Dermatology Diary Part 5: Meet Simba and Asia

Week 23 Progress Report

Simba has hair! Early on I was appalled at how bad they could get without me really noticing, because the changes were so gradual. Well -- it works in reverse too! Sometimes I feel like the most negligent dog owner, as I don't notice some things that looking back seem so dramatic. I looked at Simba one day and suddenly realized he was not bald anymore, and actually had a decent coat! At first, I noticed he had hair on his belly again, then suddenly I realized that the spots on his skin that used to be visible through his thinning coat were not noticeable anymore. Who would have thought I would be so euphoric over the fact that my dog had hair?! Alas, Asia was not quite so fortunate; she was growing a bit of new hair on her belly too, but not nearly so dramatically as Simba.

I kept the dogs on once a day prednisone through this week, since Asia was still having red patches occasionally and I wanted to make sure I kept them itch-free. The new food was accepted well, though I wish it came in bigger bags as two dogs eat their way through 18 pounds pretty quickly. I would say at this point their symptoms were quite well-controlled. And I was so happy, because Simba looked good again!

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