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thinning fur.. sorry not cavalier but i need to know

angelmommy

Well-known member
well my 12 and a half week old chihuahua pup is looking rather patchy on her back its a long strip down the centre of her back about an inch wide and it looks as though fur does when they have chewed it too much (i.e flea infestation) but i have treated for fleas and searched all my dogs over and over to triple make sure after noticing bindis back but non of them have fleas.
her skin is not sore just the fur seems really thin and not right. it doesnt seem to irratate her eother and i think i just need to put my mind at rest about it because i know it is there.
i am thinking maybe a shampoo i used or possibly the sea water as we have been the beach alot in the nice weather or possibly just because of the heat. im not too sure and i will have the vet check her over when i take her to be chipped unless it gets worse in which case ill take her right away.. do any of you guys have any ideas?
 
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Sorry can't give you any sound advice, and you said you'll be taking her to see the vet, I've got to say though Bindi is just adorable, you are lucky:) .:xfngr: everything turns out ok with her fur.
 
thanks guys hope ya dont mind me posting it here... if its any consalation angel (my cavie) is worried too hehe
erm i was researching online and apparently blue or fawn chihuahuas can get a disease called color mutant alopecia. bindi is a fawn and it says it mainly affects the blue gene though but bindi has a grey strip down her back where the fur is thinned out so im thinking maybe she has that as when i was reading through alot of it fitted like the fur starting to thin on the back and then spreading to other blue areas and the skin isnt itchy at first but it can become inflamed later in life. worry is there is no cure so it would be summit litttle bindi would have to live with.. must remember this name to ask the vet about it and after reading that i think im gonna go sooner rather than later probably monday as its the donkey darby this weekend so vet is only open for emergencies
 
She is adorable!! Do you have her on a high quality food?

What is the donkey darby?? :)
 
My sister's dog has something similar (also half blue chihuaha). We spent about $400 on skin scrapings and the like with no definitive diagnosis (but definitely not mites or mange). The vet said it was possibly the gene that you mentioned. But we also had good success putting him on an allergy restricted diet.

Good luck and hope it is nothing too serious. I would try not to worry until you can get to the vet.
 
Hi angelmommy! I have a blue chi and we are having the same prob. We've had skin scrapings, blood tests, and changed his food and the drs don't know what is causing the hair loss on his back. They mentioned that the blue's get that alopecia. All they were able to recommend to me was to put him on melatonin. Yes, its the same thing we humans take to regulate our sleep cycle! He's been on it for about 2 weeks now and we have noticed no more hair loss but we haven't noticed any more hair loss.
 
She is adorable!! Do you have her on a high quality food?

What is the donkey darby?? :)

i have her on hero puppy.. tinned 3 times a day and then i leave the hero puppy biscuits down all the time. i have all my dogs on hero and no problems but i might be moving angel onto a holistic diet soon because i was told its better for her by a nutritionist. to be honest i have no idea which food is best for them although i researched months before i got her till weeks after she came home everyone has a different opinion and it confused me so i decided to stick to a food we have always used :)

the donkey darby is a yearly thing here in north wales. there is all sorts of fun day dog shows. fair ground rides carboots bonnie baby competitions wet t-shirt competition knobbly knees competitions and then their is stuff like horse show jumping and police dog exbidition (i love that bit )and there is a race thingy where kids used to race on donkeys but for insurance reasons they now use teddies with numbers on LOL and there is just loads lol

i havent really been in a couple of years. i dont know why coz i always loved it as a kid its a great day out and only up the road so i had no exscuse would have just rathered be doing other things at the time lol
 
Hi angelmommy! I have a blue chi and we are having the same prob. We've had skin scrapings, blood tests, and changed his food and the drs don't know what is causing the hair loss on his back. They mentioned that the blue's get that alopecia. All they were able to recommend to me was to put him on melatonin. Yes, its the same thing we humans take to regulate our sleep cycle! He's been on it for about 2 weeks now and we have noticed no more hair loss but we haven't noticed any more hair loss.

thanks guys for all your help and LOL mom2lola. i used to take my brothers melatonin to help me sleep but it doesnt work anymore .. pffft
does the vet prescribe him it in a form for dogs? lol stupid question i know and im not giving her any until i speak with the vet obviously ... just curious lol
lani.... what diet did your sister put him on??

thanks again to you all
 
It is the same form we take. I give him 3mg twice daily. I just mix it with his food (natural balance venison and potato). Also, be careful which type of treats you give them when you have them on an allergy formula food. I give Paco duck and sweet potato treats or carrots.
 
If the puppy came from a reputable breeder, that should be the person you also contact as well as getting the puppy immediately to a vet, especially if the puppy has an inherited skin condition that the breeder will NOT want to continue in her lines. Any health-focused breeder will want and need to know you are seeing this in a puppy of their breeding.

Chihuahuas are a breed with a lot of potential health issues so it is extremely important to work with a reputable show breeder that has a strong health focus and give them the feedback on any health issues that come up that could be genetically related. :) Your breeder should also have insight that will help your vet figure out what is going on. In the meantime, you need to keep the puppy totally segregated and quarantined from ALL your animals til you determine what this is because of the problem is mange or similar, it can spread to every single animal in the house and is very hard to treat. I would also remove all bedding the puppy has been on and boil wash it and keep other dogs off any areas the chihuahua has been.

PS I'd very strongly advise getting the puppy onto dry food for at least half the meals (as for all dogs!) -- eating tinned is setting the pup up for gum disease later on. Also trainers and vets will all advise never ever to leave food down during the day but especially not in a multi-dog household -- you cannot easily monitor who is eating what which is very useful for monitoring overall health, and also you are creating a potential food guarding and fight environment, as well as a situation in which the dogs will overeat or become finicky eaters or manipulative, holding out for other food. Better to just give them all 10 minutes in *separate* areas or crates to eat then lift their food. (y)
 
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