Hormonal Imbalance??

[CrystalsMom]

Crystal's road to adulthood was riddled with potholes. She's 16 mo. old now and I noticed that, practically overnight, many of her troubles have disappeared.
Her chin which was constantly oozing and bled so easily, is completely healed. Her paws seldom itch anymore and aren't red and irritated. She had so many symptoms in the last year and I spent so much time trying to figure out why she wasn't completely healthy. I spent about $2,000 on vet bills since we got her.
In the last month her thick whiskers have all fallen out and are replaced with softer ones. Her coat is much finer and softer...I see a dramatic improvement in her health overall.
Whenever I contacted the breeder about her skin issues, she told me it was a hormonal imbalance that would level out after a certain point. Our vet just kept repeatedly treating her with antibiotics. I am right now overdue on her yearly vaccines because I was afraid to have her vaccinated when her immune system was so fragile.
Could it really have been a hormonal imbalance this entire time?

[Ash]

Sounds like puberty, doesn't it?

But did anything change in her life over the last month when she improved? Something in her environment - was a stress factor (you might not have been aware of at all) removed? If not, I would find the hormonal imbalance explanation quite plausable.

Good to hear she's doing so well. The whiskers change is funny!

[CrystalsMom]

I did change the food. I have a feeling that it is not the food that gave such dramatic results though. The whisker loss is a strange phenomenon...that started about 2 months ago. I noticed a few fell out and were replaced with finer ones. When she was a puppy, all of her whiskers were very thick and almost like plastic coated. I had to trim them because they were putting holes in her skin. Yesterday the last thick whisker fell out and the fur on her muzzle is much softer.
It's really strange....I hope her health is on an upswing and it's not just a fluke. I've had two Dobermans before and never had this experience with either of them.

[Traci]

I doubt hormones had anything to do with the infections in her pads and paws. I believe I have also stated that I felt your breeder doesn't have all of the information and could quite possibly be giving you "reason to believe" simply because she does not know, or does not want to admit your dog developed conditions she has never had to deal with. In any event, your vet is your best advocate, whether that is treatment, resolution or suggestions for further investigation per symptom/condition.

[CrystalsMom]

Crystal was due to have her annual shots at the end of May. I am going to talk to him about doing bloodwork and a thyroid panel before we do the vaccines. He has to get a blood sample anyway for her heartworm test before she gets the monthly medication.
The breeder sold us the dog with the chin pyoderma and told us she would outgrow it. The vet told us that at a year old she was getting too old to have puppy pyoderma and he suspected allergies as the cause of her skin problems.
At this point, it's almost like someone flipped a switch because I see a very sudden and drastic difference in her overall appearance. It's like her immune system kicked in suddenly. I'm not complaining, it's just a little weird. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she will someday be a normal dog.

[k9Karen]

The immature immune system could be a factor in the 'itchies', but I don't see how it could be connected with the whiskers. I think that one may remain a mystery. Hormones do affect hair growth, but it is unlikely to affect only one type of hair or one area of the body. I don't know if you'll ever figure this one out, but I'm glad everything seems to be back on the right track.

BTW - did you try posting on a dobie board? There must be at least one out there.

[CrystalsMom]

You know, I really should find a Dobie board. Years ago I used to post on one but most of the members were really serious Doberman people.
They seemed to know one another from shows and they really got into arguing and insulting one another. I was always afraid to post anything for fear someone would take it the wrong way.