I never have, but Ripley's coat has me confused. A while ago he had a bacterial infection that left him greasy and bumpy and flakey and his coat looked thinner. That seemed to clear up with two months of antibiotics. Now he's itchy, his coat is thinning on his back and when I blow dried him after a bath the other day, he had little red dots along his back. They didn't look like hives, but I couldn't tell if it was a rash or not. The only way to see them is to really push the hair out of the way with the dryer. You can sort of see by parting the hairs on your own, but not very well. I don't know what he'd be allergic to if it is an allergy, and thryoid issues, while common in the breed, are not common in his lines. But one of their sisters did have a thyroid problem, so you never know.
Then there is Keira. Coat looks fine, except it's a little noticeably thinner on her chest, in her armpits and near her tuck up. And she smells slightly funny, which isn't normal for her. Even after she dries right after a bath, she still has the same smell.
I'm thinking about getting a thyroid panel done on both of them anyway, just because. But I have no idea if these issues present as thyroid problems or not. There is no point getting a vet to check Keira out, as the differences aren't things anyone who doesn't live with her would notice. And Ripley I'm thinking could be allergies (unless it's the same infection coming back, but I don't think so), but I have no idea what to. Or even if it is. Neither one has any weight problems at all. If not for Keira's odour, I wouldn't care about her slight hairloss as it's really not major. But Ripley looks horrible compared to what I know his healthy coat should.
Then there is Keira. Coat looks fine, except it's a little noticeably thinner on her chest, in her armpits and near her tuck up. And she smells slightly funny, which isn't normal for her. Even after she dries right after a bath, she still has the same smell.
I'm thinking about getting a thyroid panel done on both of them anyway, just because. But I have no idea if these issues present as thyroid problems or not. There is no point getting a vet to check Keira out, as the differences aren't things anyone who doesn't live with her would notice. And Ripley I'm thinking could be allergies (unless it's the same infection coming back, but I don't think so), but I have no idea what to. Or even if it is. Neither one has any weight problems at all. If not for Keira's odour, I wouldn't care about her slight hairloss as it's really not major. But Ripley looks horrible compared to what I know his healthy coat should.