New here, looking for help. Older Yorkie losing hair/skin issues

[Aljameela]

Hi all....I am new here today looking for some advice. Some Yorkie owner out there may have some experience they could share with me before I head to the vet.

Here's the scoop: I have a 14 year old Yorkie named Penny. Lately she has started to lose hair along her shoulders, down the middle of her back and all the way around her neck. Her neck especially is normal skin-colored, but has black/brownish flecks that can be scratched off, taking hair with it. Along her back knees the same thing....

Along her back the skin is more evenly dark in color and she has various "pimples" or scaly bumps that can sometimes be scratched off. She is not itchy and her skin does not appear inflamed, nor is it oily. She does not smell bad and her behaviour is normal and she appears happy and not distressed by any of this. But she is beginning to look quite bad. She has also lost a lot of hair on her snout and has a black pimple there and a little pink patch that used to be black.

I have done a little bit of online research (scary) and I do believe this is a skin-related issue. I don't think that she has alopecia in the sense that she is losing hair at the follicle...I think it is rather sloughing off.

She has been eating the Royal Cairn Yorkie food for years, with Salmon oil applied to it for breakfast. No changes to her diet. She eats one mini Greenie bone each night and has for a couple of years. I have not noticed a correlation of this condition to anything diet-wise. She does not go outside except to go to the bathroom. She is allergic to fleas....but its not flea season where I live.

We do have fragrance plug ins in the house. I only mention this because around Christmas I was burning some pretty strongly-scented candles and I believe that she had an allergic reaction to them (red skin, itching, etc).

She is professionally groomed every five weeks. The groomer lately mentioned these flaky bits that can be scratched off, especially on her back knees. It is interesting because one of her knees is blown and I wondered if she has pain there and is chewing it (you know how if they chew it will leave black skin patches from the trauma?). However, I never see her doing this and I am with her quite a lot.

Her eyes are also tear-y (but always have been) and we have to wipe them at night, which doesn't keep her from getting globs dried in her hair around her nose.

I recently changed vets and I have not taken her in to see about this skin condition.

Anyone with feedback or experience out there? Your help is appreciated in advance......Thank you.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Hi and welcome to YT! I personally do not have experience with this. But my moms dog has skin issues. Some of the things that she has done has been related to skin allergies. Since you haven't changed foods I don't think it's diet. Her pup has MAJOR issues if shampoo is changed. Have you changed shampoos? She has to use a medicated one. Now with that said, she had to start with a vet visit. I would highly recommend making an appointment and letting your vet guide you. When her pup gets bad she has to get meds from the vet. I would start there.

[Patti]

Penny's symptoms sound like some of the things that are associated with Cushing's disease or thyroid. Your vet should be able to do some testing on her. My pomeranian, Maya, had Cushing's and she had the exact hair loss you mention and the black flecks that can be scraped off and raw skin underneath. Maya also had a pot belly and excessive hunger and thirst. Hopefully it is a skin issue and easily treated. I would definitely have your vet check it out soon. Keep us posted.

[bchgirl]

Originally Posted by Patti

Penny's symptoms sound like some of the things that are associated with Cushing's disease or thyroid. Your vet should be able to do some testing on her. My pomeranian, Maya, had Cushing's and she had the exact hair loss you mention and the black flecks that can be scraped off and raw skin underneath. Maya also had a pot belly and excessive hunger and thirst. Hopefully it is a skin issue and easily treated. I would definitely have your vet check it out soon. Keep us posted.

My guess also.

Bless Penny's heart.

[yorkiecrazy]

:thumbup

Originally Posted by Patti

Penny's symptoms sound like some of the things that are associated with Cushing's disease or thyroid. Your vet should be able to do some testing on her. My pomeranian, Maya, had Cushing's and she had the exact hair loss you mention and the black flecks that can be scraped off and raw skin underneath. Maya also had a pot belly and excessive hunger and thirst. Hopefully it is a skin issue and easily treated. I would definitely have your vet check it out soon. Keep us posted.

[Aljameela]

Thanks for the thoughts so far. I have to say that I have now done some research on both Cushings and thyroid issues and Penny has only the skin and hair-loss related symptoms of either.

Her weight is normal and very consistent, her mood is good, urination and water intake normal. The flecks on her skin, when scraped off, reveal normal looking skin underneath, but take the hair with them. She has no lesions or oozing anything or scaliness....flakiness yes, but dry like she just has dry skin.

I will make an appointment with her doctor for next week and talk with him about Cushings and thyroid as well. Hmmmm.......

[MandiesMom]

I definitely think letting a vet run tests and get a diagnosis is the way to go.

Praying for Penny and for you

[kjc]

Fragrance plug-ins have been known to cause illnesses/ skin issues in dogs for years, along with some scented candles. I would trash that stuff first, like now.