fur loss ....desperate for advice.......any ideas for my friend?

[rickie]

Just emailed you. Thanks to everyone for all of your suggestions.

[rickie]

here are some pictures of Molly's back. This was before her "tubby". She use to have a pretty thick black shiny coat.

[rickie]

I hope the food helps too. Very pricey though  I paid almost $2 a pound. She's worth every penny though
She hasn't been itchy at all... this is so confusing. The yeast meds have been working, she doesn't have a greasy feeling to her anymore. The tubby helped as well.   guess i best go tend to my outside critters.. 2 horses this site can be addicting. 

[rickie]

It will be a week tomorrow that Molly has been on her new food. She hates it!! I bought some of the Solid Gold canned food, and mix just enough in to coat the morsels. She has 9 more days of the meds she is taking for the yeast control. After that, we will probably be back to the vets.  She is still chasing the cat and playing with Tilly. She still loves to go out for her romp around the yard. At night when we are watching T.V, she lays next to me. While she is sleeping, she shivers, and sometimes her teeth chatter. I always cover her with a blanket. Do you think this is due to lack of hair? She doesn't seem to do it during the day. Any thoughts out there???

[mixedupdog]

Just in case things don't improve, what kind of heartworm meds is she on?  I had a Dane who was very allergic to Ivermectin (heartguard) and her hair fell out in a very similar pattern.  As soon as we switched to a different medication her condition improved rapidly.  We wasted a year on special foods and cortisone shots before we discovered the real cause.

[rickie]

She was tested for Hypothyroidism, even had the blood shipped to Michigan state for indepth testing. Levels came back normal. What is funny is that this morning she ate all her food She must of known that I reported her on here. I am watching her closely for any changes, both good and bad.

[hairprincessnyu]

Hey rickie, sorry I have been a little slow lately. How has the tee tree been working for you? Any improvement at all? I am keeping my fingers crossed for you. Have you thought of looking into Nutro Natural Choice food or Nutro Ultra? Just a thought, I know the natural Choice has been said to improve skin conditions.

check it out if you want
www.nutroprodu cts.com

[rickie]

Update on Molly. We are on week 2 of the Solid Gold Wolfking mixed with a bit of the canned food and warmed in the mic for about 15secs.This is the only way she will eat it. tomorrow is the last day of the meds she is on for the yeast problem. I have only given her 1 bath in the tea tree shampoo (2wks ago), I have been putting a tea tree oil mixed with some vitamins on her coat(what is left of it). Her trembling is concerning me, and I will be calling the vets tomorrow. I need to find out what else they tested for in her blood work. Everything I read sounds like it could be cushings. Reading things on the web can be scary though, and I hope that I am over-reacting. She is the sweetest dog, and I just want her better.

[k2campbell]

Aw - poor Molly.  I hope everything works out alright - definitely let us know what the vet says about the bloodwork.

Sending positive thoughts your way! 

[hairprincessnyu]

has the tea tree ointment helped at ALL?

[paharts]

My Basset has had food issues all her life. I finally gave up on commercial food took to making her own using Sojos [http://www.sojos.com], cooked ground turkey/pork, & veggies that I grind about once/month. Her digestion improved but she still had very flaky skin & sometimes gets a rash on her tummy. A friend suggested I put a raw egg in her food. I did that about 4 times/week for 2 weeks & saw a big difference. I maintain it with an egg 2x/week. She still gets the rash sometimes but I find it's mainly when her and hubby's seasonal allergies flare. When that happens, I give her children's liquid Benedryl.
     I just found a new holistic whole food called Performatrin Ultra [http://www.performatrinultra.com/] & am going to try it. It is very similar to Nutro Ultra but PU has more whole ingredients & added digestive biotics/enzymes. Also, PU has 2 formulas; one with only chicken & the other with only lamb. I prefer to stay away from chicken.

BTW, it took almost a year of vet visits, including with an internal specialist, before we were told to try staying away from beef, chicken & wheat. [I already stay away from soy because of its link to bloat.] I asked about testing & was told they were not very good for their cost; something about inaccurate results, I think. Hopefully they have improved in the last 5 years.

As for her trembling, have you been taking her temp? I wonder if she has a fever. I know Holi will get shivers when she's not feeling well.

[rickie]

I think the tea tree has helped a bit. I really haven't given everything time to "kick" in. I know with things like this, there is not a quick fix. I just want her coat back to the way it was. Good thing is that her activity level is still up. Thanks for your help and concern

[hairprincessnyu]

Hmmm, I am just thinking that if it is fungal or bacterial, the tea tree will clear it up. But, if it something else, the tea tree wouldn't help. So, if it is helping her, that is a good sign!! Hang in there!

[rickie]

I spoke with our vet this afternoon. He felt that if it were Cushings that the blood count for the liver would have been elevated, and it was normal. I will pick up the medicated shampoo form the vets and give her a bath twice a month as he recommended. We will now concentrate on the possible food allergy. I am going to continue her on the SolidGold for a month, then possibly switch her to IVD. He was not certain what to think of her trembling. Possible that she could have a vertabrae (sp?) out of allignment. She doesn't seem to be in pain though. I'll keep you all posted.