Do both my dogs have a rash?
paramedicgirl asked:
So I’ve been thinking, and can’t get an answer anywhere… I was watching that America’s Top Groomer (or whatever that mini-series was on Animal Planet). On that episode where they went door-to-door grooming dogs, the one team opted to shave one of the dogs. They said it was a good thing they did because they discovered a “skin condition” that would have gone undetected. All you could see were darker spots on the dog, but no hair loss or anything. I have shaved my dogs (2 shih tzus) throughout the summer. I noticed they both have these large dark grey freckle-ish spots all over. It’s not part of their fur coloration (although he’s black & white and she’s white w/grey ears & tail), and they have NO other signs/symptoms with it (no flaking, itching, etc.). Granted, my female has severe separation anxiety to the point of having diahrea when I’m gone (we go to the vet AGAIN on Tuesday), but my male has NO health issues. Diet-wise, they were getting Science Diet, and after I found out that was crap, they’ve been getting mommy’s home-made food (loaded with vitamins, veggies, and lean meat) until I can get to the pet store (I have to drive approx. 100 miles unless I want to feed them Wal-Mart crap). The spots haven’t gone away as far as I know (I have no intentions on shaving them again until next summer, and their coats have grown in quite a bit). Are these just doggie-freckles, or is there something underlying that I should be concerned with? What the heck are they?
First pic shows the spots, second pic shows what she looks like with fur.
So I’ve been thinking, and can’t get an answer anywhere… I was watching that America’s Top Groomer (or whatever that mini-series was on Animal Planet). On that episode where they went door-to-door grooming dogs, the one team opted to shave one of the dogs. They said it was a good thing they did because they discovered a “skin condition” that would have gone undetected. All you could see were darker spots on the dog, but no hair loss or anything. I have shaved my dogs (2 shih tzus) throughout the summer. I noticed they both have these large dark grey freckle-ish spots all over. It’s not part of their fur coloration (although he’s black & white and she’s white w/grey ears & tail), and they have NO other signs/symptoms with it (no flaking, itching, etc.). Granted, my female has severe separation anxiety to the point of having diahrea when I’m gone (we go to the vet AGAIN on Tuesday), but my male has NO health issues. Diet-wise, they were getting Science Diet, and after I found out that was crap, they’ve been getting mommy’s home-made food (loaded with vitamins, veggies, and lean meat) until I can get to the pet store (I have to drive approx. 100 miles unless I want to feed them Wal-Mart crap). The spots haven’t gone away as far as I know (I have no intentions on shaving them again until next summer, and their coats have grown in quite a bit). Are these just doggie-freckles, or is there something underlying that I should be concerned with? What the heck are they?
First pic shows the spots, second pic shows what she looks like with fur.
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj320/medic_melissa/Puppies/TobyPixie7-1.jpg
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj320/medic_melissa/Puppies/DSCN0966-1.jpg
MK- No, I did not shave my dogs to see if they had a rash. I shaved them because it was summer, I live in the south, and I would like for them to not die of heatstroke just because I let them outside to pee! The groomer shaved them the first time, then I just did it myself afterwards because it was a ton cheaper! Read the question before answering it please!
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September 12th, 2009 at 8:58 am
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Not a rash, my JRT is covered with spots like that and he is white bodied. It’s just the pigment in the skin.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
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the best advise anyone can give you is to ask your vet about it. the only way to know for sure is for your vet to determine if it is a problem or not.
September 13th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
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The discolouration is likely perfectly natural. You can generally easily see it on a dog’s belly that is not fur covered. The fact that they have been shaved is about as natural as breeding miniature “toy” dogs. You shaved them looking to see if they had a skin condition and then don’t know anything about skin conditions?
How about shaving your childrens heads to make sure they don’t have headlice?
A rash would be as obvious as on a human or any animal along with the discomfort of the animal.