A raw patch hiding completely under Bao's coat, only found it during grooming
Would not have noticed at all during a normal pat down, only surfaced when I was brushing through a section near her hip and she flinched. Vet confirmed flea allergy dermatitis, said long-coated breeds often hide these reactions until they're already fairly developed since the coat just covers everything so well. Definitely doing more thorough skin checks during grooming from now on, not just after outdoor time.
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Ah, the coat that both delights and conceals in equal measure. Glad your careful hands found it before it became a larger issue for her.
Toy and long-coated breeds really do need that extra grooming-time inspection, glad you caught it before it got worse. Listing page here if anyone's considering a Shih Tzu: https://allinpets.com/pets/dogs/shih-tzu/
This is exactly the risk with a heavy coat, everything gets hidden until grooming actually parts the fur enough to see it. There's a thorough piece on this that's worth reading: https://allinpets.com/blog/dogs/flea-allergy-dermatitis-in-dogs-signs-causes-and-treatment-64/