Dogs with autoimmune diseases and/or allergies?

I posted a question last week about my dog having hair loss on some sores around his eyes and a tiny spot on his muzzle. I took him to the vet on Tuesday, and my vet said that she did not know the cause. It is not mange, we know that much.

According to her, It has the appearance of allergies, however he is not experiencing any discomfort or itching on the affected areas. My vet said that allergies usually itch, so it may not be the cause.

So she put him on Prednisone and some Neo Poly B ointment to make the irritation go down. She says that once he is off, if it comes back, we will have to do a biopsy for a number of autoimmune diseases, among them DLE and Phemphigus. I'm hoping this is not the case %26amp; it is an allergy, as he is only a year old %26amp; will have to be on meds the rest of his life.

Does anyone else have experience with dogs %26amp; allergies or these autoimmune diseases? What were your experiences, including appearances of the affected areas?

Any input would be appreciated.

Dogs with autoimmune diseases and/or allergies?

my dog had pemphigus vulgaris. (there are a few variants of pemphigus and this is generally the more severe.) for her, it developed as a "crusty" nose and some hair loss around the outer edge of her nostrils. the crusts around the edges of her nose would sometimes loosen and come off, but for the most part it didn't bother her much. most people didn't notice it until they touched her face - her nose just wasn't soft like it should be. she didn't develop any sores in the genital region nor inside her mouth, and she tolerated her meds well, so i consider myself lucky.

she was a much older dog than yours when diagnosed (14 yrs old), so being on glucosteroids for the rest of her life (which ended up being another 3 years) didn't have the long-term side effects it could bring about for your dog. however in many cases, depending on which pemphigus it is, medication can be withdrawn or at least diminished once the signs go into remission.

i hope you're able to figure out what is wrong and a good treatment plan for your pooch. hopefully, your dog just has an easily-identifiable allergy that would have an easy fix. but i have to say, while pemphigus isn't something i'd choose to deal with again, it could have been far worse.

Dogs with autoimmune diseases and/or allergies?

it could be plant / vine which is making your dog loose hair or it could be whats in the diet... i have with my experiences with dogs it is what u feed them that makes a dog stand out