[Gpdd] HEALTH: endocrine-related hairloss [was: skin problems]

[Patricia Simon]

Laura, when I began reading your post about Phoebe, I immediately thought of
our Hazel who experienced "endocrine-related hairloss" this past year.
Ovarian cysts are the most common cause of this type of hairloss, but
Hazel's been spayed.  It turns out that problems with any hormone-producing
organ (e.g., adrenals, thyroid, etc., not just the ovaries) can cause this
type of hairloss.

After several months of treatments (including "just in case" ivomec
injections for all our piggies) and testing, we had an ultrasound performed
on Hazel in December and discovered new tumours on Hazel's uterine stump
(i.e., where her uterus used to be attached).  Hazel has had tumours removed
in the past, but is not a good candidate for further surgery.  We decided to
let her be bald, just make her as comfortable as possible in the time she
has left (she's +5.5 years).  Of course, Hazel is one of those "very
willful" pigs -- for reasons no one can begin to guess at, she suddenly grew
all her hair back in March... must be a "spring" thing.  She's gained weight
and is now going strong towards her 6th birthday while we all scratch our
heads in amazement.

So, reading your post, my first thought was to check for other types of
tumours in Phoebe, not just ovarian cysts.  However, with all of your
piggies now losing hair, I'm at a loss what to suggest.  Does Molly and
Abby's hairloss follow the same pattern as Phoebe's?  We were told that
Hazel's hairloss pattern (i.e., sides, rump, and long arrow-head stripe down
the center of her back) is typical of endocrine-related problems.

Good luck!  Please let us know what you find out.
Patricia