Flaky tail, fur loss

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isu383

New member
Joined
Jun 11, 2014
Messages
3
Hello all! I've adopted a chin several months ago and I've noticed that his tail has been losing some fur very recently. There aren't any solid bald patches, but what used to be a bushy tail has lost enough fur to let me see his pale skin when seeing him from above. The skin itself is not red in any way, but it is flaky/crusty.

Due to my paranoia, I'm wondering if this is a beginning symptom of fungus or just tail shedding combined with the beginning of what looks like a summer heat.

He eats well, drinks well, and his bowel and activity movements are perfectly normal. I'd just appreciate some thoughts :)
 
He could be fur chewing, and might have dry skin too. How often does he get a dust bath?
 
Sounds like fungus. But without the picture difficult to say for sure. Either way, will not hurt for him to get dust baths daily with a fungus powder in it daily till it is all well.

I use Tinactin, 1 tablespoon per cup of dust.
 
I'm with saphire, it does sound like fungus. Even if it's not it won't hurt to have an anti-fungal in the dust. Keep in mind that you will not see improvement over night...anti-fungals take a bit to work...in general it takes a bit to see regrowth and tail fur is notorious for taking FOREVER to regrow. In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to have a vet take a skin scraping. I mean...it doesn't sound "urgent" so you may just want to try the dust first...if you could post a picture that may help confirm what it is :)
 
I don't know why my thread has a smiley face but that was pretty much the opposite of how I felt when I typed it up...

He could be fur chewing, and might have dry skin too. How often does he get a dust bath?

I'm not sure about fur chewing, but I guessed it might be dry skin or fungus.


And I usually give dust baths 2 or 3 times a week, if that helps!

Sounds like fungus. But without the picture difficult to say for sure. Either way, will not hurt for him to get dust baths daily with a fungus powder in it daily till it is all well.

I use Tinactin, 1 tablespoon per cup of dust.

I'm with saphire, it does sound like fungus. Even if it's not it won't hurt to have an anti-fungal in the dust. Keep in mind that you will not see improvement over night...anti-fungals take a bit to work...in general it takes a bit to see regrowth and tail fur is notorious for taking FOREVER to regrow. In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to have a vet take a skin scraping. I mean...it doesn't sound "urgent" so you may just want to try the dust first...if you could post a picture that may help confirm what it is :)

Yes, I immediately bought that brand of anti fungal powder and mixed it into the dust at that "dose." I also bought a bottle of BluKote because I read on several threads and search sites that it helps.

I had no idea fur regrowing on the tail will take a long time... hopefully my little one will show improvement over the next upcoming weeks!

I was going to take a picture, but I totally forgot to take one before applying BluKote. I only realized afterwards pictures wouldn't help as the flakiness and the overall tail doesn't show as much since BluKote + Ebony Chin = Power of darkness. Even as I hold him, it's very difficult to see the weird flaky/bald patches.


Much appreciate all the input!! I must say this community is fantastic even if I don't post. Thank you!
 
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