Losing hair around eyes???

• 07-06-2007 9:36 AM

  robinsegg26 Joined on 04-03-2006 Posts 185 Points 30

  Losing hair around eyes??? Reply Contact I noticed last night that Coal (8.5 yr old lab) is losing hair around his eyes.  Only place its thinning.. anybody had this happen before with your dogs??  I dont know what it is and kinda worries me.  Hes eating fine (of course a totally food hog), drinking and doesnt have a fever... hes acting the same as usual.. I dont know if hes been rubbing his face and thats whats going on. They are now staying in the house all day instead of going outside while i am at work...  and they are loving it.. its just too hot here Hes on Eagle pack dog food (fish Formula) and hes been on this for a least a year.. do to allergies we had to switch to this.. and he gets fish oil and carrots (to help fill him up  )added to his food at night...  any ideas what it could be??  was going to call the vet and see what they say... it doesnt seem to be bothering him

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• 07-06-2007 12:55 PM

  In reply to robinsegg26

  janet_rose Joined on 09-10-2007 DFW area, Texas Posts 3,941 Points 330

  RE: Losing hair around eyes??? Reply Contact Have you had his thyroid checked?  Treatment is easy and cheap (a pill twice a day) if this is the problem. A list of possible hypothyroid symptoms can be found in the middle of www.apubasenjis.com/bhealth.html. IMPORTANT:  Send the thyroid test to Dr. Dodds or to Michigan State. That will get your test results adjusted for age and breed. Send a picture and the dog's weight if you don't have a purebred. I don't know if they can actually use that, but it can't hurt. Dr. Jean Dodds (Hemopet) is a thyroid expert and researcher. Michigan State uses her protocols for evaluating thyroid values. The test used provides the values T3, T4, free T3, free T4, T3 autoantibodies, and T4 autoantibodies. http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/HEMOPET.HTM  That site will provide you with forms and information on how much blood to draw.   Another possibility is red mange.  However, this is an immune system issue and could be related to a thyroid problem.  If the vet verifies red (demodectic) mange, please contact CallieCritturs before you use drugs or treat with dips.  Vets largely treat the symptoms (sometimes with toxic stuff) rather than addressing the root problem - the immune system.

  Filed under: Hemopet, thyroid test Post Points: 0

• 07-06-2007 1:03 PM

  In reply to robinsegg26

  robinsegg26 Joined on 04-03-2006 Posts 185 Points 30

  RE: Losing hair around eyes??? Reply Contact thanks.  We had a the full senior panel run this year and did send his thyroid test to michigan state.. came back normal.   hes doing great other than the "acne" under his chin that hes had off and on since he was a pup.. just gets flareups every few months which we treat with antibacterial wash twice a day and now this hair loss around the eye.   would he really be getting mange now at 8.5 yrs old?  He went thru HW treatment almost 2 years ago and had surgery last year getting lumps removed so i would think those instances would stress his immune system enough to bring on mange if it is that.. and its not his whole face thats going bald.. its just around the edges of his eyes.. will just keep an eye on it and if it continues to get worse over the weekend will just take him in to the vets office.

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• 07-06-2007 1:14 PM

  In reply to robinsegg26

  janet_rose Joined on 09-10-2007 DFW area, Texas Posts 3,941 Points 330

  RE: Losing hair around eyes??? Reply Contact robinsegg26: would he really be getting mange now at 8.5 yrs old? He could because it is indicative of an immune system problem.  Those can start at any age.  It would be a very rare dog indeed that did not have any demodectic mites (people, too).  The mites are just normally controlled by a healthy immune system.   Pups sometimes get demodectic mange due to an underdeveloped immune system.  Frequently that problem goes away as the pup gets older.

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• 07-06-2007 4:09 PM

  In reply to robinsegg26

  calliecritturs Joined on 09-10-2007 Central Florida Posts 10,864 Points 3,330

  RE: Losing hair around eyes??? Reply Contact Good call Janet -- I almost never check this at work and saw that title and said "uh oh".   If a dog gets demodex as a 'mature dog' - it's a big fat red flag.  So go have a scraping done -- if it IS demodex at his age then you have to check for things like Cushings or Lupus.    HOWEVER -- you're also talking about chin acne -- does his mouth ever look kinda red-rimmed?  he could be sensitive to something as a contact allergen and that could cause funky things.    The real thing to find out about pretty darned fast is the demodex.  And if it is, give me a shout and I'll send you my article.

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