The Birthday, The Bald Dog, and the Billy Goat - Part II
A little over 6 weeks ago our purebred Siberian husky gave birth to 3 husky/rottweiler puppies. Obviously this was not planned; it was a result of having a neighbor down the street who refuses, despite repeated calls to Animal Control, to keep his unneutered dog in his own yard. The whole process of the birth and the next couple of weeks was a nightmare that included two of the pups dying, several emergency trips to the vet, and a LOT of lost sleep. Just as we started to actually enjoy having a puppy around, I began to notice the mother was losing a lot of hair. I would vacuum, and then a few minutes later I would notice clumps of hair blowing across the floor like tumbleweeds. At first I figured it was hormomal hair loss from the pregnancy and nursing. But when I asked my husband to take her outside to brush out the loose hair so I wouldn't see it all over the house, I realized it was much worse. I came outside after a few minutes and saw this absolutely HUGE pile of hair in the front yard. I was shocked. And when I saw that my beautiful Siberian husky had lost about 85% of her hair, I began to cry. My husband said that the hair was just coming off in sheets, like he was peeling off velcro.
After more research, I discovered the cause: we had been told by the vet to shave her belly so that the pups could find her nipples to nurse. She had already lost a lot of hair on her belly in the days before she gave birth, but if you're familiar with huskies you know that they have a thick undercoat of fur that made it very difficult for a blind puppy to locate the source of the milk they desperately needed in the hours following their birth. So we got an electric razor and shaved around the nipples. BIG, BIG mistake. Apparently huskies, as well as a few other "cold weather" breeds should never be shaved. It causes the hair follicles to die all over the coat, which causes the hair to fall out. Apparently the vet didn't know this, probably having never come across it in Florida where huskies are rarely seen. So now we have a bald dog. I feel like crying every time I look at her. And now she's losing hair on her head, neck, and tail...I'd been holding out hope that this wouldn't happen.
I had a friend go to the health food store for me (since cataplexy keeps me from being able to drive) to get cod liver oil, as the Omega 3's should help her get her coat back, a process I'm told usually takes 6-12 months. And I also ordered some multi-vitamins to supplement her nutrition even though we have the dogs on a very high-quality food. You should have seen me trying to give her the fish oil with a medicine dropper. I felt like I was wrestling an alligator or something. It finally took both me and my husband holding her down/sitting on her to get it down...or at least most of it. Then I realized I could just pour it on her food. Duh! So much easier.
I just ran the vacuum cleaner last night, and as I look at the living room carpet I can see about 5 or 6 clumps of hair blowing across the room. The dog just walked by looking more bald than yesterday, with clumps of hair hanging off her body, ready to fall off all over the house. But I won't ask - I dare not ask the question: what else could possibly go wrong?
To be continued...
