[ChloeAndBrodisMa]

Now that I got Brodi's issue under control, I noticed last night Chloe has a good size bald spot starting on her back. She isn't really itching and I haven't changed anything in her diet, all she eats is timberwolf ocean blue and now we got a noticeable bald spot starting. I was thinking maybe it's Seasonal flank alopecia because last year right before spring Chloe lost a lot of hair right behind her ears which has since grown back but now this year right before spring we got this new spot. Is anyone familiar with seasonal flank alopecia? Here are a few pics of it but it looks much worse when you look at her in person and now after seeing these pics of her I didn't realize what a cow she has turned into over the winter  8O Looks like a diet is in order for Ms Chloe!

 

[sharonL]

Seasonal flank alopecia is exactly what it looks like and it is uaully bi-lateral when it appears.  It is also very common in boxers and thought to be mainly a hormone issue....Also, they say that it appears when there is a lack of sunshine (the dog being in sunlight) so of course it is more prone to appear in the winter months.  There is a supplement you can get at the health food place called melatonin that is good for this and you see results in about 4 to 6 weeks....

This is all pending there are not other health issues such as thyroid problems.....

 

[ChloeAndBrodisMa]

Thank you Sharon, Chloe does have hypothyroidism but has been on Soloxine and she just had blood work done Jan 24th for her checkup and the vet said everything was looking great. Even tho she has been on these meds she still got the hair loss last year around this time and now again this year just in a different spot. When we had Brodi at the vet getting his shots we showed her Chloe's spot and she said it looked like seasonal flank too but when I mentioned I read about giving them melatonin for it she said you could try but in a lot of dogs it doesn't help. But from what I been reading about it on the internet it does help a lot. I want to try it but I'm not sure on the dosage amount.

 

[sharonL]

Once you find the bottle tell me what the mg is (normally it is a 2mg) and her weight and I will get the dosage.

 

[Barbs2Ks]

Sorry Chloe is having some problems.  One of the boxers in rescue had it and they had a link that explained what it was.  Also talked about Melatonin is something that helps.

 

[sharonL]

This is the one i generally use and what you find should be a 2 mg!  But, I would need her current weight!

http://www.gnc.com/sm-gnc-melatonin-3--pi-2133407.html

 

[ChloeAndBrodisMa]

Thank you so much Sharon! I have a GNC store right by me so I will pick some up today. We tried weighing her last night at the vet but she wouldn't sit still long enough. It was between 59- 60 pounds.

 

[samsonsmom]

Poor Chloe, that girl sure has had her share of problems...Hoping the Melatonin will help her out Shari

 

[ChloeAndBrodisMa]

I went to GNC yesterday and of course they only had 3 bottles of melatonin in the whole store and they were 5 mg.  I went to a few other stores but all I could find was 3mg no 2's anywhere so I bought one. Is it still okay to use? Also bought a SAD light..OMG that thing is so bright it ended up giving me a headache and I only had it on for an hour last night lol. Just wanted to say thank you again Sharon for the help and thank you to Barb and Willow for the well wishes  

 

[sharonL]

Is Chloe over 50 pounds?  Is the one you bought a 3mg time release tablet?

 

[ChloeAndBrodisMa]

Yes she is over 50lbs and it's not time released

 

[sharonL]

what does she weigh these days

 

[ChloeAndBrodisMa]

When we had her on the scale at the vets it kept going between 59 and 60 lbs  8O  cause she was such a wiggle butt on it

 

[sharonL]

Okay one 3mg pill will cover a dog to 50 pounds.....So......1 and a 1/4 of another pill would cover 62.5 # dog.  So....that is where I would start....1 and 1/4 tablet a day...you can always go up if needed to 1 and 1/2 a day without a problem though....Keep in mind that these sometimes make them sleepy

They are also used for dogs that are scared of thunder and rain storms and for seperation anxiety...they have a "calming" effect

 

[Guest]

they are also great if you are having trouble sleeping...melatonin is produced by the brain as your sleep neurotransmitter.

 

[samsonsmom]

They are also used for dogs that are scared of thunder and rain storms and for seperation anxiety...they have a "calming" effect

It works for calming too? Didn't know that...I need to get some for Angel  

 

[Barbs2Ks]

Gosh I wish I knew that when I had my Rascal, he freaked during thunderstorms and fireworks until he went deaf at around 12 years old.