# A bad hair day and a worried mom



## Claire's Friend (Feb 26, 2007)

It probably has a lot to do with the dosing of his thyroid meds. It needs to be given twice a day. I see that you are noe doing that again, but it may take a couple months to get his fur growing well again.


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## amy22 (May 11, 2008)

Why do you shave him?


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

I agree w/ Claire's Friend, most likely due to his thyroid meds--did your vet run a full thyroid panel through Michigan State or Dr Dodd's prior to adjusting his dosage? My golden girl has had her meds adjusted based on her lab results but instead of going to 1x a day we decreased the amount and gave it to her 2x's a day.


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## Jul6768 (Aug 17, 2012)

Amy - to keep him clean, bug free and he loves it. I know I should not have done it so I am not looking for criticism just some help. He has always grown out to a beautiful coat in the past. Hindsight is 20/20 ya know.


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

There also could be other medical reasons that are causing a problem with the coat re-growth. Has your dog had bloodwork done to make sure the thyroid levels are adequate and that there are no other problems going on?


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## Jul6768 (Aug 17, 2012)

Sheets - he just decreased his dose. Said something about some study that said dogs only need dosage 1x per day. He never told me to split the pill. When I took him in for his coat he just told me to return to the orig dose of 2x per day .8 mg. his coat looks like it did when we first discovered he had hypothyroidism. The odor was there too but very slight. Along with the skin darkening. He sees his internal medicine vet next Friday for a follow up for some other issues. I will definitely have him look him over. I am neurotic over my dogs.
Thanks for the reassurance. 

Bay - we will see what the specialist has to say next Friday. Fingers crossed.


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

Wishing you the best. Hope the specialist visit goes well.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I will go out on a limb here, but with the darkened skin and everything else, probably needs twice daily thyroid meds.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Jul6768 said:


> Sheets - he just decreased his dose. Said something about some study that said dogs only need dosage 1x per day. He never told me to split the pill. When I took him in for his coat he just told me to return to the orig dose of 2x per day .8 mg. his coat looks like it did when we first discovered he had hypothyroidism. The odor was there too but very slight. Along with the skin darkening. He sees his internal medicine vet next Friday for a follow up for some other issues. I will definitely have him look him over. I am neurotic over my dogs.
> Thanks for the reassurance.
> 
> Bay - we will see what the specialist has to say next Friday. Fingers crossed.


 

I emphatically disagree with your vet here. All of this is indicative of a low thyroid response, and I'd be making sure he is dosed properly, and twice a day.


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

I'd also make sure before any other adjustments are made, that a full thyroid panel is run--let the dosage be dependent on the numbers + his observed health (skin/coat).

Good luck with the specialist, in addition to his coat being out of whack, the lack of medication might make him feel a little groggy & run down as well.


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## Jul6768 (Aug 17, 2012)

All- I could not agree with you more. He was fine on the .8mg 2x a day which is why I guess the vet told me to return to that dosage once i took him in for his coat. He did have blood work in the early spring which was all good but that was before the dose was decreased and before his hair cut. It is so hard to find a vet u can trust. I really like my regular vet but sometimes I wonder. The specialists at AVIM, well they are the best so I will see what they think. And have blood work done just in case. Thanks again all. You have helped alot. I hope our suspicions are correct. Let you know.


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## amy22 (May 11, 2008)

No criticism, I was just wondering.....I hope he is ok, and his coat grows back beautifully once you get his meds straightened out. I did not mean to upset you or to point fingers..I am very sorry.


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## Claire's Friend (Feb 26, 2007)

I think it would be a waste of money to run bloods now. Wait until he's been back on twice a day for at least a month and then retest. Maybe you need to find a new vet.?????


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## Jul6768 (Aug 17, 2012)

Amy - no worries. I have read alot of forums on shaving vs not shaving and I know there are alot of different opinions on this. I know I should not have shaved him this summer and now I feel pretty bad about it is all. However I will say that had I not shaved him in the past it might have taken longer for his thyroid issue to come to light. When he was 3i shaved him and his coat would not come back and he had dry scaley patches on his skin. Took him to the vet and they picked up on it right away. The weight gain and him slowing down...well not knowing about thyroid issues, I didn't think much about it. It been educational that's for sure.


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## amy22 (May 11, 2008)

Thanks  well I'm glad you found out about the issue....good luck!!!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm 100% with Sally's Mom. I'd check in with a different vet.

Also, while I don't clipper my dogs to puppy coats in the summer anymore because I think the full coat does better in keeping their temps regulated, it's not what destroyed the coat. Cutting a hair doesn't do anything to the follicle. A coat will eventually grow back no matter what cut you give it. If it didn't grow back properly, it's because something else has changed. The haircut didn't do it.

Given that coat problems are a thyroid symptom, I think you have your culprit.


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## Jul6768 (Aug 17, 2012)

Just an update. The internal medicine specialist that we see for other issues took a look at Rio's coat and I told him my story. He did not seemed concerned. He told me that the thyroid along with the fact that he had been on pred may have interrupted or slowed his hair growth cycle. He gave him a physical exam and sent us on our way. His coat is showing signs of improvement. The vet said it will just take time. So I guess I will just wait and see. 


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