Pictures of Bailey's Back

[WillParkinson]

I'm going to see if I can E-mail them to the person at the vet clinic today before his appointment on Thursday so they at least know what they're dealing with.

[livetohike]

1. Oh poor Bailey

:-(. I hope you receive a good diagnosis and treatment options on Thursday :hug: for all of you.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Is Bailey a German Shepherd Dog?

Ours gets thin spots like that from time to time. It kinda comes with the breed. They result from scratching. If scratched to much, not only is the hair gone, but they scratch themselves raw - to open sores.

Our vet advised antihistamines, and they worked really well! The hard part was finding the one that worked. Fortunately, there are pretty much no downsides/side effects from them.

Good Luck with Bailey!!!

[WillParkinson]

3. No, he's Beagle/Lab and...

The spots are on the top of his back. They don't seem to itch as he never does anything to them.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. I'm at a loss.

The pictures look very much as they did on our GSD. But in her case, they were the result of scratching due to allergies.

Sorry I'm no help. I hope you find the cause.

[WillParkinson]

5. I was thinking allergies, too...

But no idea what. And I just found out from Paul that the vet never did a scraping to check anything. I'm not really pleased.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Our vet offered to do some allergy tests, but was quick to add how expensive they were

Like us, she has a GSD with symptoms similar to those exhibited by our GSD. She said it might be just as good to assume the allergy was to something common and difficult/impossible to avoid. Once this assumption was made, we were free to try over the counter antihistamines until we found one that gave relief.

This is what we did. She stil scratches in the winter, but far less. In summer, when we're out more, her symptoms pretty much disappear. The meds she takes are about $5.00 a month for a generic antihistamine at CVS. They seem to be 70% effective at the worst of the season, too 100% as the season is building or winding down. At the worst of it we switch to Claratin for about a month to 6 weeks. That works better in our case than the cheaper formulation. We get generic Claratin for $15 a month at our HMO pharmacy.

[livetohike]

7. Any news on Bailey Will? n/t

[Curmudgeoness]

8. Update? Anything? Poor baby, did you find anything out? nt

[WillParkinson]

10. His vet says it's Canine Cushing's Disease

They've got him on some pills now and they say they remain 'cautiously optimistic' about his recovery.

The pills are supposed to help balance his water intake and urination (which he's been doing a lot) but thus far it does not seem to have had any effect in that department. The only noticeable change is that his hair, which was brittle and coarse, has begun to soften a bit.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. Looks l ike allergy reaction. Try changing her food..... A protein she has never had before.

low number of ingredients if possible. Try one of the grain-free varieties.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/natural-balance-limited-ingredient-diets-dry/