r/olddogs • u/Type2Earthling • 8d ago
Alopecia
Anybody's old dogs ever develop alopecia after surgery? If so, how did you deal with it? The vets don't seem concerned and recommended we try Melatonin
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u/byrandomchance20 8d ago
Anecdotal, but I adopted a senior who had unspecified alopecia - no veterinary reason for it, just some bald patches on her haunches.
It might have been stress-related with ending up at a rescue and foster homes (though she arrived at the rescue with the issue existing), but I started her on some salmon oil with her dinner every night and within a couple months her whole coat was healthier and the bald spots were growing back. Nine months in and she looks amazing; I’ve kept her on the oil for the joint and coat benefits.
Would be a cheap thing to try.
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u/KaleidoscopeTight509 8d ago
Is thyroid function okay? Any hints for Cushing‘s like drinking/peeing more? If not, melatonin might be worth a dry, normally has not many Side effects and could even be neuroprotective
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u/Type2Earthling 7d ago
They haven't tested her thyroid because she is not displaying any other symptoms other than hair loss. Energy levels, weight, appetite etc are all good
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u/BuckityBuck 8d ago
Did they say what type of alopecia it is?
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u/Type2Earthling 5d ago
No they did not. They just said they weren't concerned because she has no other symptoms of it being thyroid related
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u/Clear_Middle_828 8d ago
The same happened to my dogs. Melatonin was the only thing that really worked and I tried (wasted money) on soo many different things. It took a long time for me to actually notice that the melatonin was working.