Boxer loosing hair

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GurpM

Boxer Pal
Hey guys I cant seam to figure out whats wrong with my boxer.
She has been loosing hair above her back legs for a while now.
Now its gotten out of hand, It has spread to her entire back and she has lost patches of hair.
Dime and nickel size patches.
I took her to the vet and he cant seam to figure out whats going on.
This is the second time this happened.
First time he gave her some antibiotics and it worked for a while.
And now its back with a vengeance.
The antibiotics are not working anymore.
Just hoping someone could point me in the right direction.
Some other symptoms are that she has pimples on her underside, scabs on her right side, and she has gained weight.
the doctor has ruled out thyroids.ill attach some pictures
 

joannaryan

Boxer Insane
Maybe you should get a second opinion from another vet. It could be so many things. Allergies, mange, fleas, but there are so many members here that I am sure can point you in the right direction. I hope you find the answers you are looking for :)
 

Cami

Boxer Insane
It is quite possible you ARE dealing with a thyroid issue. The tests that your local vet can run most often do not include a full thyroid panel. It isn't out of the ordinary for a Boxer's basic thyroid test (T4, Free T4) to come back within normal limits....sometimes a "little low" meaning at the low end of normal but still within normal limits. Boxer's are just "different" when it comes to thyroid testing.
My girl went bald on her back legs and then that moved up to her tummy. She had chronic staph infections on her tummy and vaginal area. Testing showed low but normal limits with a basic test. I pushed the vet for a full panel which only a handful of labs in the US provide. Michigan State University and Hemopet in California both confirmed she had thyroiditis which is a precursor to hypothyroidism and treatment is the same.
She was started on a very low dose and I noticed a difference in her behavior within 24 hours. Her lethargy was gone and her panicky like behavior was gone. She never had another seizure either (she had one and that went undiagnosed but known to be associated with thyroid issues). Her hair started to grow back in within 2 weeks and her chronic staph infections were a thing of the past.
The other symptoms you described are classic thyroid issues. You might request a full panel be done. Worst case scenario you are out money and can move on to find the culprit after fully ruling something out.
Here is a link to a great resource on all things thyroid.
Thyroid Disease
 

angleheart

Completely Boxer Crazy
A second opinion and maybe even a dermatologist should be obtained. She could have a couple of different things going on.
 

doofershuman

Boxer Buddy
Doofer had random patches of hair missing that wouldn't grow back. Turned out he had mites (don't remember which ones). Every dog has and they don't usually harm them, but the ones on Doofer were kicked into high gear somehow and they were eating his hair/skin so he had bald patches. We had to give a bath with special shampoo once a week for awhile and also rub some cream medicine on the spots to stop them. After I think 2 weeks he was back to normal and no issues since.
 

Bathel

Super Boxer
it would be helpful it see some pictures...

I'll assume since you went to the vet that Ringworm has been ruled out ?
 

Roge

Boxer Insane
Did this happen at the same time last year if so it may be seasonal alopecia . Roge gets this, two years ago it was just on one side I had him with the vet who put him under to do a skin biopsy which came back clear and also a thyroid checked which came back normal so seasonal alopecia was the only thing that we could come up with, Last year it was much worse he lost a large patch on each side, I started giving him evening primrose oil and the hair grew back in no time however I dont know if it WAS the oil or just a natural regrowth. The last two years he started to loose his hair about the end of febuary so this year I have been giving him the oil since the begining of january its all trial and error at the moment with us only time will tell.
With your girl loosing hair and weight gain I would be leaning towards thyroid.
 
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