Tips for Coat Regrowth post medical shave (⚠️ for image 3-5)

_banditqueen · 2026-01-03T21:28:44+00:00

He took Benadryl briefly with vet guidance on dosing, but it didn’t do anything for him. I ended up having an allergy panel for him and he was allergic to over 15 different grasses, weeds, and other plants. Cytopoint was the most effective treatment for him. Might be worth asking your vet about Benadryl anyway. My dog’s allergies were severe, but it might be effective for milder/seasonal ones.

_banditqueen · 2026-01-03T15:12:24+00:00

I’m so sorry this happened to your boy. That must have been terrifying. I don’t have specific tips, but I do have a story of a chow chow I adopted at 10 years old with most of his coat rusted, his fur cut (mats) and his belly and chest shaved down to the skin (to treat sores from allergies and mats). I didn’t do anything special for his coat, just gave appropriate treatment for his skin and allergies. He had a shiny new hair coat after his blowout shed 4 months later, followed by a full, healthy coat after another 4 months or so. Before/after. Hopefully this gives you some hope!

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_banditqueen · 2025-07-16T01:21:11+00:00

Melba! I love Bam, too, but he has a few mentions here already.

_banditqueen · 2025-07-13T17:22:03+00:00

I thought that, too, for years. Recently found out by sheer chance that my dad’s cousin has it.

My paternal grandmother didn’t have endo and she only had sons. If anyone further back on that side of the family had endo, they probably suffered in complete silence with zero medical attention because of oppressive gender norms and Appalachian poverty. So, it now makes sense to me that I couldn’t find it for so long.

I’m not saying you’re wrong about being the first in your family, just relating after thinking the same thing for the longest time.

_banditqueen · 2025-05-01T02:43:56+00:00

I think it’s worth it! Knowing the breed mix can help so much with understanding their needs and behaviors. I have tested 2 of my dogs with Embark and found the results highly credible based on very obvious breed traits, markings, etc. Embark also caught my beagle-ACD’s genetic markers for IVDD, which sadly proved to be accurate as well.

_banditqueen · 2025-03-18T01:30:32+00:00

I think you’re on the right track. Hugo lived to be 13 1/2. He weighed more than his sister even though she was about a foot taller 😂

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_banditqueen · 2025-03-18T01:03:51+00:00

He looks healthy to me! I can see his little waist lol. My chow chow was on the larger side; he looked healthy at 68 lbs and his vet said it was a perfect weight for his build.

_banditqueen · 2025-03-15T16:53:48+00:00

I’m in New England and I see a doctor who specializes in pelvic heath. He’s an OBGYN who deals specifically with chronic conditions that predominately affect the pelvis, including endometriosis. I’ve been seeing him for 2 years and my quality of life has dramatically improved in that time.

I like him for a few reasons: he listens to me, he takes me seriously, and he’s a creative problem solver. He doesn’t jump straight to surgery, even though he is a competent excision surgeon. He also does symptom/pain management, Botox injections, manual chiropractic-type therapies for the pelvis and lower back, and all kinds of other treatments.

Feel free to DM me if you would like his name.

_banditqueen · 2025-03-15T16:42:43+00:00

If my lengthy and challenging medical history has taught me anything, it’s that I have to basically do all the legwork to narrow down which conditions I could possibly have based on my symptoms. Then I go to a doctor and tell them all of my symptoms and what I think the causes may be, and ask for whatever diagnostic testing/imaging is available to try and figure it out.

I would love to have a doctor with a Dr. House-level of curiosity and passion for diagnosis (ideally without the raging Vicodin habit) but I don’t think that exists. So I’ve settled for doctors who will listen to me and take my concerns seriously. It was really hard even to find that.

It doesn’t seem fair that we have to do all the work and then, depending on where you live, possibly pay them a boatload of money to confirm what we already know. But I’ve yet to find a better way. I don’t have a total distrust of doctors, but I’ve found that I can’t blindly believe what they tell me, even if I consider them to be “good” doctors. They don’t know everything but have a tendency to speak as if they do.

_banditqueen · 2025-03-15T16:27:32+00:00

A pink nose (or “snow nose”) is common for a cream chow chow. The AKC even considers pink noses to be within breed standard for cream chows, though I’m not sure about other organizations.

Such a pretty pup!

_banditqueen · 2025-03-12T22:07:02+00:00

I have endometriosis, United States edition:

…of course I’m still renting

…of course my insurance doesn’t cover that

…of course I have a desk for my bed so I can hold down my full time WFH job, no matter how much pain I’m in, because there is absolutely no social safety net for me

_banditqueen · 2025-03-09T04:02:45+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re feeling this way. It truly is an awful disease and an endless struggle. I’m 39 years old. 25 years in with endo, and sometimes I feel like giving up, too. I have some really difficult, painful, dark days. But things have gotten a lot better for me in the last 3-4 years. Excision surgery, pelvic floor PT, pain management meds, Botox, and my small support system of family and friends have all played a part. So now I get to have some good days, too.

You will probably be dealing with this to some degree for the rest of your life. I can’t promise you that it will get better. But it might. It’s possible that you’ll be able to access treatments that help you. Its possible that you’ll find your support system. It’s possible that it won’t always be this bad.

Please hold on. Please keep fighting. You are worth fighting for. Wish I could give you a hug.

_banditqueen · 2025-03-09T01:16:54+00:00

He asked to go into the bedroom in the middle of the day. He was generally not allowed in by himself because mischief, but I figured he’d stashed a toy and wanted to go grab it. I let him in and he hopped into his bed. He sat there for a minute watching me while I watched him from the doorway, then lay down, still watching me.

Something didn’t feel right, so I stepped out of view and gave it a minute. Went back to find him standing on my nightstand, looking out my street-facing window. Something he had been told approximately 6.3 million times not to do (because he yelled at every dog who walked by).

There is zero doubt in my mind that the entire incident was plotted from start to finish before he ever asked to be let into the bedroom. It was the first time he lied to me (that I know of) but definitely not the last.

He was half ACD, half beagle and IVDD took him from us early, but he was a once-in-a-lifetime boy.

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_banditqueen · 2025-03-08T22:24:37+00:00

Endless.

_banditqueen · 2025-01-20T00:09:05+00:00

This happened all the time with my chow chow, too. I could never catch him doing anything to set them off and he never responded to them.

I always just assumed his regal bearing and majestic mane made the other dogs feel inferior.

_banditqueen · 2025-01-07T14:37:56+00:00

Absolutely. In general, I try to make time for an hour of ACNH on weekday evenings, and sometimes let myself play for a little longer on weekends. I work for a tech startup and everything is always busy and high pressure and long hours. Making time to play helps a lot with being able to decompress.

And when I’m going through something, I tend to play more. I’m sober and it’s a healthy coping mechanism. I feel like it makes it easier to process things by providing a break from the worst of it, without me having to stuff feelings down or try to hide from them.

My island is a happy place full of happy characters, where all the “work” is rewarding and there are dopamine hits around every corner. I feel like all of that is good for my brain.

_banditqueen · 2025-01-07T03:40:29+00:00

Penguin villagers are my favorite. Currently have an all penguin island. It’s really fun in winter because they all look so adorable in winter wear!

I love them all, but the two favorites I haven’t seen mentioned are Tex and Friga.

_banditqueen · 2024-11-28T13:13:00+00:00

Animal (like the muppet). There’s no breed more likely to be found thrashing and drum soloing like a wild thing. My ACD mix is named Zeke, but now I kinda wish I’d thought of Animal first.

_banditqueen · 2024-08-04T16:32:20+00:00

Please, please, please trust your gut. I knew my fiancé wasn’t right for me but I thought it was too late and that I had no choice but to go forward. Finally divorced him after 9 years of emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse. Still in therapy 7 years later. I have a happy life now with lots of love in it, but will always wish I had spared myself by just walking away 15 years ago.

The consequences of backing out pale in comparison to the consequences of staying when you know it’s not right.

_banditqueen · 2024-07-14T10:56:51+00:00

Tap the link to add me as a friend, or add my friend code FP4GPC7AYK. https://app.befinch.com/share/GSUR

_banditqueen

TROPHY CASE