Hi -- resubmitting this because my previous post contained a link to a commercial site: Hi folks -- my lab Bella had been losing hair and scratching a lot starting around 4-5 weeks ago. I took her to vet and he gave her a steroid injection (I believe it was depo-medrol). It almost immediately stopped her itching but the hair has not grown back. The vet saw that she was losing hair on her underside but seemed to think that this was due to her scratching. I'm not so sure about that myself. If any of you have had this situation before, how long did it take for the hair to grow back? I am thinking I might need to go back to the vet for another check re the hair loss.
My dog hasn't lost hair to scratching (though he does have allergies that make him scratch!) but he has lost hair to ringworm as a young dog (he caught this at a day care place....). Anyway, with the ringworm it took at least a couple of months for the fur to grow back. It was really slow to start reappearing. I'd have another visit to the vet and even consider a veterinary dermatologist. They see itchy dogs all day, every day, so they are the experts. My dog has seasonal allergies and we deal with it with daily antihistamines and also steroids (Prednisolone) if it escalates. It might be that your dog needs a longer term management plan than just the one-off steroid shot.
Hi there, Poor Bella,it's horrible being itchy,glad the steroid helped.I haven't had any hair loss due to scratching or allergies but just to say Dexter had his head shaved once for the vet to get a proper look at some lumps on his head (they ended up being the result of him sticking his head in a thorn bush to investigate a dead mouse ) it took ages for his fur to grow back properly and for the site to not be visible anymore.So our experience is quite slow fur re growth,if you think there might be something else underlying with Bella ,I would take her back for a check up x
I can't advise on hair loss due to scratching, but Willow was spayed in March and is still very bare underneath from where she was shaved. Her hair grows so slowly. If you're worried, definitely take her back to the vet.
Thanks very much snowbunny, Dexter, and Oberon! I agree with your assessment...I will take her back to vet. The itching has totally resolved but still the hair loss....my Bella is a diva and she can't be looking bad! -Allen
Glad you got your answers Allen - sorry about all that. Do you have another picture of Bella you could post? If she could bear her picture going global with the odd bald patch?
Hi drjs@5 -- I will get another picture of Bella...I did take her to the vet and he still believes it's allergies...he gave her Temaril and also said she could take Benadryl (75 mg every 8-12 hours as needed). But not both of these together. The hair still hasn't grown back though..here's a pic but this one doesn't show the hair loss...it shows her 'naughty' side... ...the next step after her getting her picture with this stuffed toy would be for her to run away with it hoping to be chased!! She loves mischief! By the way, thanks again to all for the input!
