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  #1  
Old December 26th, 2006, 06:36 PM
princessmelody princessmelody is offline
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Unhappy Hi I am Melody, I am new & have a question

I have an important question and hope anyone can give me any advice. My dog Violet is 11 years old, she is half husky and half timberwolf. For the past 2 years her tail has been shrinking & loosing fur. I have taken her to 2 vets and they have no idea what it is or how to stop it from shrinking. I am very worried and would appreciate anyones input.
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Old December 26th, 2006, 06:40 PM
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wow that is a new one,i have no guesses for you sorry.....
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Old December 26th, 2006, 07:37 PM
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First of all, welcome to the forum and we'd love to see pics of Violet.

I don't quite understand what you mean by "her tail is shrinking".
Have the vets tested for hypothyroidism?
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  #4  
Old December 26th, 2006, 10:27 PM
princessmelody princessmelody is offline
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Unhappy Here is a pic

I dont understand it ither, nither do the vets I have taken her to.
This is a picture of the tail that is shrinking!
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Last edited by princessmelody; December 26th, 2006 at 10:43 PM.
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  #5  
Old December 26th, 2006, 10:49 PM
princessmelody princessmelody is offline
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Picture of Violet

Here's a nicer pic of Violet
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  #6  
Old December 27th, 2006, 03:53 AM
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OntarioGreys OntarioGreys is offline
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Has a thyroid panel been done?

Quote:
Clinical Signs
Clinical signs of the disease vary greatly because of the myriad of systems the thyroid hormone impacts. Most owners are alerted to a problem when changes in the dog's coat occur. This is frequently the first symptom of which they become aware. The classical signs include alopecia or hair loss on both sides of the trunk or specifically on the tail, i.e., the 'rat' tail. Hair regrowth is usually slow and may come in dry, dull or differently colored. The skin may also change color and become greasy, strong smelling and thickened. The dog may gain weight easily, becoming lethargic, mentally dull and exercise intolerant. Chronic ear infections have also been noted. Observed also are severe behavior changes and neurological symptoms including unprovoked aggression, head tilt, seizures, ataxia, circling and facial nerve paralysis. Additionally, reproductive functions such as prolonged anestrus and fertility rates may be affected. It is obvious from this list that this is a serious disease and one that needs to be caught early.
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Old December 27th, 2006, 09:01 AM
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Melody,I cannot help you,but Welcome to the Forum!!
Violet is a beautiful doggie,hope you find some answers
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  #8  
Old December 27th, 2006, 10:08 AM
~michelle~ ~michelle~ is offline
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she a beauty!!!! hopefully you can find whats wrong. ask the vet to do a bunch of blood work sometimes you have to be pushy with vets to get what you want done.... talk to more dogowners in your area and maybe find another vet that comes recommended ?
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Old December 27th, 2006, 02:37 PM
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Violet is beautiful and she reminds me so much of one of the huskies I used to have. In fact, it was the one with hypothyroidism, which is what I suspected with Violet.

Ontario Greys just posted some information about it and, if Violet has not yet been tested, I suggest you do so. It is very easily controlled with daily medication.

Good luck and please keep us posted.
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  #10  
Old December 27th, 2006, 06:29 PM
princessmelody princessmelody is offline
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Thumbs up Thanks

You are all so sweet and caring, I would like to Thank all of you for the advice & help with the awful situation of Violets.
Although I have not taken her to the vet yet for the 3rd time, I am definatly going to a.s.a.p.
( I took her to 2 different vets in the past and they did not know what was wrong with her). I have not taken her a 3rd time but I am going to next Monday.
I am so happy I finally think I know what is wrong. I will be able to tell the vet this time, what the problem is & I will push to make sure it gets taken care of.
I really appreciate your concern for my wonderful dog Violet, Thanks again.
I will be sure to let you know what happens.

Last edited by princessmelody; December 27th, 2006 at 09:07 PM. Reason: Violet has seen 2 vets, I will be taking her a 3rd time.
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  #11  
Old December 27th, 2006, 06:52 PM
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Melody, I am not saying for sure that it is hypothyroidism. I think there is a very real possibility that it is and, if Violet has not been tested for it properly, then it should definitely be done.

Good luck and please keep us posted.
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Old December 27th, 2006, 07:19 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by princessmelody
I dont understand it ither, nither do the vets I have taken her to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by princessmelody
Although I have not taken her to the vet yet, I am definatly going to a.s.a.p,
so, have you been to a vet or not?


we are NOT vets here. you MUST see a vet for a diagnosis.
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  #13  
Old December 27th, 2006, 08:40 PM
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I thought Melody's first quote meant she has taken Violet to the vets and they were unable to diagnose the problem and the second quote meant she has not yet taken her for a thyroid test at the vet.
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Old December 27th, 2006, 09:12 PM
princessmelody princessmelody is offline
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Sorry for the confusion

Quote:
Originally Posted by jessi76 View Post
so, have you been to a vet or not?


we are NOT vets here. you MUST see a vet for a diagnosis.
I have taken her to two different vets in the past, they did not know what was wrong, now that I think it is Hypothyroidism, I will be taking her to a vet for a 3rd time.

I will be taking her on Mon, Jan 2nd & let everyone know if it is Hypothyrodism.
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  #15  
Old December 29th, 2006, 04:26 PM
princessmelody princessmelody is offline
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Tomorrow is the big day

I booked an appointment tomorrow for Violet to get blood test , I will be sure to post the results when I find out. Wish me luck & Happy New Years everyone.
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  #16  
Old December 29th, 2006, 06:10 PM
~michelle~ ~michelle~ is offline
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good luck and i hope you find some answers for your dpup if it is a thyroid prob it is easily treatable with a daily drug thats low cost
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  #17  
Old December 29th, 2006, 09:01 PM
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The test is a simple blood test also. Violet is beautiful! Her name really suits her. Blue eyes!
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Old December 30th, 2006, 08:13 AM
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Hoping for good news today for beautiful Violet
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  #19  
Old December 30th, 2006, 06:49 PM
princessmelody princessmelody is offline
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Violets been tested

I took Violet to the Vet today & she got the blood test done to see if she whats wrong. I should get the results next week. Please keep saying your prayers xoxo
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  #20  
Old December 30th, 2006, 06:55 PM
~michelle~ ~michelle~ is offline
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thanks for kepping us posted for violet
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  #21  
Old December 30th, 2006, 07:10 PM
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Fingers crossed for your beautiful girl.

If it is hypothyroidism, it is very easy to manage and she will soon be back to normal.
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  #22  
Old January 4th, 2007, 11:10 AM
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We used to have husky/wolf crosses also, 2 of them. If it's not a thryroid problem do you have other pets? The reason I'm asking is because we had a cat that was prone to play with the dogs tails and they lost lots of hair in their tails from it. Not as bad as the pic you showed though. Whatever it is I hope it is easily treatable.
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  #23  
Old January 6th, 2007, 08:48 PM
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Melody, do you have the results back yet?
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  #24  
Old January 7th, 2007, 06:08 PM
princessmelody princessmelody is offline
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Thumbs down It is not Hypothyroidism

:sad: I had hoped that Violet had Hypothyroidism since that is what it seemed like it was ( her tail, coarse fur, being overweight ) but that is not the case.
The Vet called me Friday to tell me that Violet did not have Hypothyroidism & should be taken back to the vet to get a fur sample & a biopsy because it could be a Fongical Infection.
Violet has been taken now to 3 different vets, 3 different times & the blood tests and exam cost me a total of 170$ & since we still do not know whats wrong with her, she will be going back again.
I had really hoped that the vets would have been able to tell me just what is wrong with her so I can get her better. We do have a cat yet I do not think he his the cause of this unusual tail of hers. There is also a huge wart on her tail and when I asked the vet, she told me it was normal because Violet is 11. I am so lost as to what to do, if anyone has suggestions I would appreciate them. Thanks for listening xoxo
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Old January 8th, 2007, 04:36 PM
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Awww, Melody, I'm sorry you still don't have an answer for Violet's problem. I hope the fur sample and biopsy will finally help diagnose.

Do you know if they did a T3 and T4 test for the thyroid?
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  #26  
Old February 9th, 2007, 07:55 PM
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Melody, do you have an update for us?
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