# Hair loss on my Vizsla



## Darcy1311

Hi there.
I have just taken Darcy to the vets, she is suffering from little bald spots on the tip of her ear and the front of her chest, about the size of a 20p piece...the vet has no idea what it is so took hair and skin scrapings and also took some blood from her just in case it is her thyroid....the vet then took one hundred pounds from me..the results will be with me in about 3 weeks...I just wondered if anybody out there has Had similar experiences with there Vizslas....thanks


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## texasred

If your dog had any swelling from bug bite, hives in the past on the spots where the hair fell off, and the skin looks in good condition then its normal. Nothing you can do and the hair will grow back. If its red or crusty or there is more spots appearing then it could be a number of things.
I would change vets if I had to wait three weeks for lab work, or find a different one to use in emergency situations. I'm not downing your vet in anyway but sometimes time matters on diagnoses and treatment. I doubt this is one of those times but look for one that does in house lab work before your ever faced with a serious problem.


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## Vizsla Baby

Do they look like this? 

If so, my dog is suffering the same thing - she has little white spots on her head & left cheek. 

We noticed raised bumps on her cheek & one one on her head 2 weeks ago (about 10 of them) - I thought they were small cuts from running through the woods. When they healed, her hair fell out.

Turns out, it looks like it's allergies to something. She has a ton more raised bumps on her neck now (she'll lose her hair there too I guess....) & she has welts/hives on her tummy (that part is brand new).

It's probably bug bites, small cuts or most likely bumps from allergies. See this thread I started a couple of days ago. It is probably somewhat related to your problem. 

http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,4612.msg33441.html#msg33441


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## Darcy1311

Thanks for contacting me, Darcy started with 3 little pin pricks on her ear, it then began to swell up and now its gone a bit bald.She aslo has some on her chest,about the size of 20p I have posted a photo of her ear I hope it gets through as I am still learning to post photos....thank you.


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## Darcy1311

TexasRed said:


> If your dog had any swelling from bug bite, hives in the past on the spots where the hair fell off, and the skin looks in good condition then its normal. Nothing you can do and the hair will grow back. If its red or crusty or there is more spots appearing then it could be a number of things.
> I would change vets if I had to wait three weeks for lab work, or find a different one to use in emergency situations. I'm not downing your vet in anyway but sometimes time matters on diagnoses and treatment. I doubt this is one of those times but look for one that does in house lab work before your ever faced with a serious problem.


Thanks for the advice, I do think 3 weeks is far to long to wait and I am contemplating a change of vet....thanks again


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## jaclyns

My V had the same thing. I went to the vet and turned out its just allergies based on the season. He would get little bumps then when they went down or disappeared hair would fall off. They recommended giving him a pill of Benadryl. Works every time.


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## ironman_stittsville

i concur with jaclyns. some benedryl can't hurt and will likely solve the problem.


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## Darcy1311

I received Darcy's blood results yesterday and her thyroid level is fine, her hair loss is also not down to mange as that came back negative...we are now just waiting for skin scrape cultures, but the vet thinks its some form of allergy,I think its down to her running through the long grass in summertime as it appears to be the front of her that's affected...chest ears etc.


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## hotmischief

There seem to be quite a few of us that are finding that our Vs are coming up with hives at the moment. Boris has had hives all over his body, but most of the time his ears, eyes and nose are swollen and red. My vet suggested just trying to find out what Boris is allergic to by process of elimination. He said he could run tests but the likely hood of finding what he is allergic to were slim.

At the moment in the UK everything is flowering and pollen is high including the grass - we think that he has an allergy to the seed in the long grass. He is on Piriton 3x a day but we notice that all is fine when we come down in the morning but within 1hr of him going into the garden his ears are red inside. We think they come into contact with something that irritates them????

Today we took him on the Surrey Vizsla Whizz at Pirbright and he was running through ferns and grasses and I did notice he had some hives on his shoulders.

I would be interested to know the results of the skin scrappings.


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## Darcy1311

Thanks for the reply, it really does look like Vizsals are suffering this summer....Darcy's skin culture results should be with me next week and I will contact you with them..the vet has also suggested a blood test for allergy's but they are 400 pounds a test, although I am insured with Pet plan I will only do this as a last resort...


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## Suliko

Darcy1311 said:


> I received Darcy's blood results yesterday and her thyroid level is fine, her hair loss is also not down to mange as that came back negative...we are now just waiting for skin scrape cultures, but the vet thinks its some form of allergy,I think its down to her running through the long grass in summertime as it appears to be the front of her that's affected...chest ears etc.


I know another V who for the longest time was thought to have the demodectic mange, but it would not go away even after all the treatments. The owners did a full skin test in a lab, and it came back positive for canine staph infection. I hope the results come back soon and Darcy can get treated and be well again!


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## Darcy1311

Thanks for that , your support is very much appreciated..


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## Gingernutter

Any chance they are running through stinging nettles and reacting much the same as we do! I only say this as I didn't think they would be affected by them until I saw how Mylo completely avoids them at all cost, he can be in full sprint and as soon as he sees them the brakes are on he also won't hunt through them even if he sees a rabbit disappear into them?!?


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## Darcy1311

I have a strange feeling that it could be ant bites....I am pretty sure she was bitten on her ear originally, as some of her ear had pin prick looking marks on it, then it began to swell up on the ear tip then it went bald, about the size of your thumb nail...several weeks down the line the hair on her ear is growing back very very slowly, but she still has a bald patch on her chest..


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## Lukesmama

Helloo!
My Dear Luke, just turned 2. He had in the previous year at least 5-7 break outs. It starts with hives, usually over his back, all the way to the tail, others starting at the head. He would then get a scab, then the hair fell out in little patches. Sometimes it was only a few bare spots. But at least twice the breakout was massive, one of them leaving him with a good 60% hair loss that was more generalized than in clumps. He was treated with steroids. The worst breakout left him quite bold, and looking soo sickly  for a few weeks 8+. the hair did grow back, slowly. We believe he had seasonal allergy, maybe to pollen? We did a blood test however, nothing actually showed up in high enough quantities to consider him allergic. The 2 things that did show up were household dust mites, and mold. We weren't sure if perhaps the test was done too close to him having received steroids, which can thwart the results. We had him on an ultra allergen free diet for months. We introduced other foods slowly, and never had a reaction. So We ruled out food allergy. He is back on high quality, but not allergen free food.
Last time a saw a few bumps, it was only 3-4. he didn't lose his hair. Spring came, and no reactions so far.
W e do live in a pretty hot and humid climate, the vet thinks he will just be prone to skin issues because of this, and it's so easy to see any little thing because of the smooth/short coat. 
Will update if i find anything out.


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## SkyyMax

Max's hair is thinning very bad, especially on his back!

In addition his body is covered in little bumps (it looks like I locked him in a room with hundreds of mosquitoes). He also has a lot of patches of missing fur all over his body.

A couple of months ago I took Max to the vet - his bum and tail were hairless, the vet took several scrapes and could not find any mange mites, he said it is more likely a flea allergy (with only 2 fleas found on Max). After 2 months on allergy pills he is not getting any better, now his back is flaky with dander, balding and the skin has a slight odor, however there is no itching.
The vet does not seem to be concerned and advised to give Max an oatmeal bath every week.
After a bath Max stayed dander free for a few days now, but the bumps are still there and the hair keeps falling out.
I am considering to taking Max to another vet for 2nd opinion.


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## KB87

Skyymax- we are currently dealing with and beginning to treat demodectic mange on our 4 month old male. It's a slow process to treat and is a scary process as you never know what is right.

Based on your symptoms if your vet isn't acting concerned I would absolutely go elsewhere! Clearly something isnt right and if your vet doesn't want to take the time to investigate then another will! Definitely get it checked. If its also demodectic it's going to take some time to get a handle on and treat.


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## Suliko

* KB87*, my oldest V Sophie (now 2 years) had the demodectic mange. Actually, it went away right before she hit the one year mark. We used Goodwinol (sp?) cream to treat the tiny bold spots on her head. Once her immune system caught up, it never came back. 
I've talked to V owners here and overseas, and skin issues in puppies before the immune system strengthens, seems to be a very common issue. I read somewhere that bitches with the demodectic mange should not be bred because they pass it on to their puppies.


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## SkyyMax

KB87, I have suspected demodectic mange from the beginning - the breeder had one spayed adult female because of the mange... We do not know if Max's mother had it (we were told she died from mastitis when pups were around 3 weeks old).
From what I know, demodectic mange usually starts when pup is around 4 month old ( Max was about that age). Sometimes the skin test does not show mites and some dogs do not have itching.
Max is a very active boy, eats well, his skin condition does not affect his behavior or bother him in any way, may be this is the reason our vet is not worried.


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## KB87

From what we have been told until the immune system is fully developed between 12-18 months the mange can come back even if treated. They also believe the mites are passed from mom to pups. Mom may not have had it as a pup herself but the immune system is passed along to the pups which is unable to fight off the mites- that is the genetic trait I've been able to find. Our vet said mom shouldn't be bred again. Plus dmp's little girl is sister to our pup and this past week she was also diagnosed with demodectic.

Our boy is almost 4 months and started showing signs about 2 weeks ago. He has the patchy hair loss and doesn't itch at all. He does have scabs on his legs where I believe the skin rubbed off and the leg was left open to rub on the ground. He hasn't slowed down from this at all and doesn't seem any different at all. He is completely unaffected. We will decide on a treatment tomorrow as our vet wanted to look at options since he's so young.

I would absolutely get your pup looked at again by another vet if you suspect mange. It can cover the entire body, scab and start to smell. Plus the dog is uncomfortable. We had 3 different areas scraped to ensure the diagnosis- all showed the mites. Another vet will likely take the right caution with your dog as your vet doesn't seem to be too concerned when there seems to be reason for it. I hope your pup gets the solutions he needs! If it is demodectic just know you aren't alone as at least 3 of us on here are battling this right now!


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## born36

Change your vet. Ask questions around allergies to food and mange. Hope it is sorted.


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## Suliko

I have to say, my Sophie was allergic to different foods as a young pup....probably still is, but I don't want to find out. After switching her to a different food around 6 months and treating the demodectic mange, she hasn't had any type of health issues, except for kennel caugh once despite the vaccine (knock-on-wood!!). 

The mange should be fairly easy to treat and shouldn't come back at a later age. I hope your pups recover soon!


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## RubyRoo

Ruby got demodectic mange at 11 months old. She had hair loss on her ears, around her eyes and one spot on her back. After months and months of ivermecton treatment she is back to normal. All of her hair grew back besides the one spot on her back. The vet thinks that it may never come back. 

After meeting up with some of Ruby's litter mates, we found out they got it too. Seems to be very common. They have to keep doing skin scrapes to see if the mange is clearing up every few weeks - expensive and annoying.

Here is a picture of what she looked like with mange...this was on her first birthday. You can see all of her hair was gone around one eye. It grew back pretty quickly.

Get it checked out again by another vet


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## Suliko

Poor Ruby :'( 
She is just too cute in that outfit to even notice the eye 8)


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## RubyRoo

Suliko said:


> Poor Ruby :'(
> She is just too cute in that outfit to even notice the eye 8)


LOL - she is all healed now and back to normal except for the small patch on her back


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## roxy2011

darcy 
she had red pussy bumps on her belly and it was in odd patches...its only ever in long grass and after warm weather, i put it down to fresh bugs in the grass biting her as she hares on through bouncing about!! 

i use galpophram (think thats how you spell it) anti hystamine one a day tablets..i pop it into a piece of cheese and job done. she didnt moan or give any sign of pain and the vet said that that human anyti histamines are fine for dogs. 

i do hope she gets well soon, please tell me you have insurance :-\


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