coat change - help

[silvia]

Dear all

Oberon is 7 and half years now and he has been castrated last June due to some prostate problems. Since then we haven't seen the expected changes in the coat,  eg thickening and lightening. His coat is still silky (not wolly) and still red.

However, the amount of hairs is half, He is shredding an enormous amount of hairs, often in bounches, and what is used to be a chest with plenty of coat (to the point that it toke 30min to dry with an hairdryer) is now just covered with a very thin layer. Hairs are all over the house every day, in a very unusual amount.

I did some research , and I cant find anything that relates thinning of hairs to castration: if any, is the other way round and the coat is meant to become thick and wolly. 

Any help, experience? Is just because Oberon wish to do everything the other way round? : )

Is just because is only few months after castration, so he is losing the coat and then it will re-grow in the thick way? Any other reason that can cause this , so suddenly but independently on castration (age , etc)?

something I can give him to help with the coat (oh, well, we women would die for a magic solution to thinning hairs; ) ?

thanks for your help and sharing!!

best regards

Silvia

[Eva]

Viacutan is superb, a veterinary product, you can purchase online, use the "oil" not tabletts, on the expensive side but so worth it!

[silvia]

Super Eva and thanks!!I have ordered it and looking forward to see some improvement. Thanks a million for sharing !!!!

[silvia]

Viacutan arrived yesterday and I have started. Looking forward to see some improvements:) thanks!!!
On a un related topic : looks as no many are in this web site ? Such a sad loss..

[Cornelia]

Hi, there Silvia, I'm still here on the web site and followed your question and Eva's reply with interest. I might try Viacutan myself, that is of course for Joy - thanks Eva for the great input! You maybe remember that Joy lost all her hair on her belly, breast and inner side of her legs this spring after her castration last November. We think it was caused by a gras allergy and a secondary infection that spread very fast, although, I treated her immediately. Allergies can sometimes develop after a hormonal change and when I think back, she always had small red spots after laying in the gras and we once thought it was mites, but that was not the case. This time it looked so bad, the vet thought of Cushing's disease because of the long cortisone treatment... Glad it wasn't! The vet put her on antibiotics and we treated her with a special anti-allergy-shampoo - you should have seen the bathroom afterwards!!! :-)))) - but the spots and crusts and redness disappeared with immediate effect and her hair is now growing back - 4-5cm; she looks like a puppy now with a grey face... and she behaves as such also, stealing my shoes and socks and running through the house like a two year old, landing with one energetic leap on the sofa besides me!! Oh, how I prefer her madness to her sickness and nightly vomiting!! Take care! C & J xxx

[silvia]

thanks Cornelia ! yes, now i remember that Joy had similar hair loss after the operation. I have not realized the connection immediately since at that time you/we were more worrying about mites and, gosh, Cushing (thanks God it wasnt!) but now you made me thinking and i will check oberon's skin. it looks to me is just the coat, but thanks for the hand rising!

Glad that Joy is back in shape and her mood is as mad as we want it : ) a nice soft belly to cuddle is what we want : it made me laugh the definition of a puppy belly with  a grey face, i think Obi will go that way at some point and we'll definitely love him!

but i am looking forward to see if viacutan will help a bit: thanks to Eva , i have read wonderful review on the product!

thanks everyone !!!

[Barbara]

Hi Silvia, I am also still here on the web site and followed your question  but I am sorry that I can not help. I have not heard that castration and losing hair relates. I only know that eg allergys and cushing can cause losing hair. I will try Viacutan also because Tiny loos hair from time to time because of allergy - thank you! Take care! B+T

[Eva]

Any coat news? Do you see any improvement with viacutan?

[silvia]

HI Eva ! I was in the process of writing : )

We are using viacutan  since 3 weeks now, and, although I cant say if its helping yet , i certainly notice a less shredding and no more bounches of coat around the house. Still, although the shredding stopped. everyone notice that the Oberon chest and tail is half size of what it used to be a couple of months ago..

We went yesterday to the vet for the final US, 4 months after castration. The good news is that the prostate is down to 2.5cm (it was 4cm at the last US after castration, and 8cm before castration when all bleeding symptoms appeared!) and no more cystis inside, so this is wonderful. I discussed with them possible causes of hair thinning and the vet really suggested to keep going with viacutan (they think is brilliant, although they also said that  we need to give more product that what is written in the label to make a real difference, so I ordered two other tubes today). As alternative, they also suggested efavet which is in pills (sounds equally good but so far i stick with viacutan)

or, apparently there is also a special diet that we may want to consider and is meant to provide all supplements for the skin . But i cant remember the name: since I am happy with Oberon in raw food I would prefer to stick on his current raw diet and add the oil supplement for the time being

we also discussed thyroid and I am considering to have him blood tested. However our vet only do the standard T4 test, so I am now digging ES because i think that, if we invest 150quid on that, it may be much better to go for the Jean Dodds test, as suggeted in this forum by many (Cornelia, or others, do you remember the contact details and how we can arrange this test in case?)

if is thyroid, is very very mild since I cant see other symptoms as letargy etc.. still, and in particular if is mild, it may be worth to go for the full profile directly. On the other hand, I notice on his belly same strange black spots on the skin that also the vet cant explain. they are a bit like small moles, near the `private areas` of his willy, where he has been operated, I read that thyroid can give some black spots, so.. worth to check?

thanks for checking!!!!! comments are welcome 

cheers

s

[silvia]

ps: dont take me wrong,, is not the initial 150£ cost that makes me thinking, but is the fact that, in absence of other symptoms, if the result is borderline our vet will suggest another test in few months times and then again... all at the same cost. so, i was wondering that is better to face the initial expense and go for the full thyroid test directly as suggested by others in this group with j dodds... i am trying to see if this is a feasible option from here.

thanks Eva for the suggestion of viacutan: so far so good : ))

[Cornelia]

Hi Silvia, I'm glad Obi is so much better - that's really good news, you got from your vet! I'm ever so happy for you :-)). The homepage of Jean Dodds is hemopet.org. Make sure that you follow the shipping instructions to the last detail - you find the international shipping instruction under FORMS - SHIPPING INSTRUCTION. Scroll down also and click on the blue link 'HERE' for the certification letter: https://my.imatrixbase.com/clients/14145/documents/Hemolife_Literat... and don't forget to add ”CANINE (or FELINE) SERUM, NON-INFECTIOUS, FOR DIAGNOSTIC PURPOSES ONLY” on the outside of the package. It's usually best to have everything ready and then take the blood sample on a Monday morning and have it shipped the same day, so that it does not stay at the customs office over the weekend - or on any public holiday.

Joy has black spots all over her belly and her private areas. I think it's only because she's getting older. I have no worry about that. As far as I remember, a thyroid dog has very itchy skin and bald spots. A very good read (maybe even before you do some tests)  is J. Dodds book about the thyroid epidemic, found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canine-Thyroid-Epidemic-Answers-Need/dp/16... There are photos in it and case studies. Also very recommendable btw. is her other book about canine nutrigenomics, to be found on amazon as well. 

I will get Joy tested, early next spring, but just the standard T4 at our local clinic in addition to the test for the phenobarbital level. She showed signs of stress last summer with loud noises and I just want to make sure, she is on the right amount of medication and hopefully rule out another epileptic fit. Concerning the growth of her hair: I read on the internet, that it can take about a year for doggy hair to grow back - and in my experience now, this seems to be correct. It really takes time!! Hopefully Obi's loss of coat has stopped now and the wheel is turned in the other direction. Best wishes to all of you, C & J xxx

Hi Silvia, I'm glad Obi is so much better - that's really good news, you got from your vet! I'm ever so happy for you :-)). The homepage of Jean Dodds is hemopet.org. Make sure that you follow the shipping instructions to the last detail - you find the international shipping instruction under FORMS - SHIPPING INSTRUCTION. Scroll down also and click on the blue link 'HERE' for the certification letter: https://my.imatrixbase.com/clients/14145/documents/Hemolife_Literat... and don't forget to add ”CANINE (or FELINE) SERUM, NON-INFECTIOUS, FOR DIAGNOSTIC PURPOSES ONLY” on the outside of the package. It's usually best to have everything ready and then take the blood sample on a Monday morning and have it shipped the same day, so that it does not stay at the customs office over the weekend - or on any public holiday.

Joy has black spots all over her belly and her private areas. I think it's only because she's getting older. I have no worry about that. As far as I remember, a thyroid dog has very itchy skin and bald spots. A very good read (maybe even before you do some tests)  is J. Dodds book about the thyroid epidemic, found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canine-Thyroid-Epidemic-Answers-Need/dp/16... There are photos in it and case studies. Also very recommendable btw. is her other book about canine nutrigenomics, to be found on amazon as well. 

I will get Joy tested, early next spring, but just the standard T4 at our local clinic in addition to the test for the phenobarbital level. She showed signs of stress last summer with loud noises and I just want to make sure, she is on the right amount of medication and hopefully rule out another epileptic fit. Concerning the growth of her hair: I read on the internet, that it can take about a year for doggy hair to grow back - and in my experience now, this seems to be correct. It really takes time!! Hopefully Obi's loss of coat has stopped now and the wheel is turned in the other direction. Best wishes to all of you, C & J xxx

[silvia]

thanks a lot Cornelia!!! i will discuss again with the vet and see. I hope they can arrange the test at Dr Dodds, let's see : )

but the tail of Oberon has only a very thin layer, and i wish to avoid to arrive at the `rat tail` situation, so I think we will arrange the test (if not the dr Dodds at least the T4) quite soon, at least for peace of mind..

I hope Joy will continue to do well and the stress with the noise  was something temporary  !!!!!!! XXX s

[Cornelia]

Hi Silvia,

How's Obi doing? Did you do some tests? And did his coat improve? Joy is looking quite normal again, except for the fluffy hair on her legs due to castration, but she never had such a long and think coat anyway. I wonder what I should do next spring because of her allergy to gras - the long, dry, seed bearing gras - maybe a thin T-shirt would be best...

Best wishes C & J xxx