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Originally Posted by Jenna AK  The fur is still thinning at an alarming rate and she's chewing her legs enough to put sores in the crooks of her forelegs. She hasn't left her feet alone yet.
I am not happy about how quickly this is progressing. 
I wonder if I should bathe her more frequently or less often? Currently we try not to go longer than two weeks, weather notwithstanding. (Up here it's not wise to be wet or damp with temps going subzero in case you have to go outside quickly, plus I'm trying to keep blow drying to a minimum.) |
Poor baby, w/ the legs. I seriously would get her to a Vet Derm ASAP, if you're not already w/ one. The more it progresses, the more the problems compound.
As far as bathing, it actually depends on finding a diagnosis. For seasonal allergies and/or bacterial skin infections - vets recommend bathing 2-3x a week. If that's recommended, using 1 or 2 prescription shampoos (alternating) is good. They're not cheap, but they def last a long time...so the expense is minimal.
However, there are some skin issues where you really do NOT want to bathe too often. And this is also why you need a diagnosis.
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Originally Posted by Jenna AK Vet would also like to try a topical fatty oil supplement for her skin. Didn't give me a name though.
She suggested the prednisone again, but also gave me a dosage for benadryl to try first if I'd like. Jenna is 7 lbs, so 2.5 ml of children's benadryl syrup every 12 hours as needed. Seems like a lot to me, my house rabbits are about 4 lbs and they only get 0.6 ml twice a day. |
Not sure about that topical fatty oil...fatty oils are usually recommended by Vet Derms by oral supplementation for allergy/skin issues. A topical oil may help the skin stay more moist, but it would be a symptomatic treatment...not a true fix, as it can be when taken orally. A good oral oil is Royal Express by Ark Naturals...it already has the Vit E oil in it (which you need when giving dogs fish oils).
Benadryl is worth a try - but our Vet Derm likes the 24-hr allergy meds better, both bc of efficacy and bc of lasting power. Our derm also says to try the anti-hist for 10-14 days before analyzing if it works.
Having been where you're at...I sure wish I'd gone straight to a Vet Derm after my general vet couldn't diagnose. In the long term, it would've saved me a ton of money and heartache (for the doggies).