Hair loss with Addisons?

Started by Wendy C, May 15, 2016, 12:16:38 PM

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Wendy C

Freddie ( bearded collie), aged 3.5, was diagnosed with Addison about 8 weeks ago. He is on florinef with a half tablet of prod in the evening.  He is so much better, but is loosing loads of hair with each groom.  He is obviously less 'hairy' now, which could be a good thing for the summer months, but I wondered if anyone else has experienced this, and indeed if it is a result of the steroids.  Would appreciate any feedback.  Thanks. 

Jo CIMDA

Hi

Well done for getting Freddie diagnosed and treated for Addison's.;  That is the most difficult part.

How much Florinef is he on?  I presume the pred tablet is 5mg? If this is the case half a tablet is a very low dose, and it is also a 'replacement' dose and probably isn't in excess of his needs.

Unless he is on a very high dose of Florinef then I doubt it is the glucocorticoid portion within Florinef or the extra prednisolone that is causing the hair loss.  When the hormones are out of balance the hair is one of the first things to suffer.  I have known a few dogs with Addison's to lose their hair for a while but when they are stable and their treatment is optimised the hair grows back but it might take a many months (hopefully it will return just before the winter).  Has he lost it from particular areas?

As he is clearly losing his hair, try to limit his grooming so that you don't take out too much hair in the brush. It could be that the hair follicles have suffered as a result of hormonal imbalance and the hair is vulnerable to trauma.

(I over groomed one of my beardies once - she wasn't ill - and I took out all her undercoat.  She was my first one and I was too enthusiastic but I learned.)

I am so glad he is doing well.  Has your vet talked to you about Zycortal?

Jo




Wendy C

Hi Jo
Thanks for your reply, I'm taking a while to get used to this forum!  Freddie has been changed onto zycortal now as our vet could not get any more florinef.  He seems good, but is needing more pred now.  I have put him up to 5mg, else he gets 'panty and uncomfortable' in the evening.  I think there was a small amount of steroid in the pills, but not with the zycortal.
He is still loosing hair.  I am  limiting the grooming, I guess it is very early days and he was very poorly before the diagnosis, it's probably better for him not to be so hairy in the summer!  Poor lad.
This forum is great.  It's so good to have somewhere to go for advice.  Thank you.  Wendy

Jo CIMDA

Hi

The dogs I know who are on Zycortal are doing well and one in particular has gone 45 days and the sodium and potassium ratio is still 39, so they are leaving it another week and testing again.  Some dogs don't need as much as others. 

Are you interested in donating some of Freddie's blood to a new study looking into finding an adrenal auto antibody test to assist with the diagnosis of Addison's disease - hopefully before an adrenal crisis occurs?

If so can you email me at:  cimda@aslog.co.uk and I will send you details.  This study is being conducted by the RVC and will start at the beginning of the new academic year (Sept/Oct 2016) but so as not to miss out on valuable samples, of newly diagnosed dogs,  if your vet is willing to take blood the next time you go for a routine electrolyte check and store it for the RVC until Sept, then Freddie's sample can be included.  The study is primarily for Bearded Collies but samples are being collected from all newly diagnosed dogs regardless of breed

The replacement day-to-day dose of prednisolone for a dog with adrenal insufficiency is 0.2-0.3mg/kg/24 hrs (BSAVA Small Animal Formulary) BUT if the dog encounters a stressful situation then you may have to give more. This is because he does not have the natural fight/flight response of a dog who has normal adrenal function and is able to produce extra cortisol to cope with stressful situations such as a thunderstorm or if he encounters an aggressive dog etc.   Prednisolone in this 'replacement' low dose is not harmful, in fact it is essential,  and you do not have to wean the dog off if you have to give more as a result of a stressful situation.  Certainly an Addisonian dog will cope much better in a stressful situation with a bit extra pred, than if he doesn't have it.  5mg sounds about right for a beardie, so I hope you have seen an improvement.  It is early days yet and you will be able to find out how much he needs by his response.  Hormones are fickle things and we all respond differently so the amount that will be correct for one dog might differ in another.

Jo


Wendy C

 Freddie is doing really well on zycortal, but the hair loss is really bad now and I am wondering if there is something else wrong.  He is due another blood test on Monday, and I was going to ask to have his thyroid levels checked too.  Is the only thing I can think of to cause such a radical change in his coat.  Has anyone hard of this at all? 

Catherine

Is the hair loss all over or in certain places? Is he actually bald in those places? Does he have any other symptoms? Could you perhaps post a photo of him on the Forum for us to see?

Wendy C

Thanks for your reply,  I'll do my best to attach a photo.  It's like he has lost the undercoat.  His hair now is very dry, and some skin is scaly.  His hair is getting sparse on his back, base of tail and chest.  How do I post a photo?  I have tried as an attachment but it says file too big. 

Catherine

Can you reduce your photo in size then post it? There is a post about photos here:
http://cimda.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,206.0.html


Catherine

Has Freddie had pigment splodges like the one in the photo appear recently? Was his cholesterol blood test result elevated? Is his fur matting easily?  Hypothyroidism is a possibility so it would be best to get his thyroid checked although being on Preds will have to be taken into account. I am not sure whether you have seen this: http://cimda.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,18.0.html

I presume there is no itchiness with the hair loss and that Freddie is not scratching it out?

It may still be his illness causing the hair loss. I know it is dreadful seeing the hair come out so much and it is worrying. My dog with AIHA lost a lot of fur and had bald patches but it all grew back eventually when she got better and the steroids were lowered.

Wendy C

I think the pigment splodges have always been there.  Thank you so much for your reply.  It's reassuring to hear of this happening to someone else.  He has been very poorly, and was only diagnosed in April, so I guess it's early days.  He is so much better, more energy, no upset tummys, just balding now!  We worry about these chaps so much don't we.

Jo CIMDA

Hi

It's great to know that Freddie is doing well on Zycortal.  His hair loss might get worse before it gets better and progress will be very slow.  You are talking about months rather than weeks before an improvement is seen. Once hair growth has been disrupted, it will not start to grow again until the natural hair growth cycle is due and that can take 6 months or more.

Hypothyroidism certainly can cause hair loss typically in the areas around the tail and flanks, it can also make hair grow course and woolly and untypical of the natural hair of that particular dog.  Generally though, if the hair loss in a hypoT dog is obvious then it is likely that there will be other clinical signs such as putting on weight and not being able to exercise for long, due to muscle weakness and general slowing down and lowing of metabolism.

If Freddie is lively and enjoying life then it is likely not to be hypoT that is causing his hair loss, but it will be worth checking his thyroid anyway, as you are having blood taken on Monday, because you will have a bench mark for future tests if necessary. If you do decide to have his thyroid levels checked then ask for these tests:  TT4, FT4 and TSH.  A small percentage of dogs with one endocrine disease can develop another, so it is always worth keeping that in mind. 

Have a chat with your vet and perhaps consider giving Freddie some Natural Vitamin E, Evening primrose oil and fish oil to help bring his coat back to normal.  Natural Vit E and essential fatty acids are used for skin complaints and it is known that they encourage  new cell production and optimise hair growth and good skin condition.

I am interested to know Freddie's sodium and potassium ratio following his next blood test as I am making a note of the ratios during this early stage of Zycortal treatment and it will be interesting to compare.

Good luck on Monday
Jo