Winston
Submitted by Linda Houston on May 14, 2013 - 4:49pmStill having problems with Winston's hair loss on his sides. have had him to two different vets and nothing as helped...steroid shots, antibiotics, skin test came back negative. They said to put him on Melatonin and that hasn't helped either...anyone else have this problem? It is on both of his sides.
Alopecia
he needs sun. :)
There are some that have had great luck with supplements (Missing Link) and now I can't for the life of me remember the other one.
Did your vets tell you it was Alopecia? Your vets are happy taking your money, none of that stuff works on Alopecia.
Try the Melatonin it may or may not help.
Try a Dermatologist
Sometimes its best to go to a specialist. They can get to the problem quicker! Is it mange?
Seasonal Flank Alopecia
Brit, our 4yr old bulldog has had seasonal flank alopecia for 2 yrs. It started again this spring. She has it both sides. It lasts for a month or so & then her hair grows back. You can google it to see if this relates to Winstons symtons. Our vet said it's one of the health issues that some bulldogs suffer from. Salmon oil might help.
Thank you....I did read about
Thank you....I did read about that and it does sound like what Winston has. I will try the Salmon oil...so far nothing else has worked. Did Brit have a few small red bumps in the area?
No Brit doesn't have red
No Brit doesn't have red bumps. Does Winston have hives (red bumps)? If he does, give him a bath in Epsom salts. It will relieve the itching & is good for his skin.
SFA
Seasonal Flank Alopecia doesn't affect your dog's health. Alopecia caused by thyroid or other causes is different. The SFA is cosmetic and doesn't require medication. It can go away in months or years....depends on the dog, situation, how much sunlight they get in the winter, and sometimes supplements seem to help. When I had a girl with it, melatonin didn't help, but I did find that keeping her in Full Spectrum lighting all day helped keep her from getting it--but who really knows, maybe it stopped on its own. Her son had it twice, but so far doesn't show signs of getting it this year. I had given him melatonix from Fall to Spring--maybe that helped him. Good luck!
SFA - nothing to worry about... ugly..but not harmful.. see pics
Here is Gizmo's SFA while she was on 'The Missing Link' its seasonal though, and we thought the suppliment was the bomb... until it started to come back again.
Oh well, its only ugly, but doesnt harm the pup :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rettinger/sets/72157630159176396/
Last steps taken May 26, 2014 -- Been rolling along ever since . . . .
SFA
Our girl has SFA as well. Tried missing link, melatonin, and have her on a great food... nothing seemed to work. She is now 2 and has had it for over a year now. The progression stopped in the fall but its back again getting worse. The vet we see is really good and told us it is just cosmetic and it doesnt bother her. So i just leave it alone. I make sure i condition her skin when i bath her but other than that theres nothing you can really do. I figure all the problems a bull dog can have, and our girl has had her share of problems, this is quite minor. With a Bulldog i have learned its best to pick your battles and SFA isnt one of them :)
SHEDEX OIL
My buddy's bulldog had the same thing going on. A vet told him it was normal and didn't give anything for him to treat it. Just told him it may or may not grow back. I give my dogs shedex and have never had the problem so I told him to try it. His dogs hair grew completely back within a month or so. Give it a try.