Hi
I have a lakeland terrier who is now about 10. Only we have noticed that there are certain areas along his spine that have thinning areas of hair. It seems to be regrowing however, but seemed a little strange. He isnt polydipsic and runs around fields after rabbits/jumps etc and is fully mobile with hardly any stiffness in him. He is also up to date with his Drontal and Frontline. The skin is clear and healthy. One theory is that he may have caught some hair in a hedge or something and it is regrowing. How long does it take to regrow?
PS Im hoping to start vet school this september so any advice on that front would be great too!

Hi, Mif,
Your dog's loss of hair on his spine could arise from a number of causes. A flea infestation must be considered, despite regular treatment. It is unlikely to be mange - either sarcopttic or demodectic. Trauma is certainly possible. A variety of hormonal disfunctions also have to enter into the differential diagnosis - thyroid and adrenal. Precise diagnosis of skin problems can be very difficult - there is an old joke that in the days of entirely private medicine the doctors who left the biggest fortunes when they died were the dermatologists, because their patients never died but never got better!
Good luck with your efforts to get into vet school. I believe that the veterinary faculties in all 6 UK Universities possessing them require the highest standards of 'A' grades for entry.
If you are unsuccessful with a UK school you might consider the University of St George's vet school in the Carribean, which does pre-clinical teaching then places clinical students in other Schools for the clinical years, before sitting the MRCVS exams of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Walter

Thanks Walter...
I have offers from all the UK Veterinary schools that I applied to including Bristol, Edinburgh and the RVC. Ive decided, however, to go to Liverpool in September. As you say you usually need As - which I have luckily in Biology, Chemistry and Psychology. I also have a B in Mathematics and French so should be ok!
Where did you train - at St Georges? It is a very nice veterinary school - however it is expensive and the % of passes from the school is exceptionally low compared to English veterinary schools. For any others considering going abroad to train - Ive heard that Australian uniiversities are keen to recruit English students - particularly Melbourne. To me that would be a better and safer bet than St Georges, and I believe it is cheaper too!
At my dog's age my mother is reluctant to start interferring with him...I think that as long as he is ok in himself and is maintaining a good quality of life we should just monitor the condition. Is that what you would suggest?

Well done!
All the UK veterinary schools are equally good. You are very fortunate to have a choice and I am sure that you will do very well at Liverpool. I was at Glasgow myself, more years ago than I care to remember!. If you are able to stay in a Hall of Residence rather than at home or in 'digs', do so. Only by interacting with students from other faculties do you really experience University life. Otherwise you may just as well be at a Technical College.
Walter

Well done on wanting to learn to be a vet. But make sure you read Joe Inglis book 'It really can happen to a vet' , to give you an idea what being 'in practice' will be like. Just to make sure you really want do your best for the animals.