Maybe We Will Try Rogaine....

One thing I envy about people who don't have lots of animals in their lives is their immaculate homes. No couches scratched by the cats, no clogged vacuums full of hair. Ok, I don't really envy them that much. Even a mansion wouldn't be worth it to me if I couldn't share it with my furry family members. Shoot, I don't vacuum enough for it to get clogged, anyway!

Speaking of hair, our veterinary hospital sees a LOT of it every day. It is not uncommon for stressed animals (and unfortunately sometimes a trip to a veterinarian's office is a stressful event) to shed dramatically. We have to sweep, vacuum and/or mop after each patient in an exam room. I know owners are worried their pets will go bald when they first experience this sudden shedding phenomenon. I read a theory that makes sense to me: adrenaline allows the release of the hair shaft root from the follicle so that when a predator takes a big bite of the prey animal, it is more likely to just get a mouthful of hair that is easily released and the prey can run safely away, maybe less a patch of hair, but at least without being eaten!

It is very common for patients to have an appointment because of hair loss issues-even before they experience the "stress" response due to the actual visit. Today a lovely girl named Maya came in for just that reason. Her hair loss had been going on for about a month-with no slow down in sight. She had a thick, black hair coat and her concerned owner hated the idea of her losing it. She had gone through a similar episode last fall where we treated her skin symptomatically; we treated the itching and hair loss but never did much in the way of diagnostics so never did find out what the underlying cause was. Thus her return today with seemingly identical symptoms.

When a pet presents with similar symptoms as a prior episode, it can be very tempting to just go ahead and treat them with the same medications and be done with them, especially if the owners were satisfied with the results the last time. Just refilling medications or getting a "shot" or other treatment and not messing around with lots of expensive and time consuming tests sounds like a good plan. It really isn't in the best interests of the pet, though. They will often be right back in with the same problem, over and over again-it can be very frustrating and might ultimately be dangerous if medications chosen aren't particularly safe when given repeatedly without proper monitoring. Corticosteroids like prednisone are one example of this type of treatment. It often results in instant relief from pruritis (itching) but long term use can result in liver problems, gi ulceration, diabetes, iatrogenic (medically-caused) Cushing's disease, or more. We certainly did not want this for Maya.

We began with our "rule-out" list. Just what are the most likely causes of hair loss is a patient with Maya's signalment? (a dog of her age, breed, size, sex and with the specific distribution of "lesions" on her body.) She really didn't display sores or lesions, rather just a diffuse or generalized hairloss. It did appear to be coming out by the root, easily epilating or coming free from the skin, not breaking in half mid shaft as damaged hair would. I didn't find any lives fleas or ticks, nor evidence of flea "dirt" or feces. Her ears seemed fine. Her hair wasn't exactly dull and her skin wasn't flakey or exhibiting dandruff. Neither was the skin greasy or malodorous. Maya wasn't an overall fat dog, either. Still, metabolic problems like hypothyroidism were a possibility. Labs are on the list as commonly affected by allergic skin and ear disease, either due to foods or atopy (inhalent allergens.) This had happened before in the fall so a seasonal problem wasn't likely-dry winter skin isn't uncommon. Her diet wasn't particularly good, kind of a junk food brand, so that might be contributing. Her owner didn't mention using a new shampoo or washing her bedding with fabric softeners that she might be sensitive to. You really have to act a little like Sherlock Holmes when trying to uncover causes for some of these problems in veterinary patients!

I joked a bit about trying Rogaine on her for her hair loss. While it isn't exactly "male-pattern baldness," some breeds like dacshunds are susceptible to pattern hair losses, but no one uses minoxidil for them as far as I know. We will start by running some blood work on Maya and being sure she is healthy overall. The stress of an illness could be a cause for this hair loss. We started her on some omega fatty acids (flax seed oil) that her owner has at home and she will gradually start a new diet. We will try some antihistamines for the itching and maybe some topical shampoo therapy-oatmeal can be "naturally" soothing for many pets. Daily brushing will help stimulate the natural oil production in her skin, creating a healthier environment for hair. We'll make some furthur recommendations when we get her blood work results back. Maya is well on her way to having a full head, err, body of hair again. I doubt she will go bald anytime soon.

Peace,
DrReneigh