That happens to humans too! I guess with time her hair and skin will return to normal
That is interesting. How do we "know" if it is a staph infection or if she needs more antibiotics? We will be going back in the next couple of weeks so I can bring this all up then since it doesn't seem like it warrants an immediate vet visit right?Lady is prone to staph infections since she is diabetic (weak immune system) and that can cause hair loss. That may be what you are seeing, not hair loss from her thyroid imbalance.
Dogs naturally carry staph on their skin. It's only when they become allergic to it or have a weak immune system that it causes an infection. If her skin cleared up, the infection is gone.That is interesting. How do we "know" if it is a staph infection or if she needs more antibiotics? We will be going back in the next couple of weeks so I can bring this all up then since it doesn't seem like it warrants an immediate vet visit right?
I didn't know that. I will ask our vet or Angell Memorial which is the big animal hospital in Boston.I just want to add that there are vets that specialize in treating thyroid issues. It sure would not hurt to at least consult with one in your area. Perhaps you can get a referral from your local Emergency Animal Clinic.:thumbsup:
I would definitely recommend a second opinion with dr jean dodds at www.hemopet.com as that is who we work with as my Dee Dee is hypothyroid. She has thinning of hair and skin and allergy issues. She lost all the hair on her neck but on meds some came back but not all of it sadly. I know melatonin helps with hair growth as dogs with alopecia x take melatonin for this and it works but I would not do any supplementing without consulting on those two things together soloxine and melatonin and you can ask jean and your vet on this.Lilly was diagnosed a few months ago as hypothyroid. She is now on thyroxine. We first tried 1/2 pill 2x day but she was out of control hyper and was peeing and drinking a lot so we took her down to 1/2 pill 1x day. She has reacted well and has her energy back which we are SOOOO happy about. She was totally not interested in walking at all and now we are able to take her for her usual 2 mile evening walk! She is a totally different dog now.
But, she has also had some side effects of hypothyroidism such as thinning hair and skin problems. Will the medication eventually reverse the thinning hair? Are there any supplements that we should be giving her to improve her coat? What about foods, are certain foods better for this?
I would love anyone's advice in dealing with hypothyroidism!!
that is about the time it took on those pics i posted but thinning can also be from allergies too so if your dog has skin and allergy issues then you may still have to deal with thin hair as dd still has thin hair but I did notice when she was on coconut oil her hair and skin was much better so once next blood draw is done she will go back on that and she is also on probiotics.Usually within about 6 weeks of being on the proper dose you will notice a difference if the thinning was due to the thyroid dysfunction.
call Jean Dodds at www.hemopet.com - tell her I sent you and she will discuss with you and read the blood work.I didn't know that. I will ask our vet or Angell Memorial which is the big animal hospital in Boston.
I called the vet today to make an appointment for her blood re-check and I actually talked to the vet. He wants us to come in for an exam so that we can assess the situation. He thought at first that maybe she need to go on an increased dose again but I mentioned that she was exhibiting the excess peeing, thirst, etc. when on the higher dose so he wanted to see her.
See the weird thing is that we didn't notice the hair thinning before her diagnosis or even right after the skin infection which cleared up a month ago. It is just recently. We are going in in a few weeks since it wasn't quite time for the re-check and it isn't an urgent matter. In the meantime I will see if I can find a thyroid specialist and then just do that instead.
Thank you again for all of the great knowledge and advice!
sounds like vet gave too high of doseThanks everyone for your advice! She had her levels checked once about 6 weeks after we started the medication and she will have to have them checked again in a few weeks.
I'm actually thinking of switching vets because of how unknowledgable my vet seems about this. About 3 weeks after we started the medication Lilly had her first skin problems. Her skin was really flaky and she was getting scab like things all over her body. My husband took her to the vet and the vet said it had nothing to do with her thyroid or the medication and that she likely had an allergy induced staff infection. We treated her with antibiotics for 21 days and it has since cleared up. The skin on her back, near where her hair looks as though it is thinning, is still a little dry looking but not bad.
I don't know that I really trust the vet's diagnosis because she has never had any skin problems before and it seems weird that it would just so happen to coincide with her hypothyroid diagnosis and the start of medication. We told the vet that she seemed to be way too hyper, was peeing too much, drinking a lot of water and was restless. We did some re-checks on her levels and they said she was borderline high and only brought her down on the medication because of the behavior she was exhibiting based on what we told them.
I think I will see what happens when we do the next set of re-checks and I will talk to the vet about her thinning hair. She is not balding or anything, her hair just seems to be thinner over her back - like I can see more pink skin than usual. Poor girl! I think she feels better though and definitely has more energy and spunk again which we love of course.