The Veterinarian's Notebook: A "moth-eaten" coat

An older bulldog came into the clinic the other day with a “moth-eaten” coat. There were patches of hair loss throughout his coat. The owner said it started about two months ago and got progressively worse. It was mildly itchy. The owner had not switched foods, and the dog does not leave the yard.

I did a skin scraping looking for mange but did not find either demodectic or sarcoptes mange. I next sent in a sample of the skin to a lab to look for either fungal or bacterial causes. The results will not show up for about a week.

In the meantime I started the dog on an antibiotic and an antifungal. In addition, I will try to make the skin healthier with antibacterial/antifungal shampoo and some oral omega-3 fatty acids. I am not going to put the dog on any special foods for the skin until I see how everything else goes.

Many times skin problems are multifactorial. They can begin with allergies and progress into a skin infection caused by a combination of bacteria and yeast (fungal). Some of these skin cases must be treated for two to three months before they clear up completely.

                         -- Rob Santos DVM, Monte Vista Small Animal Hospital