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I have a 14 month old Dachshund ~ part of our family for the last 6 months.

When we first got him we purchased a harness to lead him by, thinking this would be kinder than a neck collar. However after a week or two I noticed what appeared to be a rash under his front legs, where presumably the harness was chaffing. I should point out however that he seemed unperturbed by this, and showed no discomfort even when the area was palpated.

At this point we bought him a neck collar and the condition showed signs of improving.

Now we get to the nitty gritty. About 6 weeks ago I noticed that the rash appeared to be worsening, and that he was losing his coat around the area. A trip to the vet was inconclusive, so I was sent home with an anti-fungicidal shampoo, and Oscar was given a dose of flea treatment. I've been batheing him twice a week with the shampoo, and I have noticed that the rash has all but cleared, but if anything he is losing more hair now than he was before.

We are now wondering if it could be diet. His daily intake consists of about 125 grms of an organic proprietary dry dog food, half of a chicken breast ~ fresh & boiled, half a raw carrot, and ( I admit this isn't the best idea in the world, but it has become a habit ) half a slice of toast with olive oil spread for breakfast.

Could anyone reading this suggest if we are on the wrong track and enlighten us if we are going wrong somewhere? Whilst he is a happy little dog, full of energy we would hate to think that we aren't doing right by him. Besides, he would look awfully silly if he had a bald belly!

Thanks
mickeblue@ntlworld.com
Oscars Page

I am so glad that I (we) aren't the only ones with this problem. I have a 3 year old "minature" dachshund that has the same problems. He's loosing hair under his front arms, his chest is almost bald, and he's losing hair in the middle of his back. The vet (he's been at least three times for this problem) says it's an allergy and sometimes throws in that he has a bacterial infection and puts Tucker on prednizone. The problem clears up for a little while. But always returns. I'm at my wit's end with this problem. I think the best thing for either of us to do is invest in the blood test that will tell us what kinds of allergies our dogs have and then try to avoid those things they are allergic to. I'm now waiting on a call back from my vet to see if they have any temporary fixes. Tucker is almost licking constantly and I feel very sorry for him.

>>I am so glad that I (we) aren't the only ones with this problem. I have a 3 year old "minature" dachshund that has the same problems. He's loosing hair under his front arms, his chest is almost bald, and he's losing hair in the middle of his back. The vet (he's been at least three times for this problem) says it's an allergy and sometimes throws in that he has a bacterial infection and puts Tucker on prednizone. The problem clears up for a little while. But always returns. I'm at my wit's end with this problem. I think the best thing for either of us to do is invest in the blood test that will tell us what kinds of allergies our dogs have and then try to avoid those things they are allergic to. I'm now waiting on a call back from my vet to see if they have any temporary fixes. Tucker is almost licking constantly and I feel very sorry for him.

Be sure to have your vet check this dog for hypothyroidism. Blood tests on the thyroid that just go out to local laboratories are often totally wrong. The blood needs to go to one of the labs inspected by OFA. Michigan State and Cornell are both on the list. The values that need to be checked are Total T4, Free T4 by Equilibrium Dialysis, and TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

Just a dog mom who has a profoundly hypothyroid dog who went undiagnosed until she was 7 years old and in very, very bad condition because my vet didn't know enough about this condition. He does now!

>>>>I am so glad that I (we) aren't the only ones with this problem. I have a 3 year old "minature" dachshund that has the same problems. He's loosing hair under his front arms, his chest is almost bald, and he's losing hair in the middle of his back. The vet (he's been at least three times for this problem) says it's an allergy and sometimes throws in that he has a bacterial infection and puts Tucker on prednizone. The problem clears up for a little while. But always returns. I'm at my wit's end with this problem. I think the best thing for either of us to do is invest in the blood test that will tell us what kinds of allergies our dogs have and then try to avoid those things they are allergic to. I'm now waiting on a call back from my vet to see if they have any temporary fixes. Tucker is almost licking constantly and I feel very sorry for him.
>>
>>Be sure to have your vet check this dog for hypothyroidism. Blood tests on the thyroid that just go out to local laboratories are often totally wrong. The blood needs to go to one of the labs inspected by OFA. Michigan State and Cornell are both on the list. The values that need to be checked are Total T4, Free T4 by Equilibrium Dialysis, and TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone.
>>-----
>>Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

My 6 year old dachshund has a rash on his chin and his feet. He has little red bumps and a little hair loss. Think it may be what yalls has too.