coat seems to be thinning

Hi,

For the last week or so we have seen a new behaviour in Sasha, when shut in her crate she has started to scratch her neck, seems to be first thing in the morning. She doesnt scratch during the day when we are with her. I have washed it warm water and applied a anthisan and aloe vera cream as I thought it was an allergy to something. Surely if it was an allergy she would scratch at it all the time ?????? Because we noticed it was happening when she was in her crate last night we left the crate door open. When we got up this morning she had chewed up a brand new pair of trainers and the bead curtain on the garden door. She has never ever chewed anything in the house up before and has been left alone with shoes etc before its normally bits in the garden that she chews. Dont know what else I can do to stop her scratching her neck now xx

Sorry also this morning I noticed that the fur on her shoulder blade areabseems to be thinning, not sure if this is where shes losing her winter coat she is eating, drinking etc fine and nothing has changed around her. Have washed her bedding in just water just in case it was the detergent we use xx

The coat thinning could be down to the time of year ie: summetime coat coming through.

Have you tried giving her an antihistamine to stop the scratching ?

Hi yes I have thing is she doesn't scratch during the day, I think its the time between when we let her out for a week around 5.30 and when we get up around an hour later xx

If she goes out in the garden you may something in there that doesn't agree with her ??

I did use weed killer on the patio but it said that it was safe for pets once dry so I did it last thing at night and kept her in until the next morning apart from that there are no plants as she has dug them up when she was younger so I didnt bother to replace them. She hasnt got access to all of the garden most is paved xx

Hi Jan I had the same with Vin on his face only at nght when crated, it can become such a habit so like you I started to leave door open, thankfully he has his filled frozen kong and nothing was chewed at all. But his fur came back on his face and no probs since   

Bacchus's coat is the thinnest I've ever seen it just now but we've had a mild winter plus a brilliant summer so far even here in Aberdeen, so putting it down to that.

Have you tried cod liver oil tablets ? They're great for enhancing a healthily shinny dog coat , also good for their joints   

Maximus green wrote:Have you tried cod liver oil tablets ? They're great for enhancing a healthily shinny dog coat , also good for their joints   

I was under the impression that cod liver oil was ok for pups but not for adult dogs?? I used to supplement Bacchus's diet with salmon oil but his present food ( Natural Instinct ) contains omega 3 oils.

Hi everyone, thank you for your replies but im really stressing now she has stopped scratching her neck and it is healing BUT while brushing her last night I noticed that she has raised spots all down her spine on her left shoulder and around her left ear. It doesn't seem to be bothering her im now wondering if its avreaction to the food she is eating. As mentioned above she is being a real fussy eater and a couple of weeks ago she stopped eating for 3 days was just refusing anything that I offered her. The only food I can get her to eat is WAGG dry food with Tesco chunks in gravy mixed in. I know this is pretty rubbish but its the only thing she will eat. Ive only ever fed her chicken food before but obviously the wet food is different ie beef, rabbit, lamb etc I now thinking that it could be this. Anyway im taking her to the vet this morning and will see what they say but I bet its something in the food, may have to put her back onto the dry food bought from the vet surgery although this is very expensive xx

Sorry her coat is otherwise lovely, its still shiny and glossybas we do give her fish oil and rub in natural coconut oil in every now and then xx

Have you thought about using a raw diet, it normally sorts out all the diet problems and lots of others as well. Its can be very cheap if you are prepare to ask butchers for scraps and waste and prepare your dogs food yourself, you can also but pre prepared portions from various companies. There is a good beginners giude on this forum and loads of other help on the internet.

Hi its something to look into, feeding her is a blooming nightmare and the food she is on is total rubbish. Ive got an appointment at the vets at 5pm today so hopefully they will have some idea of what is causing it. Thing is the spots arent bothering her at all, no scratching etc ??????

Agree with peardrop. I would try her on a raw complete such as Natural Instinct. ( There are anumber of suppliers but this is the only one I use so can't comment on the others). It might be an idea to avoid the chicken varieties as many dogs have now developed an allergy to chicken. The raw complete meals are very easy to feed as there are guidlines on portion sizes on the packaging. At our club we have recently persuaded two people who have dogs with allergies to switch and the results have been amazing. One of the dogs was on daily medication and being bathed twice weekly with medicated shampoo and his skin has cleared completely in a matter of weeks.
You really have nothing to lose and your dog has everything to gain.
Good Luck.

Hi Reuben, im just taking her to the vets now, but will research the raw diet online when I get back. Im assuming by raw you mean uncooked meat, the only place that does that locally is pets at home and its predominately pet mince, tripe etc so not sure how much nutritional element is in that it doesnt look very good. But I will have a look at the guidance on here, even if it isnt an allergy to the food I still want to get her off it as im sure you're aware that it isn't very good food to be feeding her anyway xx

janfrost489 wrote:Hi Reuben, im just taking her to the vets now, but will research the raw diet online when I get back. Im assuming by raw you mean uncooked meat, the only place that does that locally is pets at home and its predominately pet mince, tripe etc so not sure how much nutritional element is in that it doesnt look very good. But I will have a look at the guidance on here, even if it isnt an allergy to the food I still want to get her off it as im sure you're aware that it isn't very good food to be feeding her anyway xx

Yes uncooked. Check out Natural Instinct, it's available on-line and contains huiman grade meat with the addition of vegetables, fruit, crushed bone, some vitamins and salmon oil. A word to the wise...don't know what kind of relationship you have with your vet, but some vets who stock dried food will try to steer you towards the brands they stock as it's in their interest to sell you these products. They may well be excellent products, as dried goes, but in my opinion, for your dog's sake give the raw a try.

Sounds like its a fluctuating thyroid problem mia has pus filled spots her skin isnt red itchy mia has the same problem

Hi just got back from the vets and the vet said its either an allergy to the food she is eating or to flea bites. I haven't treated her for fleas as she isnt in contact with other dogs or cats and didnt want to put chemicals on her unnecessarily but I do remember now that a friends dog came into the house a couple of weeks ago but sasha didnt play with her as the other dog went for her im now wondering if she may have even just got one. The vet said that she is looking healthy and her coat is lovely but is going bald in places and she is a healthy weight 20.4kgs. The vet said that the spots are filled with pus stuff but not necessarily itchy. So we have been given a course of antibiotics and steriods which cost £120.00. While I was in there they had natural instinct raw food in there its abit pricey and she should be having 500g tray a day at the vets prices it will cost £60.00 per month to feed her. I have brought a couple of trays to see how she goes I just hope the tablets work and she gets better gotta take her back for check up on Friday xx

How much does your dog wiegh? you should feed between 2 and 3 % of body wieght depending on acttivity levels. If your dog wieghs 15kg you should feed them between 300 and 450 grams. In my experiance its nearer to 2% (300g) is better its very easy to over feed and end up with an over wieght dog.
I feed my four staffies raw and it costs me less than 1 euro a day, most of the food i get them is free, the only thing i buy regulary is offal, it is possible to feed raw for very little money.
Good luck with raw feeding its worth the hassle in the end.

janfrost489 wrote:Hi just got back from the vets and the vet said its either an allergy to the food she is eating or to flea bites. I haven't treated her for fleas as she isnt in contact with other dogs or cats and didnt want to put chemicals on her unnecessarily but I do remember now that a friends dog came into the house a couple of weeks ago but sasha didnt play with her as the other dog went for her im now wondering if she may have even just got one. The vet said that she is looking healthy and her coat is lovely but is going bald in places and she is a healthy weight 20.4kgs. The vet said that the spots are filled with pus stuff but not necessarily itchy. So we have been given a course of antibiotics and steriods which cost £120.00. While I was in there they had natural instinct raw food in there its abit pricey and she should be having 500g tray a day at the vets prices it will cost £60.00 per month to feed her. I have brought a couple of trays to see how she goes I just hope the tablets work and she gets better gotta take her back for check up on Friday xx

Bacchus is 20 kilos and I give him 450 gr per day of Natural Instinct. It's cheaper to buy direct especially if she likes it and you can buy in bulk ( 36 kilos + ) and you get free delivery. Depending on the meat chosen I can feed him for about £1.50 per day.

Hi Reuben, I just paid £4.95 for 2 x 500g trays of chicken and lamb, the vet said she should be on 450g a day but will definitely benefit from being on a raw diet, may have to have a look online to see if I can buy it in bulk I have 2 freezers so should have enough room. Do you have the website where you buy yours from ???? x