bare butt

M

merrydorrell

Forums Regular
Slightly odd tital but it's true. in the last year or two my shelty has decided to lose all the hair on his backside from mid back to his tail and this year it's actually gotten on his tail. he's constantly scratching at it. for a while i thought it was mites or mange but when we went to the vet they said it was just dry skin and to try a new shampoo. so we switched shampoos, and now it honestly seems like it's getting worse.

my question :

is this something that happens to all shelty's as they age? they just lose their hair on their backside?
 
Sounds like allergies or Thyroid disease.

I would seek a second oppinion or ask your vet to do blood test to rule out Thyroid disease. My first sheltie Jewel Lost her total undercoat and had what I thought was just dry skin but when the vet did a blood test it was discovered she had thyroid disease and with meds it helped stop the progress of hair loss but she never regained the hair she lost.:eek2: Best of luck and please keep us informed. This is not normal.
 
Indy also lost the hair on his tail...to a combination of thyroid problems and Emma pulling on his tail.

I second the suggestion for a thyroid panel test.
 
With that much hair loss, I would go for a 2nd opinion. Is it just the tail or anywhere else? How old is your pup? Thyroid, as they get older, is not uncommon.

What kind of shampoo are you using, btw?
 
I agree that you should get blood work done. When our Katie was having allergy troubles she never lost her coat. That seem's a bit odd to me. Keep us posted on what it turns out to be.
 
merrydorrell said:
Slightly odd tital but it's true. in the last year or two my shelty has decided to lose all the hair on his backside from mid back to his tail and this year it's actually gotten on his tail. he's constantly scratching at it. for a while i thought it was mites or mange but when we went to the vet they said it was just dry skin and to try a new shampoo. so we switched shampoos, and now it honestly seems like it's getting worse.

my question :

is this something that happens to all shelty's as they age? they just lose their hair on their backside?
Click to expand...

This is exactly the hair loss pattern that our sheltie Holly has. She's been diagnosed with "Alopecia X" ... which is simply hair loss from unknown causes. She's being treated with thyroid pills (Thyroxin), melatonin and fish oil tabs. Her hair is growing back now but very slowly.

I'd have his thyroid tested. In the meantime, watch out for overexposure to sunlight as his bare skin will burn.
 
Here I go. See if this helps until you see what tests have to be done. Skin problems just aggravate me to death for the dogs and owners.

Rub that bare area first with with Seabreeze, its an antisceptic. Then get a
triple anti-biotic ointment and rub that in. Both can be purchased at a drugstore. I did this with a dog I had and it really did help, before my shelties.

Your little furkid like the posters stated could be allergic to something in the grass, fleas, food, or it could be something else, like a thyroid problem.

Where there is hair around that area, see if the base next to the skin is like cotton candy looking, and it is just falling off. Its like each folicle of hair has heavy dandruff around it.

I use an oatmeal shampoo, with a conditioner. I rinse more then I shampoo.

My very best to you and your pal.
 
When my first Sheltie had mange (which she got during a procedure at my old vet's office) it took them months to diagnose it. I kept taking her back, they kept giving her prednisone, and she kept getting worse. She also lost the hair around her tail, and bit and scratched constantly. I finally took her to a canine dermatologist who took one look and said it was mange. If you can find one, I'd have a canine dermatologist look at your pup. They can determine what tests should be done and what the best meds would be. If there isn't one in your area, I'd definitely get a second opinion from another vet. These skin things are so tough on the pups! Good luck and let us know what happens.
 
I agree with the others. Get thyroid checked. My buddy has a thyroid problem and suffered hair loss . He devoloped a skin yeast infection which hypothyroid condition makes him prone to. I do bathe him with t gel shampoo for humans which has coal tar in it. Helps the itching! Leaves his dys skin soft and the hair has been coming back nicely!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top