Hi Dr Carol, I adopted a tortie about 6 months ago from the local humane society. She is about 3 yrs old, fixed, and up to date with her shots. She is declawed in the front, and is always indoors. I have no history on her prior to the pound. (she was fixed and claws done before I got her). Anyway, have been spending money trying to figure out a hair issue with her. She was missing hair on her lower abdomen when I got her, as well as in some spots on her legs. It does not appear to be acne, no spots or sores. Ringworm has been ruled out, as well as mites, etc. On her last trip to the vet, they gave her a steroid shot, as well as put her on antibiotics for 10 days. I thought that was doing the trick, as I was actually seeing tufts of hair growing back in the hair loss areas.
Now I notice new balding spots on her. She does not appear to be over washing, or neurotic or anything like that. (I am home all day). I am at a loss as to what to do now. I just want to help her out here, and cannot afford to hand the vets a couple of hundred dollars every month for them to guess. She is a very well tempered kitty, and I absolutely love her, she has adapted well. Any suggestions as to what I should do next? Your help would be most appreciated.
Thanks
Susan and Lilly Cat
PS: There are no other animals in the home
Hi Susan,
I am glad to talk to you and help. You might want to see a board certified veterinary dermatologist. How were the mites ruled out? They burrow very deep into the skin and skin scraings are often negative despite their presence. A skin biopsy would give you a definative diagnosis as to the underlying cause.
Revolution is a topical flea product however it can be given in a certain topical regime whereby it effectively and safely kills mites and many other skin parasites. You might mention this to your vet and give it a try. This could solve the problem and save you alot of cost and time.
A good natural diet and a supplement like PAAWS wuld also help to boost internal immunity and improve overall health and wellness.
I am available at the toll free number below.
Thank you,
Dr Carol Osborne, DVM
Hello Dr Carol,
I have a concern. I have a 7 month old pitbull name Rocko who fell down a hill the other day trying to keep up with our bigger dog. We took him to a doctor to be seen and they did an xray. They said the xray shows that he has a fractured femur. They didnt put a splint or cast on his leg. The doctor states that an Ortho doctor will need to do surgery for it to heal. They estimate the surgery to cost between $1500-$3000. I tried to get approved thru CareCredit but cant. They gave me a disc with copies of the xray in the case I found one on my own. I love my dog so much and want the best for him but I just cant afford the surgery. Do you have any suggentions? Will my dog have health issues or could he die if he doesnt have the surgery? What can happen if I avoid having the surgery? Please help!
Sincerely,
Erica and Rocko 🙂
Hi Erika,
I am sorry to hear about your dog and glad to help.
If you can email us your dogs xrays, we can review and help you specifically
Please email them to us at drcarol@chagrinfallspetclinic.com
Feel free to give us a call toll free at 866 372 2765
Thank you
Dr Carol