Question by remlap47: Is there anyone out there who might be familiar with this freaky skin condition my dog has?
This is my 13yo female Dachshund Chihuahua mix. Her skin disorder started afflicting her about 3 years ago at first around her tummy area and upper leg (arm) pits, and eventually started moving to other areas of her body. What happens in these areas is the outer skin just becomes a little hardened and crusty and that outer layer of that skin, along with the fur, just simply flakes off. Some times its in little areas, and sometimes in larger clumps. The hairless skin that’s left behind is a blackish gray color, and has kind of a rancid unpleasant odor to it. Another thing is.. This is totally painless to her. No itching or burning, or anything. As far as veterinary intervention goes, she’s seen 2 Vets concerning this, and just to get to this specific point, neither has been able to truly get to the bottom of this. She’s been through a ritual of antibiotics, antiseptic and anti fungal shampoos, and oral anti fungal medication. Specifically “Ketoconazole” which has actually been somewhat effective in temporarily stopping the condition, but just as soon as new fur is starting to grow back, here comes new patches of fur starting to flake off again. In closing I should add that, yes.. I could take her to a veterinary skin specialist, but she IS 13.. This isn’t a life threatening condition, it’s just very annoying (especially to me!) and I’ve spent over $ 600 to date on mostly ineffective veterinary visits, unfortunately. So I really can’t afford a “specialist” at this point. Also, I would appreciate only responses from those with veterinary experience, or those who’ve had pets with the same or similar conditions. Sorry this was so long, but I had to get the details in. Thank You for what ever input you might be able to contribute.

Best answer:

Answer by Katherine
I do not know the specific condition, she would require testing for that.

However, the hair loss, thick and dark skin is due to inflammation. Anything could cause it: fungus, bacteria, yeast infection, demodex mange, hormonal disorders, immune disorders, or even a genetic disorder though those often show up while still young.

If I had to pick a test to run to see what I could find, I would choose a skin biopsy and I would send it to a diagnostic lab. That would rule in or rule out most of the problems I listed above, and then you could go from there.

Beyond that, if you just want to treat the symptoms, an anti inflammatory dose of steroids (prednisone) would be a good place to start. And getting her to lose weight would be an other good idea because that will help if it is a hormonal disorder.

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