Veterinarian perscribed melatonin?

[Puppy182]

Hi, about a year ago our dog (a 4 year old boxer) was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and perscribed thyroxin. We recently decided to take her to another office to get a second opinion on the proper dosage as the bald spots on the back of her body were not improving. Anyway, we recieved a call today from the Veterinarian about the results of her blood work and she said that her t-4 levels were almost normal and therefore did not recommend thyroxin at this time and instead suggested that we put her on 5mg of melatonin daily and then check back in a month and see if the symptoms improve. Now by what she said i assumed that melatonin was a drug that would help our dog with her hair loss problem, but when i researched it online it said thisis often perscribed for dogs with anxiety problems... which i do not believe my dog has. She was very anxious at the vets office, but this is not how she typically acts at home. I really don't think i should be giving her this drug because she is already displaying symptoms of hypo- such as low energy- and i am afraid that the melatonin will completely sedate her! What should i do?

[bustersmom]

Your Veterinarian is very smart as Melatonin is routinely used by a lot of vets for dogs with alopecia x. Here is a link that might help you understand a bit more.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_alopecia_x.html

I have a dog with cushing's disease who experienced complete hair loss. We have had her on melatonin for several months and unfortunately it is not helping with the regrowth. She has multiple medical conditions, all three of which effect the coat so she may be hairless forever but as long as her conditions are being controlled, it is strictly a cosmetic issue.

It is my understanding that it often take several months to see any improvement when treating with Melatonin so I am not sure that one month is going to be long enough to see improvement in your dog. Just be patient.

By the way, my girl weighs 4.9 lbs and takes 3mg Melatonin twice a day so I wouldn't worry too much about making your dog lethargic.