Help Needed! Hair loss patch on Lucy

cslafferty

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Jan 17, 2011
26
2
Linden, MI
Bulldog(s) Names
Lola (1/31/11) & Chief (9/18/00-12/30/10)
Bump! Anyone have an idea on the dosage? And should I get this at GNC?

My vet said 3 mg for dogs 26-100 lbs. He said it is also used to calm dogs who are afraid of loud noises, so I was a little worried - if Lola gets any more mellow, she'll be dead!! But I haven't noticed a change in her behavior. He recommended giving it to her before bed, but I've been giving it to her before I go to work in the morning, since she spends the day sleeping in her crate.
 

BrianW

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Feb 17, 2013
220
47
Brown Deer, Wisconsin
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United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Brandi, Jackson, Ca$h, Daisey, Winford, Charlee, Darla, Mack, Babee, Ralphie & Stuart
Our Brandi also had some hair loss (not dark spots) on both of her sides in which we thought were seasonal alopecia or allergies Our vet tested her spots and found out that it was bacterial, and the bacteria was killing her hair follicles. She has 2 medicines that she now has to take for the next 2 weeks to try to get rid of it.
 

LynnA

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Community Veteran
Apr 25, 2012
1,369
38
Maine
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Otis and Winston
I hide all my bullies pills inside cooked PENNE pasta. I boil a small amount each week and keep in refrigerator. They are the perfect size for most pills. Simply stick the pill inside the hole of the pasta.....They are like "pill pockets"....but a lot cheaper. Penne pasta is the best for this. Hope this helps. My dogs love getting their daily pills and supplements.

What a GREAT idea! Thank you for sharing that. I'll say, thats cheaper then pill pockets - I just purchased some for the 1st time Wednesday ($7.99 for 25) and WOW do they stink....it seems the stinkier the better for my guy....lol -
 
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grecoroman

grecoroman

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Dec 7, 2011
46
1
New York, NY
Bulldog(s) Names
Lucy, born 8/3/11
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Hey guys--

Just wanted to report back. I've been trying melatonin for Lucy for the past month 3mg 2x a day. The allopecia has not yet gone away.

Any other ideas?
 

RaRett

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Apr 15, 2012
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194
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USA
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Missi -- With Gizmo and Hershey never far from my heart
Hi all!

Was hoping if you could check out this photo of Lucy. She's had a patch on the right side of her body of missing hair. Vet said a few weeks ago that it could be seasonal allopecia. Taking her back in a few days to get a scrape to see if its mites (I absolutely don't think it is this).

Any ideas?

It most definately looks like SFA (seasonal flank Alopecia) search the threads here, there is alot of talk about it.

SFA is not harmful to the Pups, ugly yes, harmful no. www.flickr.com/rettinger look at the GIZMO folder, you will see her at her worse with it and pictures of her several months later.

- - - Updated - - -

Hey guys--

Just wanted to report back. I've been trying melatonin for Lucy for the past month 3mg 2x a day. The allopecia has not yet gone away.

Any other ideas?

Give it time, by summer you should see a difference..... then next winter, she might lose it again.
 

fosteroni

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Feb 24, 2013
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3
Colorado
Bulldog(s) Names
Foster (3); Harley (2002 - 2010)
Ok, so now I've been online to try and find melatonin suppliments for dogs, and I can't find any! The searches all say yes, indeed, that's the treatment for flank allopecia, but there doesn't seem to be a dog suppliment. Do you all give your dog an adult melatonin suppliment? Lola's not really good about taking pills, so I was hoping for one in a tasty little dog treat form! :D

Both our bullies have had this and take melatonin. Our vet has us use melatonin that you can get from any pharmacy/supermarket. They come in 3mg tablets and our vet says they can have up to 9mg per day. We give them 2 tablets with peanut butter to get them down easily; however, the tablets are very small. We only give two tabs because a side effect of melatonin is drowsiness. Even when the fur grows back, we continue to give the melatonin as their fur falls out again without it.

We have found that oil supplements work better than melatonin, however. The one we use is: Aller G-3 capsules An Omega=3 fatty acid supplement for Dogs -- Manufactured by Vetoquinol. Again, we give it to him with a dose of peanut butter!
 
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grecoroman

grecoroman

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Dec 7, 2011
46
1
New York, NY
Bulldog(s) Names
Lucy, born 8/3/11
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Thank you all for the feedback.

I wanted to post a follow-up. Things weren't getting better, so I took her into the Vet. The vet did a skin scraping, and thought it might be bacterial-related. I was given some pills & a medicated shampoo the try to treat it. After a week, the medicine & shampoo was not helping.

The Vet is recommending a biopsy to rule out anything more serious. She said that if it is SF Allopecia she'll be able to tell with the Biopsy. I don't have a problem spending the $, but should I instead be taking her to a Derm specialist? I feel as though a Vet specialist would know right away if this was just a case of SFA. http://imgur.com/7ZNxrUG - Here's a close-up shot

Here are some pics -- 1) Left Side as of 7/20/2013 2) Right Side as of 7/20/2013 3) Lucy with painted toenails compliments of my girlfriend.
@BrianW - have you had any luck with the medicine & shampoo?
 

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grecoroman

grecoroman

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Dec 7, 2011
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New York, NY
Bulldog(s) Names
Lucy, born 8/3/11
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Both our bullies have had this and take melatonin. Our vet has us use melatonin that you can get from any pharmacy/supermarket. They come in 3mg tablets and our vet says they can have up to 9mg per day. We give them 2 tablets with peanut butter to get them down easily; however, the tablets are very small. We only give two tabs because a side effect of melatonin is drowsiness. Even when the fur grows back, we continue to give the melatonin as their fur falls out again without it.

We have found that oil supplements work better than melatonin, however. The one we use is: Aller G-3 capsules An Omega=3 fatty acid supplement for Dogs -- Manufactured by Vetoquinol. Again, we give it to him with a dose of peanut butter!

Thanks for the info -- i found this medicine on Amazon. Anyone else have better luck with the Omega 3 fatty acid supplement vs. Melatonin?

Thank you so much
 

BrianW

Active member
Feb 17, 2013
220
47
Brown Deer, Wisconsin
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Brandi, Jackson, Ca$h, Daisey, Winford, Charlee, Darla, Mack, Babee, Ralphie & Stuart
The medicine and shampoo did work for Brandi. Her spots are all gone now, but it took some time. Like you, we did not see any improvement after even a few weeks. But we hung in there (3 months plus) and almost all of her hair is back.
 
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grecoroman

grecoroman

New member
Dec 7, 2011
46
1
New York, NY
Bulldog(s) Names
Lucy, born 8/3/11
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The medicine and shampoo did work for Brandi. Her spots are all gone now, but it took some time. Like you, we did not see any improvement after even a few weeks. But we hung in there (3 months plus) and almost all of her hair is back.

What medicine were you giving her? Do you by any chance have any photos?
 
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grecoroman

grecoroman

New member
Dec 7, 2011
46
1
New York, NY
Bulldog(s) Names
Lucy, born 8/3/11
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Hi ALl-

I'm checking back in at 10/02/13. The hair loss spot is now even worse -- there are only a few hair follicles and her skin is dark pigmented.photo.jpg

Anyone think that this could be something other than Flank Alopecia? Took her to two vets -- 1 Vet said it most likely is Vet 2 said she wasn't sure and wanted to do a biopsy just to rule anything else out. Is it worth trying to change food? She's on Holistic Select Grain-Free (Salmon, Anchovy and Sardine) and has been on Holistic Select as a pup. She has solid BMs, doesn't itch, and almost no gas. Is it worth it to try to switch foods? she only has the bald spot on one side.
 

cslafferty

New member
Jan 17, 2011
26
2
Linden, MI
Bulldog(s) Names
Lola (1/31/11) & Chief (9/18/00-12/30/10)
I have a pic of Lola posted on the 1st page of this thread, and it looked just like that. Hers got real bad on one side, and then started on the other side. Noticed it on one side last Nov., took her to the vet in Jan. when she was diagnosed with SFA and was told to give her melatonin, started losing hair on the other side and took her back to the vet in March, upped the melatonin to 9mg twice a day, saw really no improvement until late in the summer when all of a sudden it started to grow back! I've continued the melatonin in hopes that it won't fall out again. So far, so good!
 

cmonkeysb

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Jul 21, 2013
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0
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United States
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GiGi
Greenie's Pill Pockets...my dog will take any pill disguised in one of these...they are at almost any pet store. I buy mine online at Foster and Smith. Good Luck. I'm going to try melatonin too.
 

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