Missing hair?

[Tazwell]

Hi all! I have a question concerning the health of my chin.

My boy, who is about 6 or 7 years old, seems to have a patch of missing hair on the top of his front leg. It's not red, flaky, inflamed, or anything else, just... missing. For a while, his chin and chest have seemed greasy, looking almost like it was wet. I'm not sure what that was about, but I didn't worry about it too much. I just thought maybe he's a sloppy drinker. I'm not sure if these two things are related, or perhaps the greasiness caused a fungal infection to start, or.... I don't know. I wish I could upload a photo, but right now I cannot.

I already phoned my vet, and I'm expecting a call back later today or tomorrow. I am hesitant to take him in straight away, only because he's a rescue who I can barely handle-- he gets extremely stressed out when transported or touched. Of course, he's going to have to see the vet if that's what is needed.

Have you seen anything like this before?

 

[Chinhuahuas]

Have you ever caught him chewing at himself? Maybe he is a fur chewer. If that is the case, you can't really do anything for him. How long have you had him? With time he might relax a bit more and the chewing could get better, the more he gets to love you.

 

[Laurie]

I think a trip to the vet is a good idea, especially if you've noticed what could be a wet chest. It's best to have vet rule out fungus and anytime you notice a wet chest area and wet paws could be a sign of malo--best to have this ruled out.

 

[Stackie]

If his chest is wet he needs to go to the vet and get a full oral exam including x-rays. A wet chest is usually indicator that the chin is drooling, which means tooth problems.

 

[Tazwell]

I spoke to the vet, he's got an appointment... He's been acting fine, he lives with another chin who's just fine. I've had him for over a year now.

Come to think of it, a few weeks ago, I found blood on one of their shelves in the cage. I was really concerned, but there was no other incidents after that. I found no injuries to either of them.

Do you think they'll have to anesthetize him to examine him? He's very quick to bite.

 

[Tazwell]

For anyone that's interested,

I just got back from the vet's office. Mouth looked fine, no overgrown teeth. She didn't see evidence of a bacterial or fungal infection, but she put him on Baytril. We'll see what happens!

He was a good boy at the vet, once the towel was over him, he gave up the fight- A lot of hissing and spitting, though!

 

[Anne-Lise]

Baytril for what? What did she think was the problem? Did she give him a shot or you got oral baytril to give?

You must prepare to hand feed if it is oral baytril. He's probably stop eating sometimes soon.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Did they take x rays? You cannot tell if it is malo just by looking in the mouth. xrays are required to see if there is root elongation.

 

[Stackie]

There is no way a chin should be put on baytril without any diagnosis or sign of bactera/infection, especially if the doctor found nothing wrong. Baytril is a very strong antibiotic that can cause anorexia and is usually a last resort if something will not work or if a strong antibiotic is needed for a serious illness.

I honestly would not give the baytril and I would seek a second opinion. A full oral exam needs to be done- not just looking in the mouth, but a set of x-rays with the chin sedated so they can get a good look at the molars as well. I would not use or go back to a vet that would prescribe a strong antibiotic such as baytril just as a shot in the dark.

 

[Riven]

I agree with no Baytril if there is nothing to give it for. And if they didn't take xrays they don't know. Malo can be more than crooked teeth

 

[Tazwell]

Although In general I do trust my vet clinic as a whole, I am not very familiar with the doctor I saw today. My regular doc is out of town for the next two weeks. I know that you all know more than I do about chin health, so I'll call around and get a second opinion tomorrow.

Now I'm even more confused, though. I looked at the receipt, and it looks like they gave him an ivermectin injection. She never mentioned mites, but perhaps she was trying to cover all of the bases. Or would it serve a different purpose? I would think that's over-medicating...I guess then she didn't give him anything for fungus. Should I put Tinactin in his dust maybe? Or could that do more harm than good, if that's not what it is?

And I guess I should rephrase my initial vet results. She said it looks a bit red, but no signs of lesions, or anything else. I'm guessing she just assumed it was a bacterial infection.

Thanks so much for your input, guys- I hope I don't sound like a bad chin-mom! I've plenty experience with caring for chins and other small pets (and large ones too!), but I've never had anything like this happen to one of mine before.