Dog has loose skin on his shoulder

[fwed]

I have heard loose skin means dehydration. I've only noticed this in the last 6-9 months. Freddie (the dog) is a jack russel mix terrier. He shows no signs of illness, very active, runs alot, has a playmate that keeps him plenty busy and drinks/eats plenty. I also keep a water bowl in his kennel too.

i dont actually monitor him carefully but i do see him several time a day drinking water, i dont have any reason to think he's not drinking enough.

Is this something that is serious enough for me to take him to a vet even though there are no signs of illness or discomfort?

 

[doghealth10]

First you need to know if he is drinking enough water or not. If he is, you may need to get him checked by a vet, just in case it is something a little more sinister.

You may like to read this on eHow.
What Are the Causes of Saggy Skin in Dogs? | eHow.com

AJ..

 

[Kat09Tails]

Some dogs just have more neck skin than others. Really I wouldn't be too concerned unless he's dehydrated, especially since he's a mix.

 

[Saeleofu]

Gavroche has lots of extra/loose skin. It's just how he's built. If it's a long-term thing and he's not acting unusual, I wouldn't really worry. If the skin is loose and when you pull it up/tent it it stays tented, then I might start thinking about dehydration.

 

[Bailey08]

Do you mean around his neck? B has extra skin there too and so does our family dog. I think it's pretty common.

(I actually kind of don't like it. I know that's weird but there it is.)

 

[Whisper]

There's nothing unusual about loose skin, especially if he's had it for nine months.

Now, if you pinch it and pull it up, does it stay there or go back to normal? If it if goes back down easily you have nothing to worry about.

 

[fwed]

There's nothing unusual about loose skin, especially if he's had it for nine months.

Now, if you pinch it and pull it up, does it stay there or go back to normal? If it if goes back down easily you have nothing to worry about.

the skin will go back down evenutally but it stays up for a few seconds, yeah there is nothing abnormal about his behavior that makes me think there is anything wrong, just the loose skin as I remember when I first got him (he was 2 years old) his skin went back as soon as I pulled it. Now (at 7 years) it slowly goes back down, could this be due to age also?

I also recently shaved his fur down really short, he naturally is a long hair dog. I think that has made it more noticable too.

 

[fwed]

First you need to know if he is drinking enough water or not. If he is, you may need to get him checked by a vet, just in case it is something a little more sinister.

You may like to read this on eHow.
What Are the Causes of Saggy Skin in Dogs? | eHow.com

AJ..

I have read up on Cutaneous asthenia. The artice says most pets who are diagnosed with this get euthanized.

Freddie is 7 years old and acts perfectly healthy and normal. If he has Cutaneous asthenia, I would not euthanize him just because he has some skin that is loose. Not when he's a perfectly healthy dog with no medical history of illness and his very active daily along with a good appetite and drinks plenty of water.

I do admit reading the description of this, it does sound like it is describing his skin but I can't believe in a million years just because of this I would ever feel the need to put him to sleep when he's not suffering at all.

Anyone else know about Cutaneous asthenia? I have to assume that this is much more sever than what my dog has and it's something so sever that it woudl cause pain and discomfort warranting putting them down.

 

[Whisper]

What breed of dog is Freddie? Is the area of loose skin on just one side of his shoulder, or is it evenly distributed?

Cutaneous asthenia is a serious disorder, and I've never heard of a case where it's just harmless loose skin. Because of the weakness of the skin with cutaneous asthenia, the skin tears and bruises easily. Does that happen to Freddie?
Since the skin is weak and lacking in collagen, when you pull the skin of a dog with cutaneous asthenia, the skin will generally not return to the body, but instead droops where you stretch it. You said Freddie's does go back, right?

Without being able to see your dog, and the fact that we're not vets, we can't diagnose your dog. If you suspect something as serious as cutaneous asthenia, take your dog to a vet.