Bald spot

[Jen]

Stanley has a bald spot on his chest.

It started as thinning fur maybe a year or so ago and it’s gradually got thinner and I’ve noticed today it’s full on bald.

Its not red, I haven’t seen him itch that particular spot but I’m worried about something like mites.

We thought at first that it might be where his harness was rubbing but he doesn’t wear it anymore and it’s just getting worse.

I’ve tried to get a pic but he’s not playing ball really.



That’s when it was thinning.



Now it’s a full on patch. I know that pic is rubbish

Any ideas?

 

[Jen]

That’s a better one x

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

My only thought was the harness as Carbon has a bit of baldyness going on at the moment from his, but you've ruled that out. Hopefully someone else has more helpful ideas!

 

[Ashley]

The first year we discovered Quinn’s allergies was because of a bald spot on her chest. We also thought it was possibly her harness...she thins out on her chest each summer as her allergies gear up and continue to the fall. It full back out over the winter. Since it’s winter, I would expect the bald patch to be filling in if it was seasonal allergies. Could he possibly have an Allergy of some sort?

 

[Jen]

Could he possibly have an Allergy of some sort?

I was thinking maybe allergy but he doesn’t seem distressed by it at all. Until he rolls on his back you wouldn’t know it was there.

He’s very “deep chested” and lies on his stomach a lot so I don’t know if it’s just rubbing away. There doesn’t seem to be any irritation x

 

[Jen]

I’m on a half day this week so I think I’ll take him to the vets just to have a look.

OH thinks I’m being OTT as per.

I think he’s thanking his lucky stars we have the NHS for when the baby arrives #overprotectivemam

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

He’s very “deep chested” and lies on his stomach a lot so I don’t know if it’s just rubbing away. There doesn’t seem to be any irritation x

You could just be noticing more now that it seems to be high shed season?

Carbon's fur is actually much thinner now that it was in summer and fall. When I first met him in April in the shelter he had plenty of bald spots from living full time on concrete and a too tight collar. Those all filled in within a couple of months of me taking him out. However with his rather amazing winter shed, some of the bald spots have reappeared (like elbows) and he has a thin bit on his chest where his harness rubs. I asked the vet about it and she said the high shed and thin/bald patches were due to the big variation between indoor and outdoor temps and not to be concerned.

It really looks very similar to your photos of Stanley's belly, so I hope the vet confirms that it's just a little wear patch that will fill in again with the changing season.

 

[Emily]

Hmm, looks like it could have rubbed off. Possibly from rating on rough ground or from his harness?

I think he’s thanking his lucky stars we have the NHS for when the baby arrives #overprotectivemam

I can't wait to hear what you're actually like when Stanley Jnr comes along . I'm super protective with Ella but with Nath I'm more like "can you still walk? Yep, ok, you'll be fine"

 

[Jen]

Poor Stanley never gets a bit of peace.

I’ve just been inspecting his bald spot and found what I thought was a tick. Went into panic mode central but I think it’s a nipple. He has quite a few of them and nothing else resembling a nipple

After some serious prodding and poking he’s now avoiding me because he’s sick of me.

 

[snowbunny]

Dont pull it off! DON’T PULL IT OFF!!!

 

[Jen]

I’m still trying to decide. I’m going with nipple because there’s one on the other side in pretty much the same place.

 

[snowbunny]

Looks like a nip to me

 

[SwampDonkey]

It does look like a nip

 

[Jen]

Yeah I’ve googled apparently if it’s fully attached it’s a nipple.

That’s definitely fully attached.

That poor dog he’ll be running to his dad when he comes in from work like DAD SHES GONE MAD AGAIN!

 

[Xena Dog Princess]

A lady that I'm acquaintances with from dog training went into full panic mode when she discovered her male dog's nipples. ONLY FEMALES HAVE NIPPLES WTF IS WRONG WITH MY DOG.

She also rushed her dog to the vet the first time he had his penis out. She thought he'd been disemboweled. She's a lovely lady but...yeah, bright bulb/Christmas tree and all that.

 

[snowbunny]

She thought he'd been disemboweled.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Oh my. Poor Stanley, having his wee nipple tugged on.

When I was a kid and we went camping, my mom told me to be careful to watch out for ticks. Of course I freaked out and soon afterwards ran yelling, "I've got a tick and can't get it off!!!!". Made it nearly raw trying to pull it off...and it was a mole. In a place that you normally don't see on yourself, if you get my drift.

My poor mother. Normally she thought I was one smart cookie (her expression) but I remember her looking at me that day with an expression that clearly said, "Yeah, nope...you're an idiot."


Edit: not to imply at all, Jen, that you are idiot for wondering about Stanley's nipple. Just that the thought of ticks can make anyone paranoid!

 

[Jen]

OH thinks I might need to have a chat to my midwife about a bit of stress and anxiety.

He thinks I’m worrying and therefore looking for something to fix so I can feel better. And poor Stanley is always the target because I worry about him constantly anyway

 

[Emily]

OH thinks I might need to have a chat to my midwife about a bit of stress and anxiety.

Listen to your OH. They know you better that anyone and, if you let them, they will be your biggest supporter though the pregnancy, birth and early days

 

[Lara_Pigletina]

The Pig has exactly the same Jen and I was about to post something on here on the same lines. She is looking really sparse on her underside, which is normally quite patchy but this year is properly bald - and she has bare patches round where her collar is (which is always quite loose) and chest. Even the fur on her legs is quite thin at the moment poor Pig she is decidedly chilly when she goes outside. Seems counterintuitive to go so bald when winter arrives! Hopefully it will get better when summer comes...

And I definitely also worry more about the Pig than two-leggy Willow - and I worry about her quite a lot. Seems the capacity for worry is ever increasing. When I was pregnant the Pig came back from daycare a bit stiff and I convinced myself she had cruciate ligament disease and cried for four hours solid, burst a blood vessel in my eyelid! The Pig was just looking at me like “can I go to bed now mum?”.