Honey (Devil) is having problems

get one thing taken care of .......

Honey Devil has recovered nicely from her dreadful infection *yay* but she came to me with an awful coat that I chalked up to being abused and not well cared for. As usual , it's not likely that simple.

We've had her just over a month now and she still looks a little rough. I started reading about Pom skin/coat problems and Addisons, Cushings, Alopecia so got worried and hauled her in. He went over allot of things and ruled out fleas,demodex, and likely Addisons (symptoms aren't right).

She's not itchy ,bumpy, digging,chewing, brittle,excessivly shedding or losing hair in clumps so he doesn't think allergies either.

He said it could be she's just slowly recovering from being so malnourished / unhealthy and rebuilding a new coat slowly. I have no idea how long that will take but I want to know I'm doing all I can for her so my patience for hair growth isn't that great.

The other thing he mentioned is to check her Thyroid. He said he'd run a blood panel and try to get some answers. In the meantime for a few weeks we're going to do medicated baths a couple of times a week to see if we can improve things. Taking into consideration her heart condition & age , I don't want to plow into a bunch of invasive things if it's really something more simple to treat.

One thing at a time and we'll get there eventually. Mickey tells her to have faith in me. She growls at him.

We'll try the baths and I'll replenish my wallet before I schedule her up for a ton of tests because today was $$$ for Micks hw test, general checkup , 5 boxes of heartguard , a nail trimming & a bottle of shampoo for her that cost more than soap should ever cost (lol). *ouch*

To be honest I wouldn't fuss too much with shampoos/rinses/conditioners etc. If it is a thyroid problem, it should be an easy fix with medication. And some of those medicated baths dry the skin out far too much and make the problem even worse.

Never underestimate how much damage can be done just by poor diet - it takes a fair while for the coat to get into lousy condition and it takes just as long for it regrow properly.The double spitz coat can take a long time to recover especially if the undercoat is completely stripped out.
If she was clipped right back by the shelter when you got her, then any regrowth is bound to look somewhat straggly for a while. Show Poms have that stand up coat because it is frequently brushed against the grain and blow-dried (I kid you not) into place. Pet pom groomed less enthusiastically tend to have just the mane bushy and the rest a bit like a Siberian Husky...over here anyway.

I would give her another six to eight weeks plus I would run a blood panel as soon as you can afford it. Meanwhile get a good hog-bristle brush and brush her coat against the grain every other day to stimulate the follicles. That will be a wonderful bonding experience for you - you might even be able to eventually pick her up without using motorcycle gloves! Add more fish and a good antioxidant oil (flaxseed, coconut) to her diet to improve her building blocks for keratin. I have begun to swear by coconut oil as an excellent booster plus plenty of oily fish in the diet.

I'll second what Angela said. Alopecia is common in poms--and really, all the word "alopecia" means is hair loss and isn't really a diagnosis.

I'd give it more time--I also agree that a life time of neglect and poor diet take it's toll and she may (or may not) have a better coat with time and patience. I know quite a few quite happy poms who always look a bit moth eaten.....

Thank you a million times over Angela for all of the information. She wasn't clipped by the shelter as I was her intake staff and primary care giver even before I brought her home. Noone else was really able to work with her without her having an uproar. She just looked , for lack of a better word - awful - at drop off.

I don't care a bit to spend the money to test/treat her and they have care credit if it got expensive and was needed. It's just figuring out where to start and practicing patience {something I'm admittedly not to good at }. I'll look into the oil supplements today and set up her blood panel next week and go from there.

I used to foster St Bernards but that's about the extent of my "fuzzies" experience so this is all new waters for me. She's gotton better about not biting me but when it comes time to brush her , still need the motorcycle gloves. Twice she's had a bitchy moment and chased me across the room trying to bite me just for brushing her.

She's a little snot but I really do love her and just want to know I'm doing the best for her that can possibly be done , even if it means losing a digit or two (which is likely).



Blanche: I couldn't think of a way to describe her , but moth eaten is right on.

Good thoughts for your little Pom, Sarah!

If it took several years for her coat to get into that condition, it will take time for it to get out of that condition. If her SKIN is fine, I agree with whoever said to hold off on too much bathing.

Meanwhile, the thought of her chasing you across the room has sent me into giggles. (Sorry, but it did)!

MaryJo: Her skin is a little flaky but not itchy or otherwise awful so I gave her one bath (the payback from the mole digging incident) and am leaving it alone for now.

It's terrible but it really is a sight for a full grown woman to run across a room with a 10lb dog snapping on their heels. She's viscious.

Milosmom wrote:MaryJo: Her skin is a little flaky but not itchy or otherwise awful so I gave her one bath (the payback from the mole digging incident) and am leaving it alone for now.

It's terrible but it really is a sight for a full grown woman to run across a room with a 10lb dog snapping on their heels. She's vicious.

I have to tell you that the mental image of you, fleeing for your life from Honey, sent me staggering to the bathroom in wheezy weak-at-the-knees laughter.

It's only funny if you have never been savaged by a Chihuahua, Yorkie, Pom or similar. If you treasure intact ankles you would run too! They can do more damage than an enraged ferret and most people would bolt from one of those...just sayin'.

The owner before "could have" had her shaved a few times before.... That will certainly ruin her coat texture and for growing back nice and full.

I've groomed many poms that have been shaved, and all depending on the dog it will grow back fine, thicker or not good at all and be all fuzzy..