looking at seeing a dog dermatologist now. We'll see how it goes..
 
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