Cozy is better

For our week two blog, I wanted to share with you my initial experiences using the DERMagic and give an update on the food situation. We are currently three months from castration.

We'll start with the food. Pico is really enjoying his new diet. It is the first time I've seen him really eat since we got him. He finishes all his food, licks the bowl, and asks for more. I'm overjoyed! We had him on kibble before, and even with Small Dog sized bites, he was really struggling to eat even 1/4 cup a day. I cannot help but think that the increase in calories and nutrients will help him in this hair battle. We've seen his energy greatly increase as well, and it's really fun having a more vibrant Pico in the house. 

Now for the hair loss. Pico started really losing his hair very quickly in the past week. Once the bald spot on his side showed up, the other hair around it started to come out quickly. He is currently sporting a spine-Mohawk. We have just taken our second bath with the DERMagic. I should say that I saw a dramatic increase in his hair loss after his first bath. His hair is really woolly, and there were many mats with the tea tree/peppermint oil soap that we bathe him in. That said, it's not the DERMagic that is making his hair fall out. It is coming out and it just happens we started the system as his hair loss was increasing. I'm at this point where I really just want all the hair that is going to fall out to fall out, so that I can monitor regrowth better and not put him through such long grooming sessions. 

The DERMagic Shampoo Bar is a bit difficult to use. I like the fact that I don't have to waste so much shampoo, but Pico's patience is very thin once he gets wet, and there is no "pre-lathering". The conditioner is lovely, once you figure out how to dilute it. My initial attempt at dilution wasn't so successful. I did a 50/50 conditioner water mix in a spray bottle. Worthless. This week, I kept the same proportions but put it in a pump bottle and my--it worked great. His hair is much easier to comb through this week. My desire to monitor his guard hair prevents me from trimming his hair to make application of the Skin Rescue Lotion a bit difficult. His hair gets very nappy and matted after applying it, and it's a bit greasy--all my fault. It is OK smelling, but has a slight sulfur aroma, which I can handle, but isn't exactly "fresh-smelling". Post treatment, Pico has totally flaky skin. I can see it exfoliating and rejuvenating. His skin looks a little tender, but he isn't complaining or paying any attention to it, so it may be just a visual thing. I'm monitoring closely.

Now for the great news...we are feeling regrowth in his underbelly, near his hind legs. We haven't felt or seen growth there since we got him! It's exciting. I read this article this week and was hopeful about his castration. Also, he loves his new fleece pajamas, and loves to be cozy. That makes me the happiest mama in the world.

Cheers!
Sarah and Pico

Pico's Story

Pico at 10 months. 

Hello!


My name is Sarah and my husband Yigit and I are the parents of a precious 20-month old Black and Tan Pomeranian named Picardy. He is named after the musical term "Picardy 3rd" because he is the third member of our household and because my husband cannot pronounce "th" so it sounds like "Picardy Turd". Also, we are musicians. We call him Pico.


We adopted Pico as "special needs" because of his potential Black Skin Disease or Alopecia-X. At 18 months, he had woolly coat and had a large bald spot on his chest. He was neutered in early September and immediately began to grow guard hairs. For the past 2 months, we have seen his chest bald spot grow in with guard hairs, and guard hairs throughout his body. However, he has also began to bald throughout his body.

Pico at 18 months
(and nicely groomed!)

Pico is the sweetest, most docile dog in the world. He's super mellow and loves to snuggle and give us kisses and cuddles.  We regularly are stopped and asked if he is "real" (yes, he is) followed by "Do you let him sleep with you?" (yes, we do). He is our child and his needs come before our own. We would do anything for Pico and want him to be as comfortable and happy as possible. While hair loss is no problem for us, he's very small (3.5 lbs) and he gets so cold! Even with the heaviest hand knit sweater, Pico would be warmer with his own coat. This post begins our journey of treating Pico's hair loss.


After much research, we have decided to try the DERMagic treatment. People swear by this skin treatment to cure hot spots, hair loss, rashes, and even Alopecia X. The chemist who developed the product seems legit and the product is all natural. Plus, it is headquartered in the Seattle-Area, and we like to reduce our carbon footprint, so it feels good all around. There is nothing to lose in trying this treatment on Pico.

Check out the woolliness of his coat!
Also, check out his cozy. 

We also decided to take a look at his diet and up the amount of protein and fish oil in his diet. He has been on Natural Balance L.I.D Venison and Sweet Potato dry food. Today, we decided to start a raw diet with a very generous sample pack of Primal Pet Food raw frozen food. We'll see what he likes. Other cool things about Primal Pet Food?! They sell 2" beef marrow bones! We try to order these for Pico regularly from the butcher at Whole Foods, but they seem to always fail at understanding "we'd like the bone cut into 2" pieces". So basically, I'm stoked! We are also going to up his pro-biotic intake.


THANK YOU to Jennifer at Health Mutt--the awesome new pet store in Roosevelt--for a great discussion on her own experience with canine hair loss and for all the samples! Pico thanks you for the treats and snazzy new sweatshirt.


Here are some pictures of Pico through the ages...we will post each week about his progress. Thank you for reading and I hope you find this helpful in your own journey with Pomeranian hair loss.

The blad spot on Pico's left body. 
The black patches are new hair growth. 

--Sarah and Pico

Pico on an outing wearing his
 rainbow sweater!

For more information on Alopecia X and BSD, check out this page. 


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