• Mood: crick in my neck

I have a (almost) half-bald dog

Every time I look at Taz I feel bad. Earlier this year I shaved him, not down to the skin but enough to deal with his fur knotting up between brushings. It had gotten pretty bad, especially near his tush and it was getting to the point where I was having to give him a bath more than once a week to deal with 'stuff' in his fur after he'd gone potty. If I didn't it became uncomfortable or painful for him.

His fur has grown back well in the front half of his body but the back hasn't and it's fallen out in some spots. The area around his tush and private bits are totally bald. I looked it up on a website for Pomeranian owners and its apparently common (Alopecia X) and supposedly happens in phases and will grow back. For his sake I hope it does. If I'd known this was going to happen I would have continued to deal with the baths and hours using a comb on the knots.

Along with the bald spots, Taz has now developed dry skin which hadn't happened during the more frequent bathing. Do they make something like conditioner/moisturizer for dogs? (I never thought I'd be asking that question.)

As for his bald spots, if they develop more I guess I'm going to have to get the old man a sweater of his own (Yoda has one with skull and crossbones). I've been looking but haven't found anything that isn't totally humiliating. *snerk* Even though he's acting like a total brat toward my roommate's outside cats I'm not going to put something goofy on a dog that has lived this long.

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