Rottie diagnosed with vitalligo

Charisma

My 4 yr old male Rottie has been diagnosed with vitalligo. He is a rescue dog and I dont know his history. Since Ive had him he had stomach problems(windy,smelly,loose stools). I had him tested and we ended up having to put him on a very expensive perscription food to settle him. It worked for the stomach problem but he later developed a white nose and white patches of hair on his body which are getting more and more noticable as time goes by. I now have a Spottie Rottie. After a lot of tests & a biopsy he was diagnosed as having vitalligo. My vet doesnt seem very clued in about this and Ive looked around the net for info but havent found much. Im wondering if this is something to do with the stomach problems he has. He also drinks a lot and looses an excessive amount of hair. It seems to be some kind of auto immune disorder and can according to my vet be treated with immune system supressants if needed. My baby seems happy and livley so untill a time where it seems to be having a bad effect on him Im happy to leave him alone. If it gets to the stage where I need to put him on steroids and drugs I would be very reluctant to do it as leaves him open to picking up all kinds of things. Has any one any experience of this as Im very much in the dark here as to what to do.

BlackCat2008

Try http://www.ivillage.com this site seems to be run by vets so you may get the answers your looking for thier.

Beth

Sorry to hear that. There's no cure, but its manageable. It doesnt affect the dogs general health though, so thats good news. Seems that stress can affect it.

Some links to read through
what is vitiligo
Other dogs with vitiligo
Dobie with vitiligo Photos
More what is vitiligo

I cant find anything that says it would be related to the stomach problems. What food had you him on before the prescribed one? On cheaper foods (Pedigree/Bakers etc) they can be windy with loose stools anyway. And the higher quality stuff will usually give firmer and smaller amounts of waste. All dogs react differently to different foods, even the higher quality ones so the stomach problems could be that you hadn't found one that suited him yet. The prescribed one suits it seems so at least that is sorted for you.

Vitiligo is an immune disease in dogs that will cause a pink nose, but dogs with vitiligo will commonly have white patches or hairs throughout the rest of their bodies. In animals with vitiligo, antibodies are formed against pigment-containing cells that are responsible for nose color. The antibodies destroy these cells, resulting in loss of color. A veterinarian can do a biopsy to confirm this diagnosis. Certain breeds are at greater risk for this disease, such as Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, and Dachsunds. While the dog’s health is not adversely affected by this disease, nutritional supplements may help to restore the dog’s pigment.

From here

We also have a greying rescue Rottie that loses her hair a lot, and hasn't the greatest immune system after a bad start so to keep it built up as much as we can, shes fed on a high quality diet and there's salmon oil added to it. Stress sets her off losing her coat, and it looks like we've shaved her and ran out of the house because the tumble weeds of hair appear as fast as we clean them up!

Salmon oil is good for building up a healthy immune system, skin diseases, itching and irritation, dull fur, help with healing wounds, heart, gland and kidney health, liver function and joint problems.

Charisma

Thanks for the replies. Have bought the salmon oil. He seems to be getting a bit stiff now as well. poor fella. I will keep you posted.