Hi all,

I am hoping to get some help with a confusing 'problem' that has cropped up with one of my girls (age 2).

A year ago, I noticed a scaly, flaky patch on her back; within a few days, she had a large bald spot (3" or so). Took her to the vet, where they did multiple tests, scrapings, the whole works. Inconclusive. I put her on a coat supplement (Efavite) and it cleared up.

The same thing started cropping up again, 3 weeks ago. She is in full coat (just finished estrus--not sure if that is a factor). The flaky skin has appeared again, with some dry scabs if you look closely. She is losing guard hairs, and here's the strange thing: there is about 1/2" of white (she is black) at the root end of each hair. The vet did the routine again, noting that it is some sort of infection and sent samples in for a fungus culture, which hasn't come back yet. In the meantime I am shampooing her with a medicated shampoo (KetoChlor), which is helping.

She is not itching, has no fleas, there has been no change in diet, she hasn't gone anywhere out of the ordinary (in terms of water, etc.) She is beautiful and happy and doesn't have any idea that something is amiss.

We are all scratching our heads over this one...

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or help.

Nancy

If it was a year ago it happened before, a dermatologist would want to rule out an allergen causing the problem. Also, if she was in heat a year ago, hormones can cause these weird things, too.
Hope the shampoo gets rid of it, and let us know if they come up with a diagnosis!

Are you using any kind of frontline type product on her? One of my dogs had a poor reaction to it and developed a spot of crusty skin and lost the the hair in the area.

Is it pretty much the same time of year that it happened as last year?
Is there any spots of thinning patches elsewhere?

Have they ruled out seasonal (cyclical) alopecia? Really doesn't sound like it fits the "pattern" being it's on back though. Maybe have a couple punch biopsies done, where they'll take a couple from the affected area and a couple from non affected areas, then send off to pathology.

I have seen something like this from Frontline Plus not the original. But right at neck where you dot it on.

She is on Frontline, but is due for another dose.

Val, I will mention seasonal (cyclical) alopecia to my vet. It's not exactly the same time of year; last time it was in late June. It's only on her back. No thinning or bare patches anywhere else. She shouldn't be shedding, as she blew her coat a couple of months ago. The only hair she is losing is guard hairs. It's really weird.

Thanks so much for your input. We'll get down to the bottom of this soon, I hope!

Nancy

I had a bitch with the same symptoms and the fungal culture came back positive. The vet gave me a malaseb shampoo and miconazole (sp?) but said I could have gotten it at the pharmacy as well, it's for athlete's foot. It cleared up in a few weeks and we did not need oral meds. if you have a blacklight, those white roots of the hairs will glow if it is fungal.

Hmmm. I do have a black light; I'll check it out. The results should be back at the vet by now, too.

Thanks so much for your help!

Nancy


["I had a bitch with the same symptoms and the fungal culture came back positive. The vet gave me a malaseb shampoo and miconazole (sp?) but said I could have gotten it at the pharmacy as well, it's for athlete's foot. It cleared up in a few weeks and we did not need oral meds. if you have a blacklight, those white roots of the hairs will glow if it is fungal."]