# My poor little guy! Excessive hair loss :(



## chaiteahuahua

Hi Everyone,

This is probably going to be fairly long, so bare with me. Sorry if it's a little disorganized, I was trying to type it quickly so I can get back to studying.

Abu is having some serious hair loss as of late. He's been shedding more and more over the past couple of months, but lately it has been really intense. He is obviously nearly bald on his hind and front legs, as well as the spots in front of his ears. He also is showing lots of thinning on his eyebrows and top of his head. The vet has said that he has color dilution alopecia, but the hairloss is not only on his darker skin, it's also on the lighter skin. 
If you pet him, lots of hair floats off of him. If I put him on my lap, I'm covered in hair. 

The only times he has shed close to this was when we first got him (he was eating Kirkland) and then again when I had him on Ranchlands. I usually always feed Pacifica, because he usually does not shed whatsoever on that and his coat always looks great. I also usually give him Missing Link Skin & Coat. 

In January, I switched him to Grasslands instead of Pacifica (in the past, he has shed almost zero while on Pacifica.) I also had him on Missing Link's Joint, Skin & Coat instead of just Skin & Coat. Same brand, but the ingredients are in a slightly different order.
I tend to bathe him every 2-4 weeks, but it's with a high-quality, gentle, moisturizing dog shampoo. 
I've given him one dose of comfortis, back in the beginning of April.
The owner of my pet store, who is very educated about Acana/Orijen, has said that if you overfeed a dog, their body will get hotter and shed, to burn the extra calories. I give him a rounded 1oz scoop of food twice a day. This is the same amount as when he was getting long walks every day, which he isn't now. 
Kyle moved out in late February, but I had been solely caring for Abu since around December.

So far, these have been my measures to help alleviate his hair loss:
I've reduced his food to exactly 1oz scoop/twice a day.
I've ordered a fish oil supplement, since his Missing Link has run out anyways. 
I haven't bathed him.

I'd love any and all input on this, I hate seeing my poor baby lose more and more hair  I've included some pictures, so you guys can get an idea.

After my roommate petted him about 4-5 times









The dark spots where his eyebrows are are thinning. You can also tell his head overall is thinning, as well as his front leg.









Top of his paws are very thin, as well as most of his leg. Looks the same on the opposite side.









Front leg again.


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## Lupita's mom

Hey Jayme, your little guy is precious. I remember reading on the forum about something some gave their chi which helped with the hair loss. You can probably pm her for more info. Her user name was CHITheresa and her little one's name is Amberleah. This is what she said.

"Also can get some Horseman's dream it works wonders. Amberleah fur came in fast and thicker.
Horseman's dream is used for Fung-a-way ichesness, but also used for many other things. Amberleah didn't have fungus problems but wow!"


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## Julie1962

Has a vet seen him ? Could be fungal or allergy related and the vet is the best person to advise/prescribe for that. Malaseb shampoo is what they put our late Duncan on plus atopica treatment for allergies.


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## pupluv168

I know that Christie (Huly) helped Theresa out with Amberleahs issues. And she is often on the forum. Has the vet done a skin scraping?


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## Fortheloveofthechi

I have two dogs that have problems with hair loss and I have found something that is working wonderfully it is called melatonin you can either get it in pill form or liquid form. The liquid form is what I use it has made a tremendous difference I give it to all my chis every day and it is not expensive and the liquid form will last a very long time. I got mine a a pharmacy called cvs but you should be able to find it at others as well. Mine is with the vitamins and gummies to help you sleep. Good luck hope you give it a try it really works. I to use vitamin e and fish oil but they didn't do anything to help the hair loss by themselves. I still use them also but the change is definitely since I started the melatonin. ;-)


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## missydawn

Missy had excessive hair loss!!!! she was about 80% bald.Shes a long haired too,which made it look worse to me.We took her to our regular vet for years,and they tried and tried ,but nothing worked.We finally took her to a dermatologist which is 2 hours away.All of her hair came back thick and full,but recently the hair problem returned.She is currently on chlortrimeon(the walmart generic brand) 1/4 of a pill in the morning,1/2 of a pill at night.she has a medicated shampoo and conditioner from the dermatologist.shes washed once a week. shes on an antibiotic for 30 days,once a day.She has a mousse that I put on her if i see any dry skin patches,Or what looked like cradle cap.she also has a second mousse that is put on thinning areas.She also gets an ointment put on her eyes at night.Oh ,she also gets advantage every 2 weeks instead of every 4 weeks.Now she is doing excellent again.I hope this helps you.


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## missydawn

*Missys knee back then*


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## missydawn

*Missys side and stomach back then*


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## missydawn

*This is her after being treated by the dermatologist*


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## missydawn

It was worth every dime taking her to that doctor.It was 2 hours away ,but worth it!


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## cpaoline

You said that someone had moved out of the house...is it possible that this is stress induced frommissing him?


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## chaiteahuahua

Lupita's mom said:


> Hey Jayme, your little guy is precious. I remember reading on the forum about something some gave their chi which helped with the hair loss. You can probably pm her for more info. Her user name was CHITheresa and her little one's name is Amberleah. This is what she said.
> 
> "Also can get some Horseman's dream it works wonders. Amberleah fur came in fast and thicker.
> Horseman's dream is used for Fung-a-way ichesness, but also used for many other things. Amberleah didn't have fungus problems but wow!"


Thanks! He is a little sweetie. I'll have to pm Theresa and see what she gave Amberleah lou lou. 



Julie1962 said:


> Has a vet seen him ? Could be fungal or allergy related and the vet is the best person to advise/prescribe for that. Malaseb shampoo is what they put our late Duncan on plus atopica treatment for allergies.


Yeah, the vet definitely would know the most about fungal/allergy. I've done a lot of googling and he isn't displaying any telltale signs of either, though. No itching, flaking, dryness, ect. Just hair loss and tons of shedding.



pupluv168 said:


> I know that Christie (Huly) helped Theresa out with Amberleahs issues. And she is often on the forum. Has the vet done a skin scraping?
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com App


 I'm trying to put off taking him to the vet until it is absolutely necessary, so no, a skin scraping hasn't been done yet.



Fortheloveofthechi said:


> I have two dogs that have problems with hair loss and I have found something that is working wonderfully it is called melatonin you can either get it in pill form or liquid form. The liquid form is what I use it has made a tremendous difference I give it to all my chis every day and it is not expensive and the liquid form will last a very long time. I got mine a a pharmacy called cvs but you should be able to find it at others as well. Mine is with the vitamins and gummies to help you sleep. Good luck hope you give it a try it really works. I to use vitamin e and fish oil but they didn't do anything to help the hair loss by themselves. I still use them also but the change is definitely since I started the melatonin. ;-)
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


How many mg of melatonin did you give your chis? 



missydawn said:


> Missy had excessive hair loss!!!! she was about 80% bald.Shes a long haired too,which made it look worse to me.We took her to our regular vet for years,and they tried and tried ,but nothing worked.We finally took her to a dermatologist which is 2 hours away.All of her hair came back thick and full,but recently the hair problem returned.She is currently on chlortrimeon(the walmart generic brand) 1/4 of a pill in the morning,1/2 of a pill at night.she has a medicated shampoo and conditioner from the dermatologist.shes washed once a week. shes on an antibiotic for 30 days,once a day.She has a mousse that I put on her if i see any dry skin patches,Or what looked like cradle cap.she also has a second mousse that is put on thinning areas.She also gets an ointment put on her eyes at night.Oh ,she also gets advantage every 2 weeks instead of every 4 weeks.Now she is doing excellent again.I hope this helps you.


That sounds like it worked really well for Missy! I'd like to avoid having to give Abu a bunch of medicated things unless absolutely necessary. He hasn't had any type of dryness or cradle cap, his thin/bald patches are very, very soft, actually.
Thanks for the tip, though. I'll see if there is a dog dermatologist in the area.




cpaoline said:


> You said that someone had moved out of the house...is it possible that this is stress induced frommissing him?


It's possible, but I wonder why it would have gotten so bad after it had been over a month? Kyle moved out in late Feb, Abu started shedding really bad over the past month.


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## cpaoline

With stress I'm guessing just like humans physical effects would build up over time, so it wouldn't start right away...


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## chaiteahuahua

cpaoline said:


> With stress I'm guessing just like humans physical effects would build up over time, so it wouldn't start right away...


Yeah, that's a good point. Plus he hears my ex's motorcycle frequently (we live close to a main road that my ex takes to work) so maybe that could stress him out more? :dontknow:


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## intent2smile

chaiteahuahua said:


> Yeah, that's a good point. Plus he hears my ex's motorcycle frequently (we live close to a main road that my ex takes to work) so maybe that could stress him out more? :dontknow:


It could very well be stress. I know I was amazed at how Jaxx picks up on the car sounds around us. He knows the sound of both of our cars and if hubby is working late Jaxx gets out of his bed when he hears our car so that he can say hi and get cuddles from hubby. Jaxx also knows when his favorite maintenance man for our apartment pulls up to our complex. Jaxx always tells me he has to go out when he hears the maintenance man but he only does this for one specific guy so he must even be able to tell the different golf carts.
He could be hearing your ex's bike and not understanding why he isn't stopping. 
I hope you get it sorted out soon. I know how much it drove me nuts when a food switch caused Jaxx to she'd like crazy. Good luck!


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## Ruffio N Reinas

My boy Ruffio has the same problem. Is you dogs hairloss look the same on both sides of the body? I endend up taking Ruffio to a dermatologist. They said it was patterned baldness. They also recommend me to give him 1 milligram of melatonin 2 times a say, but have not yet tried 



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## Ruffio N Reinas

You can see some of his hair loss here



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## chaiteahuahua

intent2smile said:


> It could very well be stress. I know I was amazed at how Jaxx picks up on the car sounds around us. He knows the sound of both of our cars and if hubby is working late Jaxx gets out of his bed when he hears our car so that he can say hi and get cuddles from hubby. Jaxx also knows when his favorite maintenance man for our apartment pulls up to our complex. Jaxx always tells me he has to go out when he hears the maintenance man but he only does this for one specific guy so he must even be able to tell the different golf carts.
> He could be hearing your ex's bike and not understanding why he isn't stopping.
> I hope you get it sorted out soon. I know how much it drove me nuts when a food switch caused Jaxx to she'd like crazy. Good luck!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Yeah, sometimes he goes to the hall and waits for my ex  or if we're out somewhere and he hears a bike like my ex's, he'll stop dead and wait for him. It makes me really sad for him.



Ruffio N Reinas said:


> My boy Ruffio has the same problem. Is you dogs hairloss look the same on both sides of the body? I endend up taking Ruffio to a dermatologist. They said it was patterned baldness. They also recommend me to give him 1 milligram of melatonin 2 times a say, but have not yet tried
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Yes it is evenly. Maybe I will have to look into seeing a dermatologist. 



Ruffio N Reinas said:


> You can see some of his hair loss here
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Abu's is very similar, except his head fur is getting super thin and looks like Ruffio's wasn't?


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## Fortheloveofthechi

chaiteahuahua said:


> Thanks! He is a little sweetie. I'll have to pm Theresa and see what she gave Amberleah lou lou.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, the vet definitely would know the most about fungal/allergy. I've done a lot of googling and he isn't displaying any telltale signs of either, though. No itching, flaking, dryness, ect. Just hair loss and tons of shedding.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm trying to put off taking him to the vet until it is absolutely necessary, so no, a skin scraping hasn't been done yet.
> 
> 
> 
> How many mg of melatonin did you give your chis?
> 
> 
> 
> That sounds like it worked really well for Missy! I'd like to avoid having to give Abu a bunch of medicated things unless absolutely necessary. He hasn't had any type of dryness or cradle cap, his thin/bald patches are very, very soft, actually.
> Thanks for the tip, though. I'll see if there is a dog dermatologist in the area.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's possible, but I wonder why it would have gotten so bad after it had been over a month? Kyle moved out in late Feb, Abu started shedding really bad over the past month.


I give .5 cc or .5 ml in a syringe and give it to them by mouth they like it alot. It is liquid so would not be mg. I give once a day never tried twice a day once has been enough 


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## Ruffio N Reinas

It is very thin, you just couldn't see it in that pick, here is some more of his hair loss


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## Ruffio N Reinas

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## chaiteahuahua

Ruffio N Reinas said:


> It is very thin, you just couldn't see it in that pick, here is some more of his hair loss





Fortheloveofthechi said:


> I give .5 cc or .5 ml in a syringe and give it to them by mouth they like it alot. It is liquid so would not be mg. I give once a day never tried twice a day once has been enough
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Oh, okay. I'm definitely going to get him some, I think. Is it a brand specifically made for dogs or is it just regular human melatonin?



Ruffio N Reinas said:


> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Wow, his hair loss is very, very similar to Abu's.. Did it come on very suddenly? Abu has always been bald on his tummy/chest and thin fur in other places(as long as I have had him anyways-- since June 2012), but recently it just got very, very extreme. Here is a pic I took last night:









As you can see, his skin is clearly visible on his entire underbody, as well as all four legs, and his head. 
Note the swollen tummy, too.. That appeared yesterday, I noticed it when I got home from school (he had been in his crate all day.) Not sure if it's related or just a fluke  watching it to make sure it goes down.


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## Angel1210

He is so cute!
If it is stress, then maybe more exercise/play time will help. I've read up quite a bit on stress and it all seems to point to distraction, which equates to exercise or play. It definitely wouldn't hurt. Maybe more walks, training to do tricks, backyard agility - I made a simple jump with PVC pipes and joints. It's really neat. You can get the instruction on the internet. Also, remember, they pick up on our moods/vibes! So be sure to try and stay positive and upbeat around him!

I hope his hair loss stops soon!


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## chaiteahuahua

Angel1210 said:


> He is so cute!
> If it is stress, then maybe more exercise/play time will help. I've read up quite a bit on stress and it all seems to point to distraction, which equates to exercise or play. It definitely wouldn't hurt. Maybe more walks, training to do tricks, backyard agility - I made a simple jump with PVC pipes and joints. It's really neat. You can get the instruction on the internet. Also, remember, they pick up on our moods/vibes! So be sure to try and stay positive and upbeat around him!
> 
> I hope his hair loss stops soon!


Yeah, he definitely hasn't been getting very many walks lately. I'll have to make sure that he is from now on.


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## Ruffio N Reinas

It started as a puppy on his chest and continued to spread as he got older. When I get home I will give you the name of the brand the dermatologist recommend to me. He said on a study of different brands of melatonin this one ranked the highest.


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## Fortheloveofthechi

chaiteahuahua said:


> Oh, okay. I'm definitely going to get him some, I think. Is it a brand specifically made for dogs or is it just regular human melatonin?
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, his hair loss is very, very similar to Abu's.. Did it come on very suddenly? Abu has always been bald on his tummy/chest and thin fur in other places(as long as I have had him anyways-- since June 2012), but recently it just got very, very extreme. Here is a pic I took last night:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As you can see, his skin is clearly visible on his entire underbody, as well as all four legs, and his head.
> Note the swollen tummy, too.. That appeared yesterday, I noticed it when I got home from school (he had been in his crate all day.) Not sure if it's related or just a fluke  watching it to make sure it goes down.


Nope it is for humans


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## chaiteahuahua

Ruffio N Reinas said:


> It started as a puppy on his chest and continued to spread as he got older. When I get home I will give you the name of the brand the dermatologist recommend to me. He said on a study of different brands of melatonin this one ranked the highest.


That would be great! I'd love to get Abu on it ASAP.



Fortheloveofthechi said:


> Nope it is for humans
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Oh, okay


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## lilbabyvenus

I hope the Melatonin helps! I know it helps with anxiety/stress as well, so that can also be a plus with the sadness he's experiencing.


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## chaiteahuahua

*Update*

I took Abu to the vet on Friday. First of all, the Wellness Plan through Banfield Pet Hospital is a lifesaver for a broke college student like myself. $34/month (plus I think a $40-50 one time fee) and I get 2 comprehensive exams per year, which include deworming, blood work, and dental cleaning. Also included are all routine vaccines, unlimited exam visits, and 15% off of their medications, food, flea treatment, ect. Some things aren't included, like thyroid testing, but that's because they have to send it to a separate lab. One comprehensive exam would cost upwards of $400 and the Wellness Plan costs around a total of $450 over the course of the year.. so definitely worth it for me, because he needed a dental cleaning, blood work, and his rabies vaccine.

I really liked that they didn't suggest for Abu to get a luxating patella surgery (his doesn't cause him obvious pain or limit his mobility) or try to remove one of his teeth. The other, more upscale vet tried to convince me to do both!

For his hair loss, the vet suggested an "anti-allergen 90 day diet," which was Science Diet or Royal Canine, or a medicated anti-microbial shampoo, which had sulfates in it. I declined both and opted to do blood work instead. His blood work for his kidneys and liver came back all clear.. I have the option to do a thyroid test within the next 2 weeks, but it will cost $30. If I wait, I have to use up one of the yearly comprehensive exams. Trying to decide what I want to do, since my budget is pretty limited right now.. I'm thinking of trying the melatonin in lieu of the thyroid test, but I'm not sure.


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## pupluv168

From one broke college student to the other, I would go ahead and get the thyroid test. If the melatonin doesn't work, you'll have to get the thyroid test anyway. Plus, you'll have to use one of your visits. $30 is a fair price especially if you don't have to pay for another exam. 

I know that paying sucks but it will suck more if you have to do it later. Just my opinion. 


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## chaiteahuahua

pupluv168 said:


> From one broke college student to the other, I would go ahead and get the thyroid test. If the melatonin doesn't work, you'll have to get the thyroid test anyway. Plus, you'll have to use one of your visits. $30 is a fair price especially if you don't have to pay for another exam.
> 
> I know that paying sucks but it will suck more if you have to do it later. Just my opinion.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com App


Yeah, good point. I think I just needed to hear it from someone.


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## ittychichilover

Hi! I'm having the same problem with my chi! His tummy is very pink and sort of swollen and also has the hair loss like Abu in the pic! Did you end up having his thyroid tested? Did they test for cushing's disease as well? How old is Abu?? I'm taking Ziggy to the vet Friday and would love to know any updates you have before I go in. He has started to lose hair on one side of his neck too as of a week ago. He bites and licks his paws til pink and raw and is losing hair on his paws. He's on a raw diet. Lamb without grains, has coconut oil and salmon oil supplements as well. The only thing new I gave him in the last few weeks was a few bullies he received as a gift. All of a sudden he has almost like a light brown film that comes off if I wash him daily on his chest. So bizarre who knows what they coat those bullies with I threw out the rest of the bag. I haven't noticed any fleas or flea poop...he's takes a pill every month for that.


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## lilbabyvenus

I have too much experience being broke as well lol *hugs* I would figure out a way to pay the $30 and have the thyroid test done. Maybe find something to sell locally or on eBay? eBay has been a total lifesaver at times we needed small amounts of funding like that.


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## Barracuda51

First off i was the one that turned Theresa onto the Horsemans Dream Fung-A-Way and yes it does help if used correctly and its not just for fungus. I have been using it for yrs and yrs on all types animals not just livestock it has helped many many dogs, cats, rabbits and even pet birds that pluck there feathers. I also sugest a thyroid test like mentioned about as you want to rule that out first, then rule out any probs with the food your feeding. Supplaments do help but you need something that can get deep into the skin and down to the hair folicals to help..


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## chaiteahuahua

Hey everyone, 
I wanted to give you all an update. First of all, his shedding seems to have slowed a little, as hair doesn't fly off him like crazy when he is being brushed. However, now he has apparent hair loss in his arm pit area.
We did a thyroid test last week and it came back negative. Glad that it's negative and it's been ruled out, but a little frustrated that we haven't figured out the cause, yet.
Since a thyroid issue has been ruled out, they think it could be mites. So, I'll probably be doing that test next.. It's another $30 and then if it's positive, it'll be at least another $30-50 for treatment. I know that doesn't sound like a whole lot, but I have a tight budget right now.
Another thing I noticed, is he had some bites on his chest area last night and now they are scabbed but yellowish in color and some yellow crustiness near the scabs. This likely means that he has fleas (again) and possibly flea allergy dermatitis.. Probably going to have to put him on Comfortis. 
One other thing that cropped up is a fairly large (for his size) bump on his hip. The vet said that is probably from his rabies vaccine, since that's where they gave it to him. I thought it was odd that it showed up 2 weeks after the vaccine was given.. Makes me wary of giving him the rabies in the future, but it's required by law here.

Keep your fingers (and paws) crossed we figure out what's going on soon.


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## chaiteahuahua

ittychichilover said:


> Hi! I'm having the same problem with my chi! His tummy is very pink and sort of swollen and also has the hair loss like Abu in the pic! Did you end up having his thyroid tested? Did they test for cushing's disease as well? How old is Abu?? I'm taking Ziggy to the vet Friday and would love to know any updates you have before I go in. He has started to lose hair on one side of his neck too as of a week ago. He bites and licks his paws til pink and raw and is losing hair on his paws. He's on a raw diet. Lamb without grains, has coconut oil and salmon oil supplements as well. The only thing new I gave him in the last few weeks was a few bullies he received as a gift. All of a sudden he has almost like a light brown film that comes off if I wash him daily on his chest. So bizarre who knows what they coat those bullies with I threw out the rest of the bag. I haven't noticed any fleas or flea poop...he's takes a pill every month for that.


Wow, I'm sorry your chi is experiencing all that. Abu is around 3-4 years old, I'm not 100% sure because he was found as a stray and I adopted him from a shelter. 
Abu's swollen tummy went significantly down overnight and then he had a big, big poop and then the tummy swelling was totally gone.
They didn't test for Cushings. They haven't mentioned that as being a possibility, but mites is the next thing they want to test for.
I hope they figured out was wrong with Ziggy!


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## chaiteahuahua

Barracuda51 said:


> First off i was the one that turned Theresa onto the Horsemans Dream Fung-A-Way and yes it does help if used correctly and its not just for fungus. I have been using it for yrs and yrs on all types animals not just livestock it has helped many many dogs, cats, rabbits and even pet birds that pluck there feathers. I also sugest a thyroid test like mentioned about as you want to rule that out first, then rule out any probs with the food your feeding. Supplaments do help but you need something that can get deep into the skin and down to the hair folicals to help..


Which type of the Horseman's Dream do you use? I see on Amazon you can get it in solution, cream, ect.
We did the thyroid test and it was normal.
I can't imagine the food is the issue, since he has done amazing on it in the past. The only thing the vet said about food was they wanted me to put him on Royal Canine or Science Diet. Yuck!


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## CHITheresa

Hi, I am just reading this post. Horseman dream is found at tractor supply. But Amberleah problem was not healed from it and her skin got flaky like in pictures. Christie ( Huly) and our holistic girl put Amberleah lou lou on Ol' Immune and now her skin and fur normal.


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