At a loss and nobody seems to know what this is.

[magna]

We have a 7 yr old NR that has the exact same diet as our 6 yr old and 2 yr old and he looks like this only worse now. This picture was aprox three months ago. All mold, mange, fungi test were negative from lab...blood values are good, calcium was spot on. I have tried AB's, Prednisone, topical fungal powders, coconut oil, Benadryl, diet change, silvadene cream, indoor room change, UVB, bedding change , nest box...the list goes on and on. We first thought perhaps dermodectic mange or fungal infection. Lab has done scrapings, hair follicle exams the works and nothing is showing out of the ordinary. He itches, drinks a lot, and seems energetic to a point, he runs around the house and seems otherwise pretty normal. Anyone have this experience, they are maloclusions.
244275

[magna]

As you can see from the photo his tail is full and looks phenomenal. In the pic he is having their once or twice a week fresh corn rolled in calcium.

[magna]

He did say he would gladly audition for a spot on the "Walking Dead" new season.....yes he looks that bad. We don't think it is a yest infection because he has no foul odor and smells like the other guys.

[Mommaluvy]

I am just throwing this out there... Chris Clark has a video on YouTube with a squirrel that looks something like that.

I think it took a year Of TLC and meds you might try contacting her

Here is the video

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ixtlnffSbCc

[ALittleNutty]

We had a Llasa Apso that had horrible skin problems. They checked all kinds of things and it was to the point he was in agony all the time and we were just before having to PTS. He did have secondary yeast infections but the vet checked and the cause of all the problems was his thyroid. After taking daily medication he looked like a brand new dog within a month. You might want to see if it is a thyroid condition if they haven't checked for that yet.

[CritterMom]

Poor baby!

Have you tried treating for mites despite not getting any in the scrapings? Because the naked body which has all that skin available to invade being naked and the tail, which has almost no skin at all being full just really does scream mites of some kind. Thinking a drop of Revolution, or oral ivermectin...

Topically - and I see you have tried coconut oil, which I don't like topically at ALL - it is quite drying (!!) - I would try some emu oil. You likely will not find it locally. I use it for all sorts of things - it is a powerful wound healer that reduces proud flesh formation and has been used on livestock in Australia and NZ for ages to treat barbed wire cuts. Not only does it heal the wounds quickly, it does something to the area to charge the hair follicles up...in fact when a friend of mine from Australia found out I was using it on my face as a moisturizer she completely freaked out - "Gorry, mate, yer gonna look like the bearded lady in the circus!" Of course it doesn't just grow hair where it wasn't once, and my skin is soft and I'm not gonna be auditioning for ZZ Top any time soon - but THAT is it's rep in a country where it is extensively used. I have used it to snap my boy out of really nasty molts before.

Here is where I get mine: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Australian-Emu-Oil-4-oz-100-Pure-Oil-NO-Additives-/300498680690?pt=US_Skin_Care&hash=item45f71dfb72

They ship super fast - you will have it in a few days.

If you need a source for revolution without a prescription, go to www.joespetmeds.com and order the puppy/kitten strength. I have ordered from these folks - it is straight up Revolution in the regular packaging - ships from Australia. It took me about a week to get mine.

Those are my ideas.

[Milo's Mom]

Magna - the drinking lots of water and hair loss is usually associated with hypothyroidism. Have you had a T4 done?

Have you tried Ivermectin (either oral or topical)? Since it is a visual fur issue I personally would go with topical Ivermectin first.

[missPixy]

agree with MM :goodpost about the hypothyroidism. if mites have been ruled out (and I agree about the ivermectin as well) definitely check his thyroid.

[pixiepoo]

I would definitely say check thyroid. I've seen dogs with hypothyroidism lost a ton of hair and it grew back wonderfully when they started getting meds

[czarina]

The first thing I thought was thyroid, also. Secondly, I thought kidneys, because of the increased water intake and the itching. When the kidneys are involved, they can deposit "salts" on the skin, causing severe itching.

Also, have you considered diabetes?

[magna]

Just spoke with the vet's office to verify they had checked thyroid with the complete workup they did. T4 was not included in the run so I am getting him scheduled to go back in for it. Adrenal was fine and kidney function was normal they said. I should have the original results in hand this evening.

[ALittleNutty]

Just spoke with the vet's office to verify they had checked thyroid with the complete workup they did. T4 was not included in the run so I am getting him scheduled to go back in for it. Adrenal was fine and kidney function was normal they said. I should have the original results in hand this evening.
:thumbsup

[magna]

Update on Squiggy!!! Thyroid results came back right in the middle of the range. Our vet recommended we try a dose of Convenia and guess what.. SQUIGGY is growing hair back!!! Fine fir is starting to come back all over him and he is putting a little weight on. Apparently it was a bacterial infection the previous vet could not detect in the myriad of tests we had done. Skin scrapes, hair follicle and hair mold test negative, the Convenia was a shot in the dark and seems to be working.

[farrelli]

Good to know! Can't wait to see some healthy pics.

[Anne]

About time! Poor boy, my offer to knit a sweater still holds!

246581

Perhaps a lovely blue and white stripe.

[island rehabber]

:dance bless you for your persistence, magna, and for you and the vet's willingness to go with "a shot in the dark". Does the Convenia need to be given again and again in order to beat this infection? (I've never used it, just curious.)

[TubeDriver]

Great update. Maybe the lesion here is that lab results are not alway the end of the story? You can't completely rule out things based on lab results and if nothing pops up then start treatments based on your gut feeling (especially if the treatments are reasonably safe).

Glad to see your little friend will soon be a furry little friend!:)

[magna]

Convenia is a 14 day AB it's a one shot drug typically two if a follow on is needed. Our vet swears by it. It is quite costly but seems to work very well. We have used it on two fawns already this year with no stomach issues. We have also given it after surgery as a preventative measure.

[rusty's mom]

My Hazel looked like that and her Dr hit it right on it was ring worm. If you think this could be your babe I'll look up the cream she was on and meds.

[magna]

Ringworm test showed nothing. Not thyroid or adrenal and no fungus or mold... he is getting better on the convenia.

[magna]

Waiting on new skin biopsies, blood work and urine culture... the thought is he has something very rarely seen in rodents, Cushings disease. Hope to know some of the answers today. Dr. Emerson at Ravenwood is the best!!! Treated our little guy like a king!!!! SOooooo maybe later today I will finally have some answers. It is treatable in most animals but there is no known medication/dosage for rodents. Keeping our fingers crossed and been praying this is it.

[Chickenlegs]

CUSHINGS! Oh good lord. Persistence pays and thank God you've got LOTS of persistence :thumbsup so f it is Cushings, are you looking at pituitary surgery or drug maintenance?

[magna]

Epidemiology, endocrinology and exotic zoo dept at UF are puzzled by the results and cannot give a definitive answer what's wrong. Test for Cushing's appear valid, however he has a fungal infection on the underside of his skin, yes inside his body. The infection is not supposed to be where it is and the thought is it's secondary to the Cushing's or vice versa. He is undergoing testing and treatment now at Ravenwood. My understanding is everything is experimental at this point as this hasn't been seen before. We are praying every day for him and he is in the best hands now getting the very best care. For those who don't know Dr. Emerson she is one in a million...literally an angel. We can't imagine him gone over Christmas as odd as that may seem and look forward to the day we can bring him home.

[TubeDriver]

Poor little guy. I hope you can find and treat what is wrong, it sounds like he is getting the best care imaginable.