Dog ate grapes while pregnant. Are mom and puppies okay now?

This may be caused by excessive licking due to pain or itching, or could also have a hormonal cause. I do see a skin lession on the first photo, so you may want to review your regime of flea control. If you observe your dog and/or the puppies itching, check for fleas. You may also take her and the litter to a veterinarian for an exam if this continues or expands.

These are not typical of a dog after having a litter of puppies. Her age and having difficulty jumping make me think she may be painful from arthritis. Hair loss can be caused by a range of things, including stress, decreased nutrition, mites, fleas, allergies, infection, etc. I would recommend starting with a good physical exam with a veterinarian who may be able to determine what is going on.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Betsy! She is very cute! Hormones from pregnancy and lactation can affect the skin and hair. If the puppies are all weaned and have new homes, then I would suggest full blood work. Low thyroid and Cushing's disease can cause thin hair coats and pigment changes in the skin. Starting an Omega 3 fish oil (http://vrshealth.com/canine-products/omegadog/) won't hurt. Be sure she is on a good balanced commercial diet and if she is still nursing be sure it is puppy food. She should also be dewormed, pregnancy and nursing activates "sleeping" round worms. Parasites can cause a dull, thin hair coat. I also suggest having Betsy spayed. At 7 years old I worry about being intact impacting her health (pyometra, mammary cancer) and that is a bit old to have puppies again. I hope this helps and I wish Betsy the very best!

Pregnancy can affect the normal immunity levels and also the natural balance of the skin and demodex mange can be more common during pregnancy and nursing. I would recommend assessment by a dermatologist in order to investigate if this is present and to advise on the most appropriate management options both the relieve her discomfort and reduce the risk of the pups being severely affected at a young age. There are many medications which can be used with appropriate caution in pregnant and nursing mothers although many others must be avoided

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Poor girl. With so many external skin parasites on her then hair loss due is common to occur. There is no harm in waiting 1-2 weeks to see if the hair starts to grow back on its own. As long as she isn't chewing her paws excessively and seems bothered then it's ok to wait things out for now. Also try an oatmeal based puppy shampoo to hear her skin. When she is at least 6 weeks of age then visit your vet to get her on topical Revolution to protect her from future infestations. Monitor her behavior as well and if she acts ill in the next few days then it's best to get her seen to make sure she didn't pick up a big from the many parasites she had on her. Best wishes with your new puppy Reina and I hope everything goes smooth from here on out with her new responsible owner. Take care.

That’s hard to say. The breeder could be right as some females do experience changes in the haircoats related to pregnancy. It can also be a sign of parasites, poor nutrition or bad breeding. I recommend to ask the breeder questions about nutrition, issues with skin mites, any hereditary problems or other conditions in her line of dogs. You may also see if you can connect with some previous clients who have her puppies. This may help you to make the best decision. Best of luck.