I'm trying to figure out what has happened to my poor Tobey.  Last weekend I noticed he was not feeling very good; he was lethargic, didn't want to play, and the biggest clue of all...he wasn't hungry.  I left for a business trip last Sunday so I called every day to see how he was doing and his grandpa said he was back to his old self by Monday night. 

 

When I got back Friday I was petting him and massaging his back and I noticed what felt like little scabs all along his back.  From his neck down to his tail/stump he had all these small little hard spots and when I looked at them they weren't bloody like a scab but more clear little clumps.  They are very small, but it is easy to feel them when you run your fingers down his back.

 

I probably wouldn't have thought anything more about it, but I'm realizing he had an episode exactly like this about a year ago.  In thinking about the previous episode, it presented the same way - lethargy, no appetite and then dried little scabs/blisters along his spine.

 

It seems like a reaction to something but I have absolutely no idea what it could be.  I haven't changed his food or medications and he hasn't been anywhere new, which makes me think it might be something in my home.

 

Has anyone else ever seen or heard anything like this?

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oh my word did you see my post? , i think we put them up at the same time?

is your tobey's hair very thick and coarse along his back ?

 

Yes, in fact, his hair is much thicker, coarser and actually longer on his back.  In the summer when he loses more of his undercoat it is very pronounced.

 

I saw your post about the "cradle cap" and that does seem very similar.  Did Carly look or act sick before you noticed the skin issues?  Tobey clearly felt pretty sick last Sunday and if that part had lingered I definitely would have taken him to the vet, but after a day or so he bounced back to his normal self.

no shes just as energetic as ever even after being spayed three days ago..

i really am puzzled tho.. when i scratched it off it was a whitish stuff just like cradle cap

Hmmm....maybe  him being sick for 24 hrs and the scabs have nothing to do with one another. Him being lethargic and passing up food might have been a case of the flu....its been going around. As far as those clear bumps or scabbies I'm not sure but have a few questions. Does he roll alot? Does he have dandruff or itchy? Right now they are blowing coats so they'll itch and get out in the yard and just roll which can cause scratches on the hide plus with that shedding, they tend to hold in more dirt and oils which inturn will hold more of the undercoat in causing possibly a pimple specially if your corgi has a more oily production. Bathe him in some Dawn dish soap...this will break down his oils and unclog pores plus it will repel fleas! Then use the furminator shampoo since it has many conditioners in it, pulls undercoat, and rinses out easily without leaving to much conditioner in the coat to attract more grime. Use the Furminator solution as well for the finishing touch. Works great! How often do you groom?

I would tend to agree with you, that one might have nothing to do with the other, except that he had the exact same symptoms one other time.

 

He has been rolling a bit more, but not excessively.  His fur is actually really good right now, meaning it feels really soft, sometimes in the summer his fur seems kind of dry. 

 

Tobey goes to doggy daycare every week day, so he gets a brief brush through before I pick him up and I use the Furminator pretty frequently.  Depending upon the time of year I brush more often.  In the summer, maybe once a week, but in the winter, 2-3 times a week.  And when he's blowing his coat...at least once a day, LOL.

 

He does not have any dandruff that I can see and he doesn't seem to scratch any more than the occasional ear scratch or rump itch.  I use Revolution for his flea, tick and heartworm medicine so I've never seen any creepy crawlys on him.

 

I'd be a little nervous to use a dish soap on his skin when he still has these little sores, I wouldn't want it to sting.

 

I'm just so stumped by this.

let me know if you find out what this mystery stuff is...

I'm going to post to corgi-l too and see if anyone from that list can shed some light on this problem.  I'll keep you posted.

ok i ask the groomer today what she thought and she had no idea ..

what is corgi-l ?

Oh it is a listserv devoted to Corgi's that is hosted by Texas A&M.  It's not nearly has cool as MyCorgi but I just figured that a list hosted by a university with a Vet School might be a good resource, ya know?  If you want to check them out you can go to corgi-l.org to check it out.  It's pretty much an old school listserv, but it has apparently been around since the late 90's and there are a lot of people on it.

Well, I don't know for sure what the problem is yet, but I took him to the vet and he said it could be some kind of bacterial infection, a thyroid problem or a fungus.  He gave me some $28 shampoo and I have to bathe Tobey 2-3 times a week and it needs to stay on for 10 mins.  I actually laughed out loud at that part.  I mean seriously, does he think Tobey is going to sit still in the bath with the shampoo on for 10 mins?  I've done it once so far and I was able to keep him moderately still for about 5 mins and it did in fact really help his itching and discomfort.

 

The vet also took some blood to check for a thyroid problem, but that came back clear.  He also took a little sample of the skin and hair follicles to check for a fungus, but those results won't be back for another week. Lastly, Tobey is getting antibiotics 2 times per day in case it is an infection.

 

His hair loss seems to be lessening and his skin seems to be a bit less irritated, so I'm hopeful that the worst  is over.

 

I'll let you know what happens with the fungus culture.

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