Dog losing hair

[+Xinok Subscriber²]

I posted this thread back in July:

https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=573854

It started off with him scratching a lot, and he had red spots all over which almost looked like bug bites. Those who replied said it was most likely allergies or heat rash. I took him to the vet a couple days later, and the vet said it was allergies.

A couple months later, his scratching got better, but I noticed he was losing hair. I took him to the vet again, who said it could be a thyroid problem. When the tests came back, they were sure it was a thyroid problem.

It's been a month now, and he's lost a lot more hair. What's highly unusual though is he's losing hair mostly on the right side of his body. His left side has lost a little hair, but isn't so bad. This makes me think it could be bacterial, like mange.

This is a picture of him now. Any ideas what it could be?

[Yorak]

I'm not so sure a thyroid problem would cause that much hair loss. Certainly some though. Isn't there some pills you can give it for that? If it is mange, I don't think there is much you can do.

[_bobcat_ Veteran]

I believe mange can be treated. My parents' dog had Fox's mange and they got some cream for it..but maybe "Fox's" is different.

Can dogs get alopecia?

[JackBauer87]

I remember your original thread. Your best bet now is to take it to the vet (yes again). Most likely mange, but its better safe than sorry.

[+orgitnized Subscriber¹]

From the pic it doesn't look like mange. The vet can take a skin culture to be sure. If it is mange, I do have a great treatment for it that worked on my dog's demodectic mange. This remedy will work on all mange types. The stuff the vet gives you will most likely be pyoben or some other crap medicated shampoo. That stuff is garbage. I'm no vet but I know people in the same boat that used the same stuff with very poor results. Anyways, if it is, I can elaborate further, but I would not buy anything from the vet until you tell them you'll get back to them. They always want to push product - well, most of them do anyways.

Your dogs have a natural bacteria on the outside of their skin so if it's getting red, chances are he's starting to get a bacterial infection from his/her nails digging into the skin and causing irritation. This won't get better unless you get some anti-biotics to treat the infection. I am making assumptions on it being infected but that's common with dogs that itch a lot. Their nails scrape the skin and the bacteria begins to infect the skin and makes it red and they itch like mad.

Blood samples for allergy testing are also nice if you believe the dog may have allergies. No one can tell you for sure unless you get the blood work done or skin tests done. They normally range from 150-300 US dollars.

Keep us posted, and good luck to you and your doggies.

[shakey_snake]

It's called a hot spot or Pyotraumatic dermatitis. It's a common allergic reaction to cheap food and there are several topical hot spot soothers on the market you can find at your local pet store.

What are you feeding him right now?

The permanent solution: Quit feeding the dog cheap dog food.

Anything with any sort of corn listed in the ingredients list in it is a HUGE no-no. Dogs aren't built by nature to eat corn or wheat or most other grains. Food companies put that stuff in the food as fillers. It isn't digested by the dog; it just passes through and makes them poop more. After a while most dogs will have some sort of an allergic reaction to this.

You could get blood work done for allergies, or (the cheaper option) you could just switch him away form a food that contains common food allergens.

Find a food with more meat content, less grain content and maybe even some fruits and veggies (and subsequentially more protein and more fat and less fillers). Then, you can feed the dog less (because their getting the same nutrition and calories from the smaller amount of food).

Better food is (kind of) more expensive, but he looks like he deserves it. ;)