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Thanks! I have high hopes. Day 2 of meds and I'm already seeing a decrease in the licking and chewing!It sounds so treatable! Hope this cures it.
Interesting! How long did your dog have to stay on the meds? Did she experience any side effects?So relieved it was something that medication will help. My dog had a similar condition where she lost a lot of fur. She was put on thyroid meds and it really helped. The fur regrowth took a few months, but it did come back.
The most common cause is flea dermatitis, but Charlie's is endocrine alopecia. My vet explained the different treatments and chose to avoid a couple options due to efficacy and side effects. Cats with this condition tend to respond well to thyroxine, which has lesser side effects than other available treatments. I'm already seeing a significant decrease in Charlie's over-grooming behavior. I asked my vet if he thought I should put a donut collar on Charlie, and he didn't think I'd need to. I'm quite hopeful!But did the vet say what's causing this? It's usually fleas but in Charlie's case it's his thyroid? Did they provide anything to relieve his itchiness in the meantime?
Is the chamomile tea helping his discomfort?
I don't mean to be a buzz-kill, that's certainly not my intent, but this is from the Merck Veterinary Manual;
Feline acquired symmetric alopecia (formerly called feline endocrine alopecia) is a syndrome that describes hair loss on both side of a cat's body that occurs due to an underlying disease. The most common cause is flea allergy dermatitis.
No chamomile yet - haven't had time to go to the store. I'll pick some up when I do get to town. I really don't see Charlie allowing me to hold anything wet against his skin; he doesn't like to be held or even touched much, and it would be a literal struggle for him to allow me to hold anything wet against his skin. At this rate, we may not need to, will watch for the next couple days.
On another note, the vet visit did disrupt the boys' good streak, but not horribly. Finn did pounce Charlie when I brought his carrier out. Vet smell must have been on it. They were very wary around each other all day after the vet, whereas they used to kind of bond over it. Better this morning but still not the level of camaraderie they'd been enjoying. My best friend is staying with me for a couple days. Last night we were watching a movie and Charlie jumped up to lay next to her, just gazing at her wide-eyed and adoringly. It was short-lived as I could see Finn eyeing Charlie, and he came up and bit Charlie on the back, and Charlie exited stage left. I scolded Finn; next thing I know they are both hiding under the bed. I've noticed lately that if one of them gets scolded, they stick together. Last time Finn pounced a sleeping Charlie out of the blue, I was FURIOUS and dropped down to my knees to hiss at Finn. Charlie came and put himself between me and Finn, and lay next to Finn. I was floored. Last night when I scolded Finn for biting Charlie, Finn jumped off the bed and went to join Charlie underneath. Cats, man...sometimes I just do not understand them. Love em, but do not understand them. Now I know how men feel about women.