All those dark spots are patches of bare skin with new fur growing. This stuff used to stay mainly on his back and flanks but as he’s gotten older it’s spread and seems concentrated around his neck. His labs are all in normal range.
We have new growth in all the bald spots, which are quite extensive, but stopped spreading. His most recent vet visit went reasonably well. They took a biopsy of his skin, gave us a round of antibiotics for a “potential skin infection”, recommended some omega 3 supplementation, 3 times a week DouxoS3 seb foam application, and drew labs. The vet says he looks really good for his advanced age!
I’d forgotten how old he is and when she called him “geriatric”, I got all offended on his behalf! Then I recalled the average lifespan for the breed (7-9 years), the fact that he’s going on 11 at this point, and he doesn’t seem to be noticeably slowing down. I always forget he’s an ancient one amongst his kind!
He let us trim all his nails in one go this time around, so maybe he’s mellowing a bit in his old age? He still bolts when he sees me grab his nose balm tube because he hates having it rubbed on his nose! His eyes are completely clear and he’s actively avoiding walking into bushes on walks without having to be pulled away as he walks right into the middle of it.