Getting old ain't for sissies!
Pirate is blowing her coat, which seems like a perfectly normal husky thing to do in the spring. Unfortunately, Pirate isn't just blowing her undercoat, she's loosing almost all her fur. Especially on her back legs and left side, the pink of her skin is visible and the fur that is there is very coarse. She has a weird growth on her left side. Not huge, not like a fatty lump, doesn't seem to hurt although she automatically scratches when it's touched.
So off to the vet yesterday. She did much better than on previous appointments, a bit stressed, but no major freak-out. I think she has figured out that I will bring her home again so getting in the truck isn't so scary anymore. Her usual vet had to do an emergency surgery so she saw my friend, Candace, instead.
There are a host of possible diagnosis. We don't think it's an allergy since she's not itchy where she's lost the fur. It might be a melatonin responsive dermatitis, which I'd never heard of before. Apparently, it affects some double coated dogs, especially in the far north, and is a reaction to the extreme amount of sunlight we get this time of year. We are still a month away from the longest day, but it hasn't been truly dark in at least two weeks. That really can't be treated and would likely resolve on it's own when the days get shorter again. It could be Alopecia X, which is vet-speak for "don't have a clue why your dog has no fur".
We did a blood draw to run some tests. First we are ruling out hypothyroidism. I'm actually hoping that's what it is. It's easy to diagnos, manage and treat. Many of hypothyroid symptoms mimic normal old dog stuff--lazy, weight gain, intolerance to cold...Pirate hasn't gained any weight, but I'm obsessive about her diet. Things get messy when Pirate gets to eat whatever she wants!
If her thyroid is normal, we'll test for Cushings, which is harder to treat and will shorten her life. Thyroid problems won't affect her lifespan. She may even get more time with the right treatment if it is a thyroid problem.
A skin biopsy was suggested, but I'm not going there at this point. She does have a lump under her tail too which may explain her occasional loss of bowel control. That's not a major problem and it's not causing her pain right now. If it grows, causes bigger problems or she has to be knocked out for something else, I'll get it removed. I'm hesitant to put her under for anything that's not immediately life-threatening.
The blood test has to be done in Vancouver. It could be up to a week to get the results.
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