bald patches around eyes

[Meera Rao]

Hi everyone,

My dog, 14 month old Einstein has bald patches around his eyes. He rubs this part on surfaces and the hair falls off. The Vet has tested him for specific mites and infection but it has come back negative twice, so he does not have nay infection. Vets then treated him with antibiotic and steroids and he responded well, growing hair back, but as soon as the medicines stopped he is back to doing it. He is now on 50 mg Hydroxyzine 3 times a day,  but I see no improvement. 

I am beginning to think he may be allergic to some stuffing in toys? But I don't know. I would welcome any comments and tips.

Thanks everyone. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You're lucky. JD's paws would be absolutely raw, stripped of all fur, mottled and infected. They looked like pickled pigs feet. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Poor guy, that sounds awful :(  Luna was mostly after her face/ears and not as much her paws.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Why not ask your vet to do some blood work. A thorough work up of a thyroid panel might be another good direction to go in at this time.

Our dogs are prone to thyroid issues and these can be easily treated.  

One of the first signs of thyroid issues is hair loss... among other symptoms that may or may not be present at this time.

Hair loss with thyroid issues include

• Thin Hair
• Dull Coat
• Hair loss on head and limbs
• Hair loss (alopecia) around base of tail

Noted on the following link

http://www.dog-health-handbook.com/thyroid-problems-in-dogs.html

and another link < among many links about thyroid issues in dogs>

It is possible that your young dog is only showing hair loss at this time and not all the symptoms an old dog might show.

Anyway, worth having a complete panel run since we are now just guessing at allergies and other treatments have already been done...  IMO

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/hypothyroidism-in-dogs

[Tammy and Violet]

Violet scratces the top of here head  until it i raw and bloody .. at times ... My vet said use benedryl...I have used that 2 couple of times... she has not scratched for a couple of days....poor babies

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Tammy, this is where a dermatology specialist can be of help. GP vets don't seem to be familiar with the use of any antihistamines except for Benadryl, but Benadryl is not your first choice of antihistamine for allergies in dogs. It is a first generation antihistamine that causes drowsiness and is not usually as effective for itching in dogs as the second generation drugs like Claritin, Zyrtec, and others. These also do not cause drowsiness. The dermatology vets rarely recommend Benadryl. 

The Omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA , found in fish oil supplements, also help greatly, as does GLA from evening primrose oil capsules. Many of us use these. I have yet to hear of a GP vet who is aware of using essential fatty acids in treating itching or inflammation from allergies. 

[Tammy and Violet]

gosh if you cant trust your vet who can you trust ?    :((((   .........I will refrain from using it on her... only want what is best

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's not that you can't trust your vet; it's that your vet doesn't have expertise in every single area of medicine. No doctor or vet does, it wouldn't be possible. We don't expect our primary care physicians to be experts in dermatology or orthopedic surgery, we go to specialists. But we still trust our primary care doctors for most of our ordinary health care.  The same is true of vets. 

In my case, my regular vet recognized that JD had allergies and referred me to a veterinary dermatologist. I wish more vets would do that. 

Benadryl isn't going to harm Violet, but it's not as effective as some other antihistamines and causes unnecessary drowsiness. But it's better than letting her scratch herself raw and possibly infect herself. If that continues or happens on a regular basis, I would try to find the cause. :)