Hair loss question? (Pit bull mix)
When my puppy was found on the street in November, he had been starved, abused and was extremely malnourished. After about 10 weeks at the vet, he had finally started regrowing his coat and was ready to come home.....That was 6 weeks ago...his coat is still pretty patchy and hasn't really come in at all on his belly or the inside of his legs. The vet isn't concerned about his lack of hair.
He's getting great nutrition now and is otherwise doing well...he's on omega 3 supplements for his skin and another general nutrition supplement.
Has anyone else adopted a dog in the process of regrowing his coat essentially from scratch? Any idea how long it might take him to be all furry again?
He's getting great nutrition now and is otherwise doing well...he's on omega 3 supplements for his skin and another general nutrition supplement.
Has anyone else adopted a dog in the process of regrowing his coat essentially from scratch? Any idea how long it might take him to be all furry again?
Comments
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I don't have an answer, but wanted to thank you for taking care of this dog and getting it out of a horrible situation
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My dad once brought home a mangy puppy that had been dumped in the woods. She was starved beyond hunger and pretty much hairless from the mange and malnutrition. It took a while but in the end he coat was shiny and soft and you'd never know she looked like a big rat when he brought her home.
We had a foster dog a couple of years ago that was in the process of loosing a significant amount of hair from poor nutrition. The hair she had was not very healhty; it was brittle and fell out easily. The "new" healthy coat grew in pretty slowly. After maybe two months she only had a wide patch along her spine and the scruff of her neck that was "new" healthy, soft hair. From what I heard, it all came back in eventually but it was a slow process.
Of course, there's always a chance some spots will stay bald. I'm guessing the kind of person who takes in a dog in that state will love it bald patches and all and is mainly concerned about the dogs health
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Flexi, he is so sweet...I feel lucky that I was able to provide a home for him.
OpposumQueen, thanks for the info..I will continue to be patient - every little bit counts! He's pretty furry along his spine and his shoulders, but his hindquarters and head are a bit more stubborn. Hopefully, with the warm weather coming he'll be a bit happier outdoors.
Here he is:
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he's really cute
i can't believe someone would abandon him -
so gorgeous - even bald!
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Yeah...we're waving the "bald is beautiful" flag around here, at least for the near-term. :-)
Mr Met: he is such a sweetie. I can't imagne abandoning him, either, but some people are horrible. -
OMG he is so adorable!!!
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it kind of looks like he's mixed w/ a sharpe. or maybe that's just his skin condition.
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He is a shar pei/pit mix, yes.....and plus, he has the skin condition
Very wrinkly, with giant paws, but pit bull-shaped from the shoulders back. -
oh, "shar pei"
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My pit Ripley has almost no fur on her belly and very little fur on the inside of her legs. My vet was concerned at first but since she's been like that for 4 years he figures it's just the way she is. So I wouldn't worry too much about that right now. He looks like such a sweetie and very happy to have found you. Does he have a good winter coat to keep him warm? I sewed fleece into a sweatshirt with embroidery thread for Ripley. She's built like a tank so it was hard to find a coat that fit her properly. We need more pics, I just want to smoosh that cute face!
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He has a little down parka and a hoodie that he wears when it's in the 40s or raining (rain falls in his ears and he HATES it, which I understand completely).
I think once he finishes putting his weight back on, he'll be a bit thicker...he's still pretty weedy. -
Ripley knows she looks silly in her sweatshirt but she knows she gets cold so wears it. The reason I asked was because I have a neoprene coat my mom gave me that doesn't fit Ripley. She has the big pittie boobies.
How old is Berkeley? And do you have any pics of him in his hoodie?
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Here he is in his hoodie:
He's probably about 9 or 10 months old - he had his adult teeth when he was found in November, so they're sort of estimating his age based on that, I think.
He doesn't mind the sweatshirt...we had to "Belichick" the sleeves for him, since his feet were too big to fit through the cuffs... -
We adopted a puppy with mange last summer. It took a good four months for her hair to grow back, she was just about bald when we adopted her.
To date, her skin is still very sensitive. We tried the fish oil pills with the omega 3, they were to big for her to swallow. We just started using Oatmeal Shampoo and Condioner which seems to help her dry skin condition. -
Man, he is adorable. What a lucky boy to have you!
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SirSterling, can you tell me which brand of oatmeal shampoo you use? I've tried giving him Aveeno baths, which work to soothe his skin, but it's kind of a pain to get him to stand still long enough for the bath to do anything. He tolerates a bath, but just barely.
How is your puppy doing apart from her skin sensitivity? -
your dog rules, bklyn
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Thanks, Mr Met & Fred :-)
He is a good boy.... -
And looking quite fierce in his skull hoodie! I just thought of something that might help with his fur. My mom has a cane corso that she rescued a few years ago, the poor guy was a good 30lbs underweight. She put fish oil in his food, it really helped his coat since it was dull from being so malnourished. He looks great now and his fur is nice and shiny.
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Fish oil is great...he was sick a few weeks ago and we had to take him off everything except limited-ingredient food, but the Vet said we could start giving him his fish oil capsules again last weekend. It definitely helps with coat texture and skin dryness....he seems to be less itchy.
Buttercup's Pawtisserie used to carry fish skin chews that he loved, but they have been out of them for a while.....sad......
I have also been told that flax seed oil is good for them in combination with fish oil......anyone hear anything about that? -
flax seed oil has a lot of the same good stuff in it as fish oil.
ive heard that raw eggs help with a pup's fur. my friend used to just drop it on top of her dog's food. i don't do it, but i've heard it works. -
BklynTransplant wrote: Fish oil is great...he was sick a few weeks ago and we had to take him off everything except limited-ingredient food, but the Vet said we could start giving him his fish oil capsules again last weekend. It definitely helps with coat texture and skin dryness....he seems to be less itchy.
my pit mix has a very similar story. she had mange when she was rescued and it took a long time to get rid of it. once the mange was gone it took forever for her hair to grow back, the fish oil is great{and those fish skins from buttercup's are awesome}. i recommend the liquid as opposed to the capsules, as well as a powder supplement like Nupro, but the most important thing is an unprocessed diet with fresh meat, sardines, vegetables and yogurt{probiotics}.
Buttercup's Pawtisserie used to carry fish skin chews that he loved, but they have been out of them for a while.....sad......
I have also been told that flax seed oil is good for them in combination with fish oil......anyone hear anything about that?
If your dog's immune system can tolerate it, try a raw food diet. buttercup's sells frozen raw food patties which will definitely make a marked improvement with his coat. if you go the raw food route, make sure you supplement with enzymes to help with digestion. -
His immune system (as well as many of his other systems) are pretty wonky still....he's on a restricted-ingredient diet (vennison & potato), which he's responding well to, in addition to the fish oil. I break the capsules open since he's pretty sneaky and "saves" them to spit under the coffee table.
I have seen the raw food patties...I feel like they're very expensive, which is my only qualm about trying to transition him over..... :-(
I'll be patient...he's only been home with me for a little while...I just feel sad for him that he is still "nude".
How is your dog now, Q? -
BklynTransplant wrote: His immune system (as well as many of his other systems) are pretty wonky still....he's on a restricted-ingredient diet (vennison & potato), which he's responding well to, in addition to the fish oil. I break the capsules open since he's pretty sneaky and "saves" them to spit under the coffee table.
Sharpeis are notorious for their skin issues. Pitu should be able to give you some great advice.
I have seen the raw food patties...I feel like they're very expensive, which is my only qualm about trying to transition him over..... :-(
I'll be patient...he's only been home with me for a little while...I just feel sad for him that he is still "nude".
How is your dog now, Q?
My dog is doing pretty good, she's almost 9 now, but her immune system has never been great. We tried the frozen raw patties for a few months{yes they're not cheap} but she kept getting recurring urinary tract infections so i had to stop feeding her these, i still feed her fresh meat but i cook it now to prevent UTI's, and the second i stop giving her lowfat yogurt mixed with water, the UTI's come back right away, again that compromised immune system can be an ongoing issue.
Perhaps once your guy stabilizes on the venison/potato food, you can try a BARF diet, i guarantee you the difference in his coat will be remarkable. And being a boy, he may not have the UTI issues my girl has. -
Hi there! I think I met your little boy at the park this morning! Was he wearing a coat and little shoes? So adorable!!
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be cautious with the fish oil in the sense that it is difficult to tell whether it has gone bad or not - this is for humans and pups! in humans, rancid fish oil can often cause severe anxiety and/or heart palpitations. so, it's probably a similar effect in pups.
i'm not saying don't do it, b/c it's great! just check the date on the bottle and keep it at the right temp, get it from a good source, etc. etc.
SUCH A CUTE DOG!!!!!!! -
@ Akm, yes....he has a little blue puffer vest and yellow boots.
He LOVES the park, but is still learning to share toys, so we tend to go later in the morning when most of the balls are being put away.
Which puppy is yours?
@ Vanilla: rancid oil of any kind is, indeed, the worst. We usually get smaller bottles, so there's a pretty high turnover rate. :-) Good tip, though, because I think people rarely check the expiry dates on vitamins and supplements. -
My dog is Henry, the one your dog stole the ball from at the end of the morning! But that's ok with me!! Henry is the worst toy thief in the whole park. In fact, the only reason I took out Henry's ball this morning was because he had stolen a ball from another dog and I was using it to distract him. I kind of wish there was a "no toy" rule, because I spend the majority of my mornings trying to get henry to drop toys he has stolen—or maybe designated areas of the park for fetching. I've seen lots of fights break out over toys. Anyway, see you at the park tomorrow or someday soon and please don't worry about the ball!!
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Henry's ball is all clean and ready to be returned tomorrow morning! Berkeley is turning into a notorious toy-thief...
See you Thursday....
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