Darkened area under fur on skin getting darker and larger

[LilF]

I am noticing a darkened area of skin under Blossom's fur about 12 inches long. I have noticed it the past several months but today it looks more prominent. No other hair loss, itchy skin, raised patches or anything else. It is on one side. It seems like it has "fingers" now out the side of the line. What are some differentials for this? Other symptoms are she does not have good exercise endurance which is what I have complained about since I got her in Sept 2022. She did do better with this for a few months but now back to walking less than a half mile and coming in the house and plopping like she did back in 2022. She IS on homeopathy but the skin symptom was not something I discussed with him as it was just a curiosity but not a concern till now

She was on Silicea a couple months and told a few weeks ago to give her Thuja and alternate with silicea. But for some reason I have yet to give her the Thuja and I am about 3 weeks late with the administration of it.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Lil!

I answered your other post.

Perhaps check with your homeopath whether Thuja is still indicated (it can both cause and cure skin and coat pigment changes) and if so, then give it!

 

[LilF]

Yes Dr. Jeff he did weigh in and said def give her the thuja so i did today. Why didn't I see your answer previously. I went to the site.... I apologize for missing it. It has been a while since posting and the posting page required a bit of a learning recap. Thank you

 

[LilF]

just to follow up on the dark pigment. Seems she has some alopecia there per two vets here and that is the skin color. She does not look like she has hair loss there but apparently maybe the thyroid affects her coat growing back normally after her shedding a few months ago. She tested very hypothyroid assuming it is accurate. it is not a health issue having alopecia and the Rehab vet that I asked mentioned melatonin but I opted to not give her that if not necessary. The general vet still saw alopecia even though it was not apparent to me anymore. If I can get her acclimated to the thyroid pill which may have made her sick, maybe a lot of issues would resolve as the thyroid is the master regulator. One caveat though, Back in 2023 her thyroid tested normal and she still had slow walking and issues now attributed to low thyroid so I have a jaundiced eye when they are attributed to thyroid even though she had them when thyroid tested perfectly normal, except for low T3 but no therapy was recommended 2 years ago.

 

[GinnyW]

I'm not the doctor, nor the homeopath, but, boy, I'd surely give the thyroid - now and steadily. As you point out, it IS the master regulator, and as such can influence all bodily processes without targeting any one condition. This means it facilitates normalization of virtually all processes, at a deep systemic level, and helps every other modality you may be using to be effective. And while dogs may truck along at minimal thyroid levels - and many conventional vets may be reluctant to put her on what they see as "drugs"- , they do much better when levels are optimized. From my lay viewpoint, Blossom has been one who may greatly benefit from a little help here, and it can clarify her picture so that other aspects of her systemic issues become clearer and more likely to respond to excellent homeopathic prescribing. Just IMO.

 

[LilF]

I agree wholeheartedly. Dr. Dodds indicated she is VERY hypothyroid according to the testing. She doesn't even like food in the morning and has that pickey eater syndrome--When I was hypothyroid I craved more food but she doesn't... and the vet said to give the pill with food and it would get absorbed and not irritate her stomach so I have been doing that but Dr. Dodds says empty stomach. She was even slow when her thyroid was supposedly normal back in 2023. She HAS to be able to take this somehow someway. That is why I didn't want to do other diagnostics until her thyroid is right but I don't know what the internal medicine doctor is going to say next week. I get her out in the morning sun daily--we sit out there for the benefit of the sun. I pet her and love her up a lot, give her rides and try and make her life happy. The vet said he will check with me tomorrow and see how the thyroid once a day dosing at .2 mg and then suggest raising it to twice a day at .2 mg. I do not know if her cycle has anything to do with anything. She was in heat beginning of july. I took her to the Repro vet and asked him if that could affect her not wanting to eat in the mornings and he said appetite changes are possible for sure. So now we are a month later and do not know how this part of her cycle affects appetite, energy etc... magnifying these parameters...later in the day she seems better wanting food. A while back there was a webinar featuring some Irish doctor and she noted which struck a cord in me that our dogs mirror us. (A friend asked why all my dogs have had thyroid problems--maybe mirroring me and the very slow acceleration into the day) Usually skeptical on these things but this rang true. I am a slow starter and eat later in the mornings. The irish doctor said that sometimes when a dog is not interested in food in the morning it could also be in chinese medicine a weakness in the spleen because she said the spleen has to work hard in the morning.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

she noted which struck a cord in me that our dogs mirror us. (A friend asked why all my dogs have had thyroid problems-

Ah yes! The wonderful webinar from an intuitive and animal communicator (not a doctor) Lisa Tully.

 

[LilF]

Ah yes! The wonderful webinar from an intuitive and animal communicator (not a doctor) Lisa Tully.

ok then with that, are there any suggestions? is there something brewing. It is like pulling teeth getting her to eat in the morning. She just walked away from her food topped with clean chicken pieces. Barely got her thyroid into her but she is supposed to take it with food, a meal, so today she just got it with small piece of chicken. Already spent over an hour outside with her like i do everyday, getting sun, maybe walking, she sniffs around etc... So what now? I am throwing up my hands already because the food I feed her is better than most humans get and I can't keep affording to throw it away. She is barely 7 years old. I read her cycle can cause appetite changes and she would be in the progesterone phase now. I will try nux or arsenicum. I have found homeopathy to help in this regard but hope it doesn't just cover something up. What 7 year old dog doesn't want REAL FOOD.

 

[GinnyW]

Getting her established on the thyroid will help her appetite. Her whole system has been depressed without it. Fasting a bit won't hurt, nor will feeding once daily. Wild critters don't get three squares, but are opportunistic eaters. The mechanism of the thyroid supplement is basic to all her metabolic functions. And I would not concern myself about homeopathic remedies at this point, but wait until you can see the improvement from the thyroid supplementation. This is basic, and everything will work better because of that normalization. We've got to get that clock ticking