Yogi was diagnosed with Black Skin Disease at age 10 and told it was “just cosmetic”. Years later, his family found DERMagic — and got their dog back.
Yogi’s diagnosis: told it was cosmetic, told to live with it
Yogi was diagnosed with the “Black Skin” condition in 2005, at 10 years old. As the condition worsened, so did his overall health — but his family were told the skin disease was cosmetic, and his other problems were age-related.
Yogi’s owners, Tom and Debbie Gilman, weren’t convinced. They felt their dog was slipping away from a disease everyone kept telling them not to worry about.
What changed with Skin Rescue Lotion
When the Gilmans started using DERMagic Skin Rescue Lotion on Yogi, the difference was visible. The first photograph they sent in was taken in mid-June 2010, three weeks into treatment. Pink, healthy skin was already emerging from underneath the blackened, dead outer layers.
By the time they wrote to Dr. Adelia Ritchie, Yogi was nearly 16 — and his family said the products had saved his life.
More than a coat: a dog returning to himself
What surprised the Gilmans most wasn’t the new fur. It was watching Yogi’s personality come back.
- Energy and appetite returned — exactly as Dr. Adelia had predicted
- Little quirks of personality reappeared — Yogi became more interested in people and his surroundings, a happier dog overall
- Sleeping patterns normalised — less constant sleeping, more engagement
- Even his bladder improved — Yogi had been needing three attempts to fully empty his bladder; that stopped, and his confident “back-kick and strut” after a good pee came back
His family couldn’t see any explanation other than the improvement in his overall health from clearing his skin.
What it tells us about Black Skin Disease
Yogi’s story is a useful corrective to the idea that Alopecia X is purely cosmetic.
A dog whose skin is colonised by yeast, fungus and bacteria — whose follicles are clogged, whose outer layers are dead and odorous — is not a comfortable dog. Chronic discomfort drains energy, suppresses appetite, and dulls personality. When the skin recovers, the whole animal recovers.
That’s why Dermagic treats the skin, not the symptom. Kill the pathogen topically, support the skin, let the dog’s own system rebuild. Yogi’s case is what that looks like in a senior dog.
The takeaway
Yogi was nearly blind and hard of hearing by the time his family wrote in — but they described him as a very happy little dog. That’s what success looks like at 16: not a perfect Pomeranian show coat, but a comfortable, engaged, well-skinned dog living his life.
“We are forever grateful.” — Tom & Debbie Gilman
For guidance on Black Skin Disease in a senior dog, email info@dermagic.eu or call 01624 829575.