I would wonder if there’s an allergy situation going on in addition to hypothyroid.
Our outdoor cat (1yr) wasn’t around during the day, like she usually is, for lots of love. When she finally came around that night, we noticed the top of her tail seemed skinned on the bottom part (just meaty flesh), about 2.5inches. We went to our local farm store and bought a spray to keep infection out and help heal. She seemed to feel better a couple days later, eating and coming around more. Then we noticed the whole tail was looking abnormal, like skinned, with fur hanging. She became more herself, following us around property, wanting alot of love, moving easily, jumping up on things, eating well. 2.5 weeks since this first began, and today, the whole outer part came off! It was almost like a cacoon type looking, hollow inside! All the hair and everything is now gone, just about 4-5″ of completely bare flesh.
I have documented with video/pictures the whole time. We weren’t sure if an animal tried to bite her, or she had gotten it caught in a trap? We love her so much, my 5yr old has raised her after her mommy died 6wks after birth. We are a one income family, and my husband is about to have surgery that we have to pay for upfront, as well as coming up with the money the short term disability won’t pay for 6wks…we are at a loss?
First pic is how it has looked for about 2 weeks, then the other 3 pics are from today ?)
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I have a 3 and a half year old GSD with HYPOthyroidism. I’m curious if anyone else has dealt with this disease in itself. So to begin, when she was about a year old I started noticing redness on her stomach. The vet I was currently with kept telling me she had ringworm and providing me with medicated shampoo and treating her with ketoconazole. It always seemed to clear up but would come right back soon after. So I searched and found another vet and he did all the testing and blood work and diagnosed her with HYPOthyroidism. She has kept a chronic skin infection which he diagnosed as a type of yeast infection due to the fluctuation of thyroid levels. She has been on levothyroxine for a year now. We have adjusted her dosage 3 times and each time she seems to do well for a month or so and then it seems to “level out” and her skin flare up comes back full force. It seems to get better and lightens up and starts to pink up and then goes right back to the hair loss and crusty on her stomach and under her legs/pits. I continue to do the medicated baths as told but it’s getting frustrating. I’m in the vet’s office every couple months it seems and spending hundreds each visit for the same thing with no resolve. Dont get me wrong I will do whatever it takes to help her but somethings gotta give. I’m just curious if anyone else has seen/heard or has dealt with hypothyroidism and the chronic skin infection. Have u found anything that helps or resolves it? What is your experience? Also she keeps bad ear infections (also tested and diagnosed as a type of yeast) daily flushes and drops in her ears as well. Still not seeming to get any better.
I feel so helpless and quite frankly I’m getting discouraged. I love the vet she sees now, he is a million times better than the one she seen previously.
Does it ever get better?
The pic is an older one, shes alot better now but still has the hairloss and discoloration over the better part of her stomach and under her legs. Just not as dark or as much.
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Elizabeth Crisp Her vet seems to think it is unlikely due to the fluctuation in thyroid levels. Heck I dont know anymore. It may be time to find another vet?
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Elizabeth Crisp Ha ha it’s not a problem. Thank you for the response! I talked to a different vet awaaaaaaaay the same office and he suggested ruling out a food allergy, then told me about a Veterinary dermatologist nearby. So we will start next week and see what we find out!
IVDD – Beagle.
Hi, I reached out a few weeks ago because my dog was diagnosed with IVDD but could not use the bathroom on his own and it was next to impossible to express him. After a couple of weeks of manually catheterizing him, he started to use the bathroom on his own regularly. He also started to regain a lot of strength back, especially in his back legs. The problem area is in his neck but he is able to wag his tail and turn his neck all around. He still cannot walk, he can hold his backend up but his front two paws continue to knuckle and go under him when he tries to walk. I watched the videos on Hank and I know he had a similar issue but you did not go into depth as one video his front paws didn’t work and then the next video all of a sudden he was walking. Is there anything I can do to speed up this process or help him? I’m so proud of how hard he’s come and I don’t want to give up now.
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6-month old Golden Retriever/Labrador mix bites me most of the time. She’s usually nice when it’s playtime or feeding time (if she’s overstimulated accidents may or may not happen). But in downtimes she just comes at me. I could be sitting quietly not bothering her and she could be lying down 1 second and the next she’s suddenly biting my arm. It doesn’t often happen to other family members. Is it because she wasn’t taught bite inhibition properly because family members don’t want to leave the room or do it nicely? Is it because they react aggressively when she bites them (i.e. they used to pinch her and step on her paw. now it’s mostly just pinning her down to the floor)?
I’m honestly tired. They think they’re doing it right, but I don’t think it’s working. But since she’s not biting them as much they think of it as working.
I’m literally the only one playing and exercising her and I think that factors in a lot. They just leave her and aside from feeding her in the morning, they really don’t do anything else.
I got a response from another site a few months back and they said I had a people problem, not a puppy problem. Is there anything I can do though? Is it something that’s wrong with me?? I don’t know anymore please help :(((((((((((
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Natisha Mullis-Brooks You do have a “people problem”, but that “people problem” has now caused a dog problem. It sounds like the pup is bored and wanting to play, but hasn’t been taught the social niceties of the “human world”. Retrievers are very mouthy in general because that’s what they’re bred for; picking up and carrying things. But there are actually several things you can do to help.
First things first: If she comes at you and bites down on your arm, yell out, “Ow!”, in a loud and high pitched voice. As hard as it might be to do, try not to pull your arm back as this may trigger the tugging instinct. Even at six months old, she can be taught bite inhibition. It’s not too late!! Yelling out in a high pitched, loud voice may startle her into letting go. After all, her goal is not to hurt you, but to play and get some attention. Think of puppies when they play. When one yells in pain, the other usually lets go. That’s our goal here. If she does let go, offer her a toy that the two of you can interact with: a rope for tug, a squeaker for catching, a ball for chasing. Make sure, when you are with her, you have a toy that she likes with you at all times. Because once she lets go, you want to say, “Good girl!” and give her the toy immediately and then a bit of affection for doing the right thing. Most retrievers have high drives and love a game of fetch.
If the yelling doesn’t work, you can yell “Aaaanntt” and push your arm firmly into her mouth. This losens her grib by widening her jaws and most dogs don’t like how it feels. As soon as she releases you, say “Good girl” and offer the toy and your time.
If neither of the above works, you may have to try a bit of nose pressure. When she bites down yell “Ow!” and then place your hand (thumb on one side and index finger on the other) over her nose so that the meaty part between your thumb and finger are applying pressure to the top of her nose. You want to place it about a quarter of the way down her nose. Then squeeze your index finger and thumb together as if you’re trying to make them touch through her nose. You’ll have to supply a decent amount of pressure for this to work, but you don’t r ally want to harm her. The top of a dog’s nose is VERY sensitive and a. Other dog will bite a pup here with some force, when the pup has gotten out of hand. You want to mimick a mother’s technique, sans the teeth. Once she releases you,give her the toy and affection. She may yell when you do this, but I promise you are only causing a bit of discomfort and no large amount of pain.
Lastly, if all else fails you’ll have to become a bit more aggressive in your tactics. -sigh- Ehen she bites you, place your thumb behind her upper canine by the same means as applying pressure to the top of the nose, but apply no pressure. Instead, run your thumb down to her upper lip and push it into her mouth a bit. This will cause her to bite down on her own lip (we all nonhow horrible this feels!) and in most cases, she’ll let go of you almost immediately. Give you, “Good girl” and affection immediately. And bonus, she’ll get to experience her own bite strength, which promotes bite inhibition.
I wish you two a lot of luck. If you have any questions about technique, I’d be happy to send you videos. I’m a Canine Behaviorist and have worked with dogs for over 30 years. Just email me at: tishtish1975@yahoo.com
I need help. My westie is almost 13 and she’s been suffering with recurring UTI’s for a little while now. She also has a bad ear infection. She’s tired. And i can’t stand to see her hurting anymore. I need help and advice on when euthanasia should come into the question. I’ve never done this before and i need all the help and second opinions i can get. this is my baby and i can’t watch her suffer. i also don’t want to put her down if she still has any value of life left. please help. please
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Does anyone have experience with chemo drugs used for feline intestinal lymphoma, small cell type? I’m anticipating having to decide next week to pursue a course of chemo -or not- for my Oak. Oak is now 11 years old, rescued by me as a kitten from a shelter, but never adopted out due to the eosinophilic granuloma that became apparent when he was about 4 months age. He is such a sweet kitty, I call him my ‘circus cat’ because I can train him to do almost anything. Sadly, I’m now training him to happily take gel capsules so we’ll be ready if the time comes. I would appreciate any insight you have on how well your cat(s) tolerate chemo (if you can include the name of the drug, that’s a bonus!). Thank you so much, judy
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2 days ago i noticed a big black scab on my cats chin, i am familiar with cat-ne (feline acne) and i have not noticed it on him previously. The scab was pretty large and when i looked at it today, he allowed me to touch it so im assuming it isnt causing him pain and it kinda just fell right off. However, now there is a big raw spot where the scab was. Its rather pink and i think i saw some clear and possibly some yellow fluid coming out of a couple spots. But at this point, he was uncomfortable and ran away so i couldnt get a better look. Anyone have any ideas? It just seemed like too big a scab to be acne..
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I have a very heavy heart right now, BlackJack is acting up again, well I don’t think he ever stopped, he has been growling and snapping at my husband and he did it to my daughter as she walked by him one night in was in our bedroom on the floor sleeping, he is no longer allowed to sleep in the bedroom, last night he snapped at my husband Jack was downstairs my husband went to the kitchen jack got on the steps and wouldn’t move for my husband to come back up stairs when he grabs his collar he snapped at him. I called the gentlemen you guys told me about back in May, but his cost is 2,300.00 to try and fix him I just don’t have that kinda of money. Is there any type of medications I can give him? I really don’t want to put him down it is killing me to think about it but him growling at my daughter was a little to much. I keep him away from guest when them come become I never know how he will react. Please if there is anything I can give him I will try.
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Anonymous Did you get him checked with your vet to make sure this isn’t a medical issue?
Medications may or may not “work” to calm your dog, and they should not be used as a replacement for training. You NEED a behaviorist to work with you and your dog. If this isn’t feasible, please consider finding him a new home. He hasn’t yet bitten anyone, correct? If this is true, then he may very well be trained away from this behavior, but it needs to be in a home truly invested in his training and overall well-being.
Is this unkind? My neighbor moved and abandoned their two cats last winter. They had an outdoor house there for the cats and kept them outside. By the time my husband and I discovered them it was dead of winter and they were starving. We bought them a heated outdoor house, fed them top quality food and took them to the vet. He believes they are 6 and 10 years old. After minor tooth surgery on one, they started to thrive and now they’re healthy, well fed and spoiled! They have obviously had homes in the past. I already have a dog and two indoor cats. I really don’t want them outside in the rain and cold this winter, so I want to bring them in but seperate them in our finished large basement. They try to come in all the time. We don’t spend much time down there but I don’t want to add two more animals to the rest of the crew upstairs. I know it sounds silly, but is it mean to keep them separate in the basement or should I try to incorporate them in the whole house? I will let them in and out if they like. I just want to do the right thing for these poor babies and the indoor animals too. I’m probably overreacting and their life will be better regardless, but would love opinions from other animal lovers.
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How much medication at the same time without damaging the bodytoo much?
So, we have a group of 22 kittens (6 months) and 2 mothers. All are treatet for ringworm (Microsporum Canis) and in 3 days are finished (only 8 showed symptoms, but since they all had contact, all had to be treated).
They were treated with Itraconazole (1 week treatment, 1 week break, 1 week treatment, another 1 week break and a last week treatment). Additionally they were bathed 1 once a week in Enilconazole.
Some of them are treated with marbocyl for cat flu right now (most likely Calici).
Additional they were tested positive for giardia and worms (Toxocaridae?) last friday after most of them developed bad diarrhea that smelled incredibly bad.
For the Giardia they get treated with Metronidazole (twice a day).
Fenbendazole is not an option, as it doesn’t help anymore most of the time.
So now I still need deworm them and make a flea treatment (as they have also fleas). I don’t want to do worm and flea medication at the same day – as that would mean that at least the ones with cat flu would get 5 medications at the same time.
Only two more days till the ring worm treatment is finished, so I thought of doing flea treatment the following day and deworming the day after that to spread the treatment a little.
Some of them are clearly not well right now, so while I would normally deflea/deworm at the same time, I’m a bit hesitant here.
What do you think?
What I have to add – one of the kittens died this morning without known reason. It was not extremly thin or dehydrated and acted normal when I saw it the first time this morning. When a collegue wanted to clean their room she called me because it would lie on the floor and couldn’t move. (I was like 20 meters away in another room) She said it made strange noises and lost poo (diarrhea). When I arrived it was already gone. The hair on his tail was poofed up, eyes/pupils wide, but no heart beat and breathing. I tried to bring it back, but without success.
It had no signs of being extremly sick. It was not affected by ringworm itself and hat no catflu. It had diarrhea, but ate well. It played, was active and so on. It showed no signs of liver problems (as Itraconazole could cause that) like yellow skin.
No one has seen what happened. I was thinking that it may has fallen off a wooden layer that are left and right to the door, right beneath the windows. The cats like to sit in it and look out the windows or wait for someone to come inside. But those are only like 1,20m in height.
So I’m even more worried that all those medicaton already was too much for that one :(.
Hello,
My guess is that the tail should be amputated to the point where there is viable skin to close the incision. I am worried that the hair will not grow back and she will be in constant discomfort to the point of self traumatizing. I don’t have any cheaper options for you. I’m sorry. I suppose there is a chance the tail might heal but any and all open wounds should be carefully monitored for infection and maggots. Please see a vet. At least for an exam and ask for guidance.
I am soo sorry this happened. I know you’re on a tight budget, but I would definitely get her to a vet to examine it and get her some antibiotics at the very least. Explain to the. You’re financial situation up front and that you of course love this cat but have to take the most cost effective option at this point in time. As she is an outdoor cat, it is going to probably be a bit difficult to monitor her closely… having said that, I agree with Dr. Magnifico and really recommend getting to a vet to assess the situation and get advice. Best of luck!!??