Losing hair on tail in one spot

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gdog
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Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by gdog » Fri Mar 02, 2012 5:36 pm

My 10 mnth old DD has a spot on his tail where he's lost hair. Any thoughts? Doesn't do enough kennel time to rub it off. Doesn't look like its getting worse or better in past week.

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by Cajun Casey » Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:22 pm

Is he chewing on it? Are you 110% sure he has no fleas?
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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by gdog » Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:30 pm

No on the chewing. Fleas are not very common here in UT due to the dry conditions and elevation...so I'm told(?)

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by ezzy333 » Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:49 pm

gdog wrote:No on the chewing. Fleas are not very common here in UT due to the dry conditions and elevation...so I'm told(?)
Very unlikely fleas would cause a lot of hair loss and especially on top ot the tail. That is not where fleas live or dine.

Doesn't appear to be chewed or scratched off either. Think I would just watch and see if it changes.

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by Cajun Casey » Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:05 pm

gdog wrote:No on the chewing. Fleas are not very common here in UT due to the dry conditions and elevation...so I'm told(?)
I believe it on the fleas. Didn't notice your location. I have had dogs rub their tails because of the way they lie against their barrel or house, and especially those that insist on spinning in circles before lying down in the crate, etc., tend to rub hair off through contact.
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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by kj » Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:31 am

Get the dog's thyroid checked. Losing hair on the tail is a common early sign of hypothyroidism (low thyroid).

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by mcbosco » Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:16 am

kj wrote:Get the dog's thyroid checked. Losing hair on the tail is a common early sign of hypothyroidism (low thyroid).
Is the darkening of the skin just in that area?

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by gdog » Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:27 am

mcbosco wrote:
kj wrote:Get the dog's thyroid checked. Losing hair on the tail is a common early sign of hypothyroidism (low thyroid).
Is the darkening of the skin just in that area?

Yes...this is the only area effected. Rest of his coat is very nice and as far as I can see no darkening of his skin anywhere...checked his underside, ears and such.

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by mcbosco » Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:43 am

I remember seeing this on a dog years ago it wasn't mine and I think it was treated with Vitamin E and Zinc and some other medication and it passed. The dog was young and it was due to a short-term hormone imbalance of some kind.

In any event, your vet is best to run this by.

Ahhh now I remember, the guy called it Pseudo-Cushing's Disease.
Last edited by mcbosco on Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by AG74 » Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:48 am

It is probably mange. My GWP lost one little spot on his muzzle, and that's what it was. Mange (deodetic or whatever its called) is not contagious, and doesn't mean you have a hygiene problem. As I understand it, all dogs have this microscopic mite on them, its just when their immune system gets compromised, it can manifest itself.

Anyway, we took the dog in day after we noticed it and they gave us about 15 days of oral liquid treatment. It hasn't gotten any worse, so I'm assuming that it is working and he is getting better.

Nose and tail are the places it will manifest first. Take him to the vet and get checked. Good luck,

Al

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by Sharon » Sat Mar 03, 2012 2:53 pm

Not my dogs. It first appeared on the belly and they lost all their belly hair by the time we get it under control.

i would bet that dog wraps himself up to sleep which puts the tail at his mouth and he ...................

PS I'm glad there isn't a human health section on the forum. We'd all be diagnosed as dying from cancer before the thread ended.
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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by gdog » Sat Mar 03, 2012 3:18 pm

Sharon wrote:PS I'm glad there isn't a human health section on the forum. We'd all be diagnosed as dying from cancer before the thread ended.
:mrgreen:

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by AG74 » Sat Mar 03, 2012 3:35 pm

Sharon wrote:Not my dogs. It first appeared on the belly and they lost all their belly hair by the time we get it under control.

i would bet that dog wraps himself up to sleep which puts the tail at his mouth and he ...................

PS I'm glad there isn't a human health section on the forum. We'd all be diagnosed as dying from cancer before the thread ended.
OK, sorry, I read somewhere in the internet that muzzle and tail were "usually" the first places it would manifest itself. Of course, it could manifest anywhere on the coat, I'd imagine.

So, Sharon, do you think the OP's dog does NOT have mange?

Demodedic mange is the one I was talking about, not contagious. Scarcoptic mange is contagious and sounds pretty bad, if you get it. I'd still take him by the vet to see what they think. Good luck.

Al

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by mcbosco » Sat Mar 03, 2012 3:48 pm

Even so, a demodex outbreak is due to an immune issue, whether temporary & common or not, or some other problem.

I have seen demodex on rescues but have never seen dark skin, and it usually has a very distinct odor. Most I have seen were symmetrical areas on the face, muzzle and forelegs.

I'm sure your vet will know.

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by AG74 » Sat Mar 03, 2012 4:02 pm

mcbosco wrote:Even so, a demodex outbreak is due to an immune issue, whether temporary & common or not, or some other problem.

I have seen demodex on rescues but have never seen dark skin, and it usually has a very distinct odor. Most I have seen were symmetrical areas on the face, muzzle and forelegs.

I'm sure your vet will know.
Right, and I'm unclear as to what "immune issue" or "compromised immune system" etc, etc, means. All the internet articles I've read state somehting about immune system problems. I'm guessing that a perfectly fit and healthy dog like mine gets mange because....? When I catch a cold, its due to an immune system problem, right? So, not enough sleep, stress at work, too many beers...? Those would all contribute to immune sys problems, right? A day or two after my dog showed a small spot on the muzzle that was d. mange, I also found out he had worms...... so, could that have been enough to weaken his immune system enough for a little spot of mange to develop? I'm not really sure - this has all been a little bewildering to me. But he got some good meds that seem to be doing the trick!

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by gdog » Sat Mar 03, 2012 4:05 pm

Going to watch for a few days and if it doesn't look to be getting better, we'll visit the vet. Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it.

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by Sharon » Sat Mar 03, 2012 10:18 pm

[quote="AG74So, Sharon, do you think the OP's dog does NOT have mange?
Demodedic mange is the one I was talking about, not contagious. Scarcoptic mange is contagious and sounds pretty bad, if you get it. I'd still take him by the vet to see what they think. Good luck.
Al[/quote]


I really have no idea what the dog has . I always go with the simplest possiblity - chewing on his tail. I don't give a diagnosis unless I am quite sure I know what it is. You said the meds may have kept the hair loss from increasing but didn't fix the problem. That's not much help.When it comes to this kind of thing you can quickly add up 10 visits to the vet and not have the problem solved. I normally just watch the problem and only to go to the vet if it becomes worse. I'm not saying I do this for every problem but definately for hair loss.
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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by ezzy333 » Sat Mar 03, 2012 11:13 pm

AG74 wrote: So, Sharon, do you think the OP's dog does NOT have mange?

Al
There is no way anyone on this board knows what the dog has if anything. That is the reason vets require you to bring the dog in and even after that they don't always know. It always seems presumptuous for anyone to diagnose over the Internet.
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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by AG74 » Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:28 am

Sharon wrote:Not my dogs. It first appeared on the belly and they lost all their belly hair by the time we get it under control.

i would bet that dog wraps himself up to sleep which puts the tail at his mouth and he ...................

PS I'm glad there isn't a human health section on the forum. We'd all be diagnosed as dying from cancer before the thread ended.
OK, I wasn't going to say anything, but this, Sharon, is a pretty judgmental and fairly impolite comment at the end of your post. The OP asked if anyone had any ideas. Some people replied with their ideas. Remember, FREE advice on the internet is worth exactly what you pay for it. :wink:

I, for one, recognized the look of the OP's dog's tail and it very closely resembled the skin of my dog, who the vet just diagnosed with demodedic mange. So, that is what I suggested as a possibility. I didn't make a diagnosis, I just made the OP aware that mange could be a possibility (or probability in my mind). In any event, he can take whatever he wants from that. Personally, I'm glad I brought my dog to the vet a day after the spot manifested, because it was verified, positively identified, as demodeditc mange. And I'm glad I didn't "wait and see" because it could have gotten worse or out of control. I would think you could relate to that, based on your previous experience above.

As far as the meds on my dog, I can see this morning that they are working as his fur is beginning to grow back in that spot and it did not get any worse, which the vet warned "may" happen.

And to Ezzy, I don't think anyone on here made a "diagnosis" of the OP's photo. I simply asked Sharon if she would rule mange out (ie - NOT having mange). I think its presumptious of you to presume that a "diagnosis" was made in this thread, when none were...

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by Sharon » Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:37 pm

I apologize if i offended you. That was not my intent.
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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by AG74 » Mon Mar 05, 2012 6:56 pm

Sharon wrote:I apologize if i offended you. That was not my intent.

Thank you Sharon, I appreciate that.

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by ezzy333 » Mon Mar 05, 2012 7:14 pm

AG74 wrote: And to Ezzy, I don't think anyone on here made a "diagnosis" of the OP's photo. I simply asked Sharon if she would rule mange out (ie - NOT having mange). I think its presumptious of you to presume that a "diagnosis" was made in this thread, when none were...
AG74 wrote:It is probably mange. My GWP lost one little spot on his muzzle, and that's what it was.
I probably am wrong but I think this qualifies for a diagnosis and it is based on someihing you saw once. Just want to tell you I wasn't offended in the least. I was and still am concerned about people making a diagnosis from a picture on the internet But you and Sharon both have the right to express your opinion and if someone is offended with that it is there problem and not the poster. If it was an offensive statement then everyone that read it would be offended and not just one individual. Think about it.

Hope we find out what the problem is or even if it is a problem. I didn't see anything in the picture that would have concerned me but realize pictures don't often show what is really happening.

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It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!

Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by Griffsmom » Tue Mar 06, 2012 8:41 am

I would go and have a thyroid test. Our WPG started to loose hair just like that spot on her tail too. We treated with antibiotic cream and chemical shampoo and nothing helped. Finally checked the thyroid and that was it. We put her on one pill in the morning and a half at night, probably in less than a week the hair started to grow and filled in the spot. At least the pills are cheap and she eats it just like a treat. Good luck.

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by mountaindogs » Tue Mar 06, 2012 9:22 am

Diagnosing skin issues is tough even for vets. For many "atopy" and demodex are the go to easy answers after they rule out just a few other things. I think many would rather refer you than deal with dermatology. Most importantly, diagnosing anything is a whole picture situation. Hypothyroidism in dogs is usually accompanied by a lowered metabolism, less energy, inceaced weight,
sometimes increased thirst, often dry brittle and thinning fur.
Itchy or not
Dry fur or greasy or normal
appetite
weight gain or loss
thirst
Changes in diet, environment, stress
Recent illness, vaccination, or travel
inside dog or outside
crated often or not
don't answer these for me, I am not a vet, but realize that all of this matters and goes together to get the whole picture
Good luck.

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by mcbosco » Tue Mar 06, 2012 10:32 am

I am in Ezzy's camp on this, but I would still seek a Vet's advice.

This dog's age suggests to me that this is transitional and will pass.

However, I would carefully review the level and type of zinc in the dog's food. Some dogs just don't absorb zinc well and much of the zinc put in dog foods is in there to mitigate the absorption of copper so it gets wasted.

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Re: Losing hair on tail in one spot

Post by gdog » Tue Mar 06, 2012 10:45 am

Again..thanks for the replies. Wasn't expecting pin-point diagnosis via web pic...just some ideas to go on.

Dog is very well all around. Tons of energy, no lack of appetite and the rest of his coat looks really good. Spot on tail hasn't gotten any bigger nor looks any worse. Not biting, scratching or bothersome in any manner.

Watching it closely for a few more days to see if any changes good or bad.

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