yorkie losing hair
 

my yorkie is losing hair (over time) across his backside and the hairloss seems to be traveling forward. this has been a very sloww progression. he tested negative for cushings (he doesnt have cushings symptoms either). he is his usual yorkie self. his thyroid and liver are both ok. his skin looks ok. he does not scratch. my vet told me to add fish supplement to his diet. i started this a couple weeks ago. any other suggestions or ideas about this? i am worried that he will lose all his hair.

pacosmom

Is the hair loss accompanied by scratching?

no, not really. but there is an area he does scratch, when i comb or brush there.

I have a yorkie that has lost hair over his thighs, his trunk and his neck. All the darker areas. All of the tan areas are normal and continue to grow. He has CDA. CDA is characterized by loss of hair from dilutely pigmented areas. ... In blue dogs with tan points (Yorkies and Dobermans) the tan areas ...
Anyways he is normal in every way. I actually started hin on a raw diet Stella and Chewys and he started to grow some hair. I have talked to others that have allergy issues or autoimmune defiencies and they have also told me the raw diet has benefited them. There is still alot of contraversary on the debate of raw diets. Be sure to talk to your vet. For us it works.

Good Luck

Interesting
 

I am so sorry to hear that your furbabie is goign through this....he is in our thoughts and prayers.

thanks for the info. can you tell me what CDA stands for? i would like to find out more info on this. raw diet, huh? can you give me an example of what you feed your yorkie? thanks for any info at all.:confused:

Alopecia (hair loss) related to dilute coat color is a recognized condition in dogs. CDA Color dilution Alopecia is characterized by loss of hair from dilutely pigmented areas. Coats are normal at birth, and onset of hair loss usually begins between six months and three years of age. Hair loss usually begins along the dorsal midline (middle of the back) and often spares the head, tail and limbs. In blue dogs with tan points (Yorkies and Dobermans) the tan areas retain a normal appearance.

It was determined by process of elimination. They tested for cushings and thyroid. I could have a biopsy done but It does not seem to interfere with his health so I am not going to worry about it. All the major health concerns were addressed so we just keep sunscreen on him when he is outside and clothes when it is cold. He seems very happy.

I feed stellas and Chewys brand dog food. It is processed a little differntly and is deemed to be very safe. I have tried others and they smell and make me sick. They also look gross. This particular brand has no real bad smell and looks fresh. It comes in freezed dried, mediallons and large patties. They have a couple of different varities. My dogs love it and I must say it keeps their breath smelling better, less tear stains and less body odor not to mention small and less smelly stools. They process more of the food so less output.

I would be sure that you have ruled out any health concerns although the raw would not hurt either way. If It happens to be allergies it can also help since it is grain free and as nautral as possible with no presevatives. I believe there are some other posts on raw. Some are for it others against it. You might wanr to do some research and see if it is right for you.

I hope that helps. You can PM me if you would like and I could show you pictures of our guy.

Good luck.

Oh forgot to mention that they also suspected CDA because the pigment around his eyes and his nose are not really black but kind of a light redish brown color.

thanks so much for all the information. i will look into the dog food you mentioned. and i will take a harder look around his eyes and nose. i dont know what other test i should ask my vet to run. we tested for cushings, his liver and thyroid. he acts like his usual yorkie self. do you have any thoughts on this? it was my vet who thought i could try adding fish supplement. so i started adding the supp to his food a couple weeks back. do you think that really does anything? i would love to see your yorkie. about sunscreen, should i get regular sunscreen for humans?:rolleyes:

Test might include testing for allergies or possible skin mites..... that may or may not cause itching. You could try or see if anything changes with changing his diet. These test can run into a lot of money and if he is acting normal in every way then I would wait and see.It appears they did all the major health test one him. I have to say that I am not a vet and this is only my opinion. Fish oil won't hurt but I would recommend salmon oil as opposed to fish oil. I believe it is easier to digest and it is really good for coat and skin.

they sell a dog sunscreen at the pet stores. I would recommend that one because if they lick it it won't harm them. I would also get him use to wearing clothes just incase he looses more hair he will need clothes to keep him warm in winter.

How old is your guy? Is he stressed or pretty mellow. That can also be another issue but one that I think is over rated but worth taking a look at.

my Sophie was losing hair on her back legs and butt it took some test but it came back to be allergies to fleas and it only takes 1 bite for them to be sick foe weeks one shot and stuff to keep the fleas off and all the hair is now coming back :D

If this is Alopecia X, you can try Melatonin - if melatonin works, you can actually get melatonin implants if needed long term.

This is the Vet derm clinic I go to - and here is info on X: Home

Btw, how was Cushing's ruled out? Was it the urine screening or...?

Bc Atypical Cushing's is another consideration - this is what my Wylie has...

cushings was ruled out. thyroid and liver checked out fine.:confused:

the cushings test was with his blood. and he does not have cushings symptoms...just the hairloss. he is his usual self, happy and busy as ever.